This season of The Bachelor (supervising producer: Deborah Read) came to a sudden halt for Maquel, who left to be with her family after learning her grandfather had passed away. It's still unclear if she'll return to the show or if her capital J Journey to find love has officially come to a close, but fans may still be curious what Maquel is doing now after The Bachelor. Whether she comes back or not, filming wrapped at the end of November, so that's still two months worth of ground to cover.
Of course, no matter how long they lasted in the Bachelor mansion, stars are essentially sworn to secrecy about any details that may hint at who the leading man ends up with. And even if Maquel returns, it's a fairly safe bet that she's not with Arie. Having left during Week 4, she didn't have a chance to spend much time with him, and while she certainly made a strong first impression — first by driving up in a race car, and then battling it out as a lunch lady during their wrestling-themed group date — that doesn't seem like enough to lay the necessary groundwork for a serious relationship. Arie will be building connections with the other women while she's gone, so even if she does make a comeback, she might be too far behind to woo Arie away from other contestants. That being said, a lot of things have happened on The Bachelor, so don't completely rule her out just yet.
Outside of her reality TV stint, Maquel seems to have (mostly) returned to her normal life. After a brief hiatus (assumedly for filming), she hopped back on social media to announce her appearance on The Bachelor in early December. Shortly afterward, she also returned to posting on her photography page, and from the looks of it, she's been quite busy working. Engagements, weddings, family portraits, ad campaigns — you name it, Maquel has been shooting it.
Based on her Facebook page, she appears to be living in Orem, Utah, a city only a short drive away from her hometown of American Fork. And just as she was before The Bachelor, she's still traveling across the country. In the last month alone, she's tagged Instagram photos in both New York and Seattle.
There have, however, been a few adjustments. She's found new friends with fellow Bachelor contestants Marikh (who's also from Utah) and Seinne — both of whom are still in the running for Arie's final rose on-air — and has already begun to cash in on the Instagram ads Bach alums are well known to promote. In mid-December, she shared a post in partnership with Utah's Spa Trouvé. It seems like only a matter of time until the hair gummies and detox teas find their way onto her page.
On the other side of post-Bach fame, Maquel has also had to weather her first brush with controversy. Earlier this month, she came under fire for a racially insensitive photo posted to her Instagram account back in 2012. The picture reportedly featured Maquel wearing "brownface," but has since been deleted from her account. She apologized for the photo via a statement to TV Guide, saying,
"Five years ago, I made a regretful choice for a costume. It came at a time when I was unenlightened and uninformed. I apologize to anybody who was offended by my choices. I am sorry for what I did and take full responsibility for my mistake."
An ABC spokesperson issued the following statement to Bustle on the matter:
"We are disappointed to see this post and glad that Maquel has made a formal apology. We do not condone her behavior."
Aside from that, though, things seem to be business as usual for Maquel. And, only time will tell if she gets another shot with Arie.
