‘90 Day: Hunt for Love’ Star Elise Benson Believes Rob Warne Was ‘Playing’ Her, Talks Red Flags

Looking for Mr. Right in Tulum, Mexico, on 90 Day: Hunt for Love is one experience Elise Benson will never forget.

“It taught me so much about myself and helped me grow in ways I didn’t see coming,” the model, 32, tells Star exclusively of the show, which follows eight single 90 Day alums — including Rob Warne, Colt Johnson, Cortney Reardanz, Tim Malcolm, Jeniffer Tarazona and Usman Umar — as well as a few fresh faces all looking for love. “I learned how to let my guard down, how to communicate more openly, and what I truly want — and don’t want — in a partner.”

“It gave me a lot of clarity around the kind of relationship I’m looking for and the values that really matter to me,” Benson continued. “Most importantly, it helped me become more in tune with myself and what I need to feel loved, respected, and secure.”

During the series’ premiere, sparks flew between Benson and Warne, and they kissed — but unbeknownst to her, Warne, 33, is still legally married to Sophie Sierra. (The exes, who met during season 10 of 90 Day Fiancé, documented their rocky relationship on 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? before splitting up on 90 Day: The Last Resort.)

Benson and Warne’s romance was short-lived, however, as she alleges Warne contacted her privately following their kiss. “He asked me to come over and stay with him, and even said he’d turn the cameras off, and I was like, ‘Absolutely not,’” she tells Star. “That was a red flag for me.”

According to Benson, Warne dished on his estranged relationship with Sierra, 26, during their conversation. “He continued to tell me how his ex made him look like the bad guy, and now he’s here trying to clean up his image and come off like the nice guy,” she explained. “But the truth is, it started to feel like he just wanted me to follow his lead, say what made him look good and basically play along.”

“I was being real,” she added, “and he was playing me.”

Though it remains TBD on whether she finds everlasting love this season, for Benson, building friendships with her costars was a perk to the experience.

“I feel lucky to have that kind of connection with so many of them,” she says, pointing to Reardanz, who she also teamed up with to film an episode for the after-show, Between the Sheets. “We talk regularly. I absolutely love her energy; she’s such a genuine, good-hearted girl.”

Though her reality television debut didn’t exactly go off without a hitch — “I wish more of my caring, nurturing side and true team-player spirit came through,” Benson explains —  she’s eager for fans to see how things play out.

“Stay tuned,” she teases. “There’s a lot more to come.”

90 Day: Hunt for Love airs on TLC on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET