Leah Costa left Bachelor in Paradise, and decided to trick everyone. 

It’s been a long, arduous and rather dramatic 36 hours.

There was a great big ring, constant refusals to deny reports of an engagement and bucket loads of speculation thrown into the mix.

Who the hell was Leah Costa engaged to?

Ah, it would now appear, no one.

Yes.

No one.

She wrote on Instagram today it was all about “making a point”. Make of this what you will:

“In an era of fake news and ‘unreal’ TV, we are all constantly left questioning what to believe. Editing and manipulation are often highlighted when we are discussion the media. But what about the power of suggestion? This is the most important because without actually saying anything, you can position individuals to create and accept their own version of the truth. We have seen this done in countless political campaigns, wars, media and now reality TV.

“Now let’s focus in a little more on Bachelor in Paradise,” she went on. “Can I have a show of hands how many people truly believed they would see a same sex relationship form between @eloratahiti and @megan.leto.marx? Without ever having said it was, by carefully suggesting that the dark haired figure of @thomasmichaelperras in the water kissing Megan could be in fact Elora, you all created and accepted your own version of the truth, without the producers ever having actually lied.”

A post shared by Leah Costa (@leahpcosta) on Apr 23, 2018 at 11:20pm PDT

Leah then outlined how she thought she doing much the same thing with incessant rumour about her “engagement”.

“Over the past few weeks I’ve been positioning you all to buy a particular truth, to try and raise the issue and get you talking about how often this occurs and just how much emphasis everyone puts on their version of the truth.

“You may have all seen a sparkly ring appear on my finger. Without having ever said I am engaged and without having ever confirmed or denied it, without even used the term myself and even despite clearly stating last night on The Project “your putting words in my mouth” I have managed to show you all the power of suggestion. For you to then go and create your own version of the truth based upon the little information suggested.

“I ask you all to understand the power of television and the integrity of the media. Educate yourselves about the things you are watching and the power of suggestion, but most of all take it with a grain of salt. Happy Watching.”

While the point Costa makes about editing is certainly a poignant one, her message about ‘suggestion’ is certainly a bit muddled. She encouraged the rumour by feeding her fans and the media “clues” and she simultaneously never denied it, either, when asked repeatedly whether the ring was an engagement ring. Also, by claiming we “would know his face”, did that not confirm that someone existed? Is that not leading us down a garden path, rather than giving vague directions on where to walk?

Of course, this is all her prerogative. We’re just a little… confused.