Bachelor in Paradise odd couple Brayden and Kat answer our burning beach questions

She's a 27-year-old nurse from Florida who absolutely hates the beach. He's a 25-year-old nurse from California whose love for the beach only exceeds his love of dangly earrings. Despite this monumental sand-related obstacle, Kat Izzo and Brayden Bowers hit it off in the season 9 premiere of Bachelor in Paradise — and their "journey" to find "love" has just begun.

What will week two bring for this Paradise odd couple? EW asked Kat and Brayden (in separate interviews) to answer all of our burning beach questions, including what surprised them the most about life on Playa Escondida, how they assembled their all important "lists," and what to expect when former Bachelorette Hannah Brown arrives in Mexico on Thursday.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What surprised you the most about the season premiere? Was there something you thought they'd show but didn't?

KAT IZZO: I thought it was overall an amazing episode. I thought it highlighted all of the important parts that did happen within that first day or two. It was very entertaining, a lot of laughs. I did watch it with my girls, so we were all just laughing at all the trolls that [the show was] were doing for all of us. I wasn't expecting them to highlight my dramatics as much as they did, but it's there, so we're going to accept that.

BRAYDEN BOWERS: When I came down [the stairs] and Aaron and Sean were talking about me, I think that was what surprised me the most. I couldn't help but laugh really hard when Aaron was like, "He didn't even come and say hi!" I didn't expect that. I mean, I thought we had all already settled everything, but feelings are feelings, and when you're back in that situation, it's like you go back that mental space, and those emotions always come back up. I don't hold it against them, but that was the most surprising to me. I was like, "Dang, dude. Still hating, man!"

You were a newcomer to Paradise. What's one thing you wish people had told you about Paradise before you went? It can be about the experience, the accommodations, the food, anything.

KAT: Nobody can prepare you for that level of heat and, like, humidity. Nobody can really tell you anything to prepare you for Paradise. I mean, you go in there and everything just comes at you. I didn't expect the waves to be as strong as they were. Nobody told me about that. I live on the Gulf in Florida, so I did not know that that was how it can be on that side of the ocean. So maybe some preparation to not stand at the shoreline.

BRAYDEN: I wish they told me how good the food was going to be, because that was amazing. I was at that bar nonstop. I had gotten cut and in shape prior to it, and I tell you, I gained 10 pounds just from all the shrimp tacos I ate. But relationship-wise, I think just how strange it is to be in a huge open relationship, because that's exactly what it was. I've never been one to think I could do open relationships. I still don't think I could do an open relationship, if I was to be honest.

Kat, what did you know about Brayden going into Paradise?

KAT: I didn't know too much. I know that he was on Charity's season and I heard through Charity that there was just some disagreements and some drama, but we hadn't seen the season yet. So, all I knew was that he was her first one-on-one, but I didn't know really anything as far as his personality. He's actually nothing like I thought he was going to be. So that was very fun to experience with a clean slate.

Brayden, what did you know about Kat prior to arriving in Paradise?

BRAYDEN: I knew she was a nurse. I work as a nurse, and so I knew we had similar professions. And I knew I found her attractive. I honestly didn't really know a whole bunch about her. I didn't know she actually hated the beach. Even when we were talking on the beach and she was saying, "I hate bugs! I hate all this stuff!" I thought it was her being cute. I didn't realize she actually has a strong disdain for the beach. That was a tough one, especially because I love it so much. That's where I spend most of my time. So that was something I should have done a little bit more research on.

Everyone on Paradise talks about who was on their "list." How do these lists work — are they like written lists you submit to producers prior to going to Mexico?

KAT: They're not lists, like an actual list. It's just, they ask you who you're interested in seeing. We tell them and they're like, "Okay." And I ask, "Are they going to be there?" And they say, "I don't know." That's how it goes. They don't tell you anything, but they want to know who you're interested in seeing. But we really still don't know if they're going to be there. They're not like, "Here's the roster, choose."

BRAYDEN: I didn't really have a list to be a hundred percent honest. It was kind like, "Okay, if you had to pick your top three, who would your top three be?"

In the premiere, we see you two talking on the daybed and then you start kissing. How long were you actually talking before you kissed?

KAT: Me and Braden? Oh, we were there for probably 45 minutes prior to us actually kissing. And then I would say the overall first interaction was about an hour, an hour and 15 minutes. It was at the end of the night. We'd been hanging out in passing since I got on the beach.

I'm an old married lady, so tell me: In the real world, is kissing after knowing each other for 45 minutes something that would happen in the outside world or is it just a Paradise thing?

KAT: I don't know. I feel like you just go with whatever feels right in that moment. I don't think there's a written rulebook on when it's the appropriate time to kiss. I do know in that moment it felt like, "Okay, this is something I want to do right now."

BRAYDEN: I mean, I don't know! [Laughs] If the vibe's there — I said vibes again. I hate that. That word's been ruined for me. I don't want to say I always kissed within the first 45 minutes of meeting someone, but when it happens, it happens. I think in that environment, everything is just so sped up, too. Normally I don't really kiss on the first date. That's always been my motto. But I think in this environment you only have X amount of days to really get to know each other, and you're hoping to eventually maybe get engaged at the end of it. So that's the easiest thing to cross off the list: "Oh, do we match kissing?" Everyone's had a bad kiss, you know what I'm saying? You've got to sift through that fast.

Hannah Brown arrives on the beach this week. What can you tease about her appearance on the beach in Paradise?

KAT: Hannah arrives and a lot of the girls are excited, but her overall presence definitely shakes some things up. She definitely stirs the pot a little bit.

BRAYDEN: Let's just say things heat up and the beach definitely catches fire. It is a wild night that gets a lot of people uneasy, a lot of people unsettled, and so you have that to look forward to.

Obviously, this filmed a while ago and viewers don't know which couples are still together. How do you handle it when people try to press you for spoilers?

KAT: Well, I tell everybody not to watch it, because I know that it's a little crazy. I have told my bosses and a few of my family members that they have to close their eyes. But [otherwise] I just say, "If you want to know, you'll actually have to watch the show."

BRAYDEN: I'd just say, "Stay tuned." But it's hard for me because it's something I've already experienced, too, so when people ask me about it feels so far in the past now. It's definitely hard not to run my mouth. I think the world knows I have an easy time running my mouth.

Brayden, how did you feel about Kat saying you have "golden retriever energy"?

BRAYDEN: I accept it. A golden retriever's loyal. They're fun and they're good cuddle buddies. I don't know. I like it. I've always thought my spirit animal is a dog. I wish it was something like crazy cool, like a killer whale or something. I'm okay with being a dog. They're man's best friend.

Finally, how long did it take you to get rid of all the sand in your stuff once you got home?

KAT: Oh, the sand came with me. My mom and I were trying to get it out for two weeks. It's still in my suitcase. There's sand still in that one suitcase, and I've just accepted it. I have to pack everything in packing cubes. You bring the sand home, and it never leaves your side. That is a piece of Paradise, unfortunately, that I have with me.

BRAYDEN: Oh, my goodness. The sand's still in my stuff. I live in Pacific Beach, so I'm always at the beach anyway. Sand ends up everywhere at this point. I've just accepted it. I don't try to fight it anymore. I do dust and sweep, but there's some things you just can't get sand out of.

Bachelor in Paradise airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

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