Can We Talk About The Weirdest Fight In Bachelorette History?

Katie Thurston’s Bachelorette season is only just getting started, but it’s already featured what may be the most bizarre fight scene in Bachelor Nation history. There have been plenty of silly arguments over the years, typically stemming from contestants’ past grudges against one another or one cast member’s conviction that someone else isn’t there for the “right reasons.” But Aaron and Cody’s Bachelorette fight in the June 7 episode was just plain confusing.

For the most part, Night 1 was uncharacteristically chill. Guest hosts and former Bachelorettes Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe were there to cheer Katie on from the sidelines, and she seemed to genuinely connect with a lot of men... even the one dressed as a cat and the one who spent the entire night hanging out inside a giant box. Love wins!

The only real confrontation came courtesy of two of the guys: 26-year-old Aaron Clancy and 27-year-old Cody Menk. At one point during the cocktail party, Aaron pulled Cody aside to make it clear where they stand with one another. “I don’t like you bro. Like, I’ve never liked you,” Aaron said. “And that’s fine. We don’t have to talk at all. And it’s not my fault I don’t like you.”

A perplexed Cody replied, “Well, you don’t like me, so that is your fault.”

To his credit, Cody seemed just as confused by the altercation as the audience. He said in a confessional interview to cameras: “I’m like, ‘What are you talking about, dude?”

Then the show cut back to their drama, as Aaron insisted, “I’m literally just telling you exactly what’s up.” As he started to walk off, Cody called after him, “All right, I don’t agree with anything you said. I don’t think there was a need for that at all.”

So like, what’s the story here? Members of Bachelor Nation are calling it the most random fight in Bachelor franchise history and honestly, I’m inclined to agree. Even Katie is confused watching it all back.

Maybe Aaron had a lot of champagne and felt obligated to let Cody know he didn’t get a good first impression of him. But maybe it’s deeper than that. Both men are from San Diego and are involved in the fitness world, so maybe Aaron has heard some local gossip about Cody that made him less than pleased to see him on Night 1. If that’s the case, fans will probably get more info about their backstory as the season unfolds. The season preview teases a ton of upcoming drama, and Aaron and Cody both received a rose on Night 1, so we know they’ll be back for at least another episode. Bachelor Nation will just have to wait and see how their beef factors into Katie’s journey.

The Bachelorette Season 17 continues Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.