Wells Adams Says 'Bachelorette' Group Date After Blake Moynes' Arrival Gets 'Pretty Intense'

Monday's episode of The Bachelorette will see a familiar face return to the series — and we're not just talking about Blake Moynes, whom Katie Thurston decided to keep around after he showed up a few weeks into her season.

Bachelor in Paradise bartender and former Bachelorette contestant Wells Adams pops in to help host a round of The Bachelorette's Bash Ball, a crossover between rugby and basketball. With the opportunity for the winning team to spend extra time with Thurston, 30, at stake, Adams, 37, tells PEOPLE the group date gets "pretty intense."

"Everyone was coming in a little heated and stressed out," he says. "I think they let some of their aggression out on the date — maybe a little more than they really needed to."

Adams put everyone — including himself — in some silly outfits to help lighten the mood. "I thought that dressing them up in stupid unitards would be a good sojourn from the serious nature of their experience thus far," the reality star says. He told the show his own "shorts need to be so high that we're concerned," and jokes that on Monday's episode "the mouse might come out of the house."

As for which guys Thurston was into at that point, Adams says he observed connections with Michael Allio and Connor Brennan. "Personally, I liked Connor," he adds. "Connor and I talked for a long time. He was equal parts sweet guy and dork, and I really can relate to that. But they were all super nice guys."

Even Hunter Montgomery, who, in a teaser for Monday's episode, appears to take the competition a little too seriously. "Hunter, that little Tasmanian devil, did not disappoint," Adams says. "He was lighting dudes up left and right. I was proud of him. I was like, 'Yeah, man, go get your girl.'"

In addition to his Bachelorette appearance, Adams will also be back on Bachelor in Paradise later this summer. He'll be "serving up bad drinks and giving good advice," he says, and serving as master of ceremonies at the rose ceremony eliminations in the wake of Chris Harrison's exit amid criticism of the franchise's diversity problem.

So does that mean the Your Favorite Thing podcast host will be fully taking over Harrison's responsibilities? "I don't know if I'd say that," Adams cautions. "I would say that's more of a function of, it's really late at night and Wells is still awake."

RELATED VIDEO: Rachel Lindsay Says She 'Didn't Expect' Chris Harrison to Leave Bachelor Franchise

Adams says the franchise looks "different" without Harrison, 49, and understands "change is never easy, especially with [a] fan base that's this devoted."

"But to be honest with you, I'm just really excited for Paradise," Adams says. "The world got dealt such a crap hand the past year and a half, and not that Paradise fixes anything, but I think we all need to get back to the silliness of that show. We all just need just a break from all the stuff that we've all gone through."

Will you accept this rose? Sign up for PEOPLE's free weekly Bachelor Nation newsletter to get the latest news on The Bachelor, The Bachelorette and everything in between.

And with everyone emerging from COVID-19 lockdowns, Adams teases that the singles participating in season 7 of Bachelor in Paradise could not wait to connect with one another. "Coming to Paradise, a lot of sexual tension has been built up for over the past year. That will be showcased quite nicely on the season," he says.

Adams and his fiancée Sarah Hyland also felt the effects of the pandemic and had to push back their wedding twice due to COVID concerns. Now, "I don't know when we're getting married," Adams says. "Hopefully soon. There's a world in which we just go to Vegas or go to a courthouse, but I think that next year is the year that we will finally get married, hopefully."

The Bachelorette airs Mondays (8 p.m. ET) on ABC, and season 7 of Bachelor in Paradise premieres Aug. 16.