'The Bachelorette's Katie Thurston Gets Candid About Friendship FAILURE!

Searching for true love can seem no less than chaotic in the age of countless options available to guide one through their quest to find 'the one!'

Just ask Katie Thurston. Thurston and her ~vibes~ made quite the impression when she was introduced to Bachelor Nation as a contestant on Matt James' season of "The Bachelor" two years ago.

Viewers loved her no-nonsense communication approach and her unwavering commitment to being herself. Her charisma and admirable sense of self-awareness resulted in Thurston leading one of the franchise's two seasons of "The Bachelorette" in 2021.

The 31-year-old thought she had found her forever in Blake Moynes, a contestant who had previously competed for the hearts of both Clare Crawley and Tayshia Adams, but the pair soon split after a short engagement.

The duo attributed their break-up to the realization they were "not compatible as life partners" once they returned to the 'real world' outside of the so-called Bachelor Nation bubble. (via The Blast)

After a brief romance with John Hersey, a contestant who Thruston had sent home early on during her season, Thurston once again found herself ready to become reacquainted with the single life, and the trials and tribulations that come along with it!

Last month, Thurston decided to examine the ways she could reinvent her public platform to accurately reflect where she currently stands in her personal life.

She took matters (and her phone) into her own hands by committing to give herself some well-deserved and much-needed TLC after enduring two extremely public break-ups in less than a year; she committed to bringing fans along on a journey where she would "date herself," documenting the experience on both TikTok and on her Instagram Stories.

The Blast covered Thurston's self-love affair at its beginning, where she had decided to kick off the process by putting her own spin on a 'date book' designated for couples, keeping track of her solo treks instead!

"My love language is words of affirmation," Thurston explained during her first Instagram story pertaining to the experience, "So I grabbed some dinner and some wine, and headed to the beach."

Now that Thurston has had a bit of time to heal from her amicable break-up with Hersey, (the duo had hung out in public together post-split, and Hersey has spoken kindly about his ex on social media), does this mean she's ready to take the leap of faith and re-enter the often chaotic dating scene?

Well, not quite!

According to Thurston, she had originally thought she would have a bit more time to contemplate getting back into the dating game after taking a notable step forward.

The former 'Bachelorette' set her sights on joining Raya, the dating app which has been a popular destination for celebrities like a pre-Bennifer 2.0 Ben Affleck, a process which she also headed to social media in order to bring her followers up to speed.

She dished on the details in a TikTok per Us Weekly, revealing she hadn't intended to find a new beau just yet but to peruse for potential besties. She soon experienced a snag in her plan, which she willingly expanded upon.

"I'll apply now," Thurston shared earlier in her TikTok, "and six months from now, I'll start dating," she added in reference to Raya's often lengthy time period for applicant approval.

"Well, they approved me right away," she went on to reveal, "Wasn't ready, but that's fine."

Unfortunately, as Thurston would soon learn, neither was the candidate in the running for her potential new pal!

"I matched with someone, and we're talking," she explained, "And then I got unmatched. Just for friends!"

Despite her bummer of an experience while searching for new friends on Raya, she still hangs out with some notable Bachelor Nation faces!

Thurston and Tammy Kay Ly, whom Bachelor Nation came to know for her time on Peter Weber's season of "The Bachelor," and "Bachelor In Paradise," have previously hung out together- Ly had been part of the crew on the aforementioned trip where Thurston and Hersey hung out together after their split- and have also brought their friendship into Ly's TikTok feed!