Below Deck’s Fraser Olender is continuing to open up about his and Jake Foulger’s recent steamy kiss (the one after the infamous three-way hot tub kiss) and the connection that the two still share. In a new interview, he reflects back on the night that left him feeling “really, really uncomfortable” afterward.
After the kiss, Jake seemed to be completely fine with the makeout session and didn’t “make it weird.” Fraser, on the other hand, was mortified and afraid he had ruined their friendship.
On an appearance on the Behind the Velvet Rope with David Yontef podcast, Fraser said the kiss was initially a dare, and he added that there was a lot of alcohol and embarrassment involved.
“Do you know, is there really much to talk about?” he said. “It was a dare. You can see that I’m a little bit out of it. I’ve had a bit to drink. We’ve just been swimming in the restaurant pool, which is highly unacceptable, but it happened, and it was a lot of fun.”
After the night out, Fraser admits that he really had no recollection of the kiss even happening and was worried that he had put his relationship with Jake in a place where he had “no control of it anymore.”
“Because I didn’t have any recollection of that until I saw that video,” he continued. “And I can’t tell you how much that hit me in such an odd place. Like, I felt really, really uncomfortable. And that’s based on the fact that I hadn’t spoken to Jake that day, I didn’t even remember it happening. And I put my relationship with Jake in a place where I had no control of it anymore.”
Fraser’s primary worry was that maybe he had given Jake the wrong impression and it was a situation they wouldn’t be able to come back from.
“I thought that maybe he thought I was into him or maybe he thought I didn’t, I didn’t know the context,” the stew said.
Fraser also explained that though he identifies as gay and Jake identifies as self-proclaimed “sexually comfortable” straight, the two had an instant connection. But Fraser didn’t want it to become an obstacle between them or put Jake in a “defensive scenario.”
“There was chemistry with Jake and I, whether that’s on a friendship level,” he explained. “I mean, watch the end of the season, you’ll see where it goes. But there was always a little something there between us two too. And it was fantastic from day one, but I just worry that putting him in this position in a scenario he might, you know, get on the defense, but ‘I’m not gay, I’m not getting….’ You know, all that crap, which is fine. Everyone’s entitled to an opinion, but I just didn’t want that to be any room for an obstacle to come between us.”
Yet, everything seems to be fine between the two friends, as Fraser previously told ShowBiz CheatSheet,“Jake and I have a really strong bond and a great relationship.” He then added, “Jake is going to be in my heart for as long as I can see down the line.”
And it looks like there’s going to be some more connecting between the two to come this season as Fraser concluded, “We sort of warmed to each other. And… then some. So, we’ll see. So, I’m excited to see the rest of the season.”
Below Deck airs Monday nights at 9 p.m. EST on Bravo.
Photos Credit: Laurent Bassett/Bravo