The Golden cast members are bringing the heat to season 10 of Bachelor in Paradise.
Ahead of the highly anticipated July 7 return of the spinoff series, host Jesse Palmer teased what viewers can expect during a conversation with alums Joe Amabile and Serena Pitt on their Bachelor Happy Hour podcast. For the first time, The Bachelor and Bachelorette stars will be joined by Goldens, which Palmer revealed did not play out the way most would think.
“This will be, probably, a surprise to a lot of people at home,” he explained. “It’s not to me because I’ve been around them, but it’s actually the Goldens who, I think, infused the most energy in the show.”
Palmer said he expected the excitement from the Goldens, but he was still shocked by how wild things got.
“I’m not taking a shot at a younger cast, but after a couple days of shooting, you kinda start getting comfortable. You know, you start coupling up, and everybody doesn’t — it feels like they’re off edge a little bit,” he noted. “The Goldens bring it every single day.”
Sharing that the first night parties for The Golden Bachelor and Golden Bachelorette both went much later than the original seasons’ have in the past, the former football player said he had some idea that group would “go so hard.”
“Like, the parties at the pool in Paradise, it was all Goldens turning it up. They turned up every day. Like, the make-out sessions in the pool and the body shots. Sucking face in the pool and body shots. It was the Goldens. I’m telling you. Just watch. Just watch. It was unbelievable.”
There were boundaries regarding the Goldens’ role on the show as a whole.
Before bringing everyone together, Palmer revealed that there were some discussions about the anticipated dynamics between the two casts.
“The direction when the Goldens arrive is sort of like, ‘Hey. Like, we obviously have two completely different generations here in Paradise, and we’re encouraging you to sort of stay in your generational lane when it comes to dating.’ Obviously, I can’t tell anybody who to love and who not to love. That’s not my job. In 2025, you can’t tell anybody that. But just don’t make it weird.”
Palmer wanted the more mature contestants to mentor the younger group.
Palmer said he “was always hopeful and aware of the value” that the Goldens could bring to the show.
“I was off-camera, and on-camera, telling a lot of the younger cast, like, ‘Hey, when they show up, you need to pick their brains,’” he recalled. “Like, don’t just hang out and have drinks with them, but ask them questions about relationships. Ask them questions about life. Ask them questions about life outside of this. Like, really get in their minds because the greatness of the Goldens is that they don’t care. Like, they’re at an age now where they’ve lived their life. They do not care what people at home think anymore.”
“They’re not using this,” he continued. “They’re not trying to be influencers after the show’s over. Like, they’ve lived their life. They’ve done their thing. And, you know, they’re just trying to have fun, and they were super excited.”
The starting cast has been announced, and additional cast members will join the show throughout the season.
The upcoming season’s cast is Jonathan Johnson, Hakeem Moulton, Brian Autz, Jeremy Simon, Ricky Marinez, Sam McKinney and Spencer Conley from The Bachelorette season 21; Zoe McGrady, Alexe Godin and Bailey Brown from The Bachelor season 29; Jess Edwards and Lexi Young from The Bachelor season 28; Justin Glaze (who also appeared in Bachelor in Paradise season 8) and Kyle Howard from The Bachelorette season 17; Kat Izzo from The Bachelor season 27; and Dale Moss from The Bachelorette season 16.
The Goldens include Leslie Fhima, April Kirkwood, Kathy Swarts and Natascha Hardee from The Golden Bachelor, and Gary Levingston, Charles “CK” King, Keith Gordon, Kim Buike, Jack Lencioni and Ralph “RJ” Johnson from The Golden Bachelorette.
