There was no “Bachelor in Paradise” this summer because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, but a few alumni of “The Bachelor” franchise have been getting together in different Chicago parks since mid-June to exercise and fundraise for charity.
Clay Harbor and Dustin Kendrick, former contestants of “The Bachelorette,” and fitness professionals Shannon Flanagan and Chelsea Wellmann hosted a socially distanced workout last Thursday in Ping Tom Memorial Park that drew some 50 Chicago-area residents.
Harbor and Kendrick stretched and ran with the participants, who also did lunges, jumping jacks, squats and burpees in a grassy area next to the Chinatown park’s boathouse. Kendrick said the weekly exercise class — which typically runs 45 to 60 minutes — began two months ago with about a dozen participants. Now 50 people routinely show up to sweat.
“It kept on growing and growing,” Kendrick said. “We’re just trying to have fun for a good cause.”
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Harbor, a veteran of the NFL, competed on Becca Kufrin’s season of “The Bachelorette” in 2018. Kendrick, a real estate broker with @properties, participated on Hannah Brown’s season last year. Flanagan helped cast them on the ABC network show. They met Wellmann last year at a run before the Chicago Marathon. Besides these weekly park workouts, the group also recently launched the Movement Project to raise more money for charity.
The kick-off event, dubbed “Sweat Against Stigma,” is a series of workouts scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. Saturday in Palmer Square Park in Logan Square. Tickets via Eventbrite start at $30 for one hour-long class and reach $75 for all four classes, with proceeds marked for Hope for the Day, a suicide prevention and mental health education organization based in Chicago.
The weekly park fitness classes have been free with donations encouraged. Wellmann said around $1,500 has been raised for various charities. After online publication of this story Tuesday, Flanagan said the group will ask for $10 or more for each park fitness class starting next week to pay for park permits.
Event details are posted on @fitness_atthepark Instagram page, with Thursday’s workout class set for Humboldt Park. Kendrick said the group is trying to secure an indoor spot for the winter. Participants are asked to bring a mat/towel and water, wear face coverings before and after the workout and follow social distancing guidelines at all times.
“Grocery Store Joe” Amabile — of “The Bachelorette,” “Bachelor in Paradise” and “Dancing with the Stars” — has participated, and “The Bachelor” alumna Amber James showed up last week. Sarah Shafiq, 23, is a class regular. “It’s a great way to see all the parks in the city and be out and active, especially during quarantine. They’ve been doing a great job of spreading the knowledge of charities around the city as well,” she said.
Ashley Beresid, 28, said the class is her “one out for the week,” and it’s been the “most incredible experience” she has had in Chicago this summer.
“I really want an opportunity to do group fitness classes, and in the time of COVID, going into the gym doesn’t always feel safe. I feel like this is a really easy way to get that element of group fitness while being outside and being safe COVID-wise,” she said.
(This story has been updated with new cost information.)