Carly Waddell - Songwriters, Career and Family

Carly Waddell, who is a singer and songwriter, used to share cover songs on her YouTube channel long before she appeared on television. She was also a cruise ship singer before she entered into the dating competition. She showed off her singing skills during her introduction on ‘The Bachelor’ and entered the show during its 19th season, in which Chris Soules was the bachelor. She received special attention due to her Pinterest board filled with the title ‘one day’, dedicated to her wedding. The fact that she had many pictures of country boys like Chris, and that she also prioritized family like the Iowa farmer, brought her under spotlight during the show. She reached the fifth spot before being eliminated from the show on its seventh week. However, being one of the favorite contestants, she would later appear in two seasons of the spin-off show ‘Bachelor in Paradise’.

Carly Waddell is a blogger who shares her thoughts, experiences and aspirations on her official blog and website. In many of her blogs, she shared songs written by her, reflecting on different experiences in her life. Carly, who is also a talented singer, sang onscreen during her introduction on ‘The Bachelor’, and later, she penned another song remembering her first one-on-one date with Chris Soules, which she published on her blog. Since then, she has shared with her readers many songs including “It Was Different Then”, “Girl in Your Dreams” and “So I Do”. She developed a friendship with Jade Roper, who was also a contestant on the 19th season of ‘The Bachelor’. After Jade participated and won in the second season of ‘Bachelor in Paradise’, she wrote and performed a song at her wedding, which was aired on TV during a special episode on the series, ‘The Bachelor at 20: A Celebration of Love’. She and her friend Jade made T-shirts with friendship quotes, which she again shared on her blog. Along with her mother, she made many religious art pieces, some of which they collected in the form of a children's book in 2015. She always stays connected with her fan base, and even shares her break-up pangs with her readers. This way she has made a permanent place in the hearts of her followers.

Carly Waddell was bullied for her thin eyebrows during The Bachelor. She later revealed that it was a side effect of her hyperthyroidism which was diagnosed in 2014. She was in a relationship with Erik DiNardo, a singer/songwriter from Nashville, since August 2015. The couple dated for about six months, but later decided to separate on February 15, 2016, just after Valentine's Day. Calling the incident unexpected for both of them, she mentioned that they both decided to end their relationship as their different career goals did not allow them to be together. She dated Kirk DeWindt on season two of ‘Bachelor in Paradise’, but failed to win his heart. In the next season of the show, she dated Evan Bass. Despite Evan having a crush on her, she initially avoided him, but they eventually got engaged at the end of the season. They are planning to marry in 2017.

Carly Waddell was born on October 11, 1985, in Arlington, Texas. Her parents are Jeff and Maryann Waddell. She has two brothers, Zak and Denton. Zak Waddell was a contestant on the ninth season of ‘The Bachelorette’ and competed for the affection of Desiree Hartsock. She attended musical theatre at Tisch School of the Arts, New York University. She got her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Musical Theatre Performance from the University of Oklahoma in 2007. She currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with Evan Bass and his three sons, Ensley, Liam and Nathan. Carly, who spends a lot of time with them, has become a "soccer mom".