Grant Ellis’ season of The Bachelor has come to a close. Contestant Julianna Pasquarosa received the final rose over Latia Garr, and the two showed off their engagement on “After The Final Rose”. The drama between Grant and Latia wasn’t the only bombshell revealed during the special finale episode. Host Jesse Palmer made an announcement – Bachelor In Paradise was coming back, but with a new twist.
The beloved spinoff, set to film this summer, will now expand to Golden Bachelor in Paradise. The TV show will be identical to BIP, but instead of only following twenty-something singles, it will also feature contestants from The Golden Bachelor and The Golden Bachelorette. This twist left not only myself, but all of Bachelor Nation confused. I absolutely think that the singles from the Golden series should have an opportunity to have a second chance at love. However, mixing the two in one show makes absolutely no sense.
The Golden Contestants Won’t Mesh Into the ‘BIP’ Environment
Bachelor In Paradise was designed for young singles to drink, party, hookup, and fight. With the iconic bartender Wells Adams at their disposal, the young contestants are encouraged to drink all day long. They host cocktail parties at night where the liquid courage fuels both their rage and their romance. There is even a “boom boom” room, where contestants are meant to go if they want to be alone with their partner. The show is designed for twenty or thirty-somethings. Having older contestants on the show won’t match the vibe we have seen over the past nine seasons. I can’t speak for the Golden contestants, but my best guess is that most of them aren’t there to get hammered, party, and hookup. A lot of them are there to find true love.
I’m not saying that the Golden contestants don’t love to soak up the sun and have a few drinks, of course! However, the show is not designed for sixty or seventy-somethings. First things first, the resort could pose serious safety risks. The resort is a labyrinth of stairs. When each contestant meets the host to go down to the beach, they go down what feels like an infinite number of stairs. We have never seen elevators on the show, and if there are, they are only for service purposes. Having that many stairs poses a risk for those contestants who have mobility issues. Let’s also keep in mind that Bachelor In Paradise is filmed in the summer, which is Mexico’s hottest time of the year. The resort has no air conditioning either, which many of the previous contestants have complained about. Most notably, Tahzjuan Hawkins, who had to get medics to help her on the beach because the heat was so bad. This is an extremely uncomfortable, and possibly dangerous, situation for people in their sixties and seventies to be in, especially if they have pre-existing conditions. The iconic Bachelor In Paradise resort was not designed for an older crowd.
ABC Is Trying to Mix Two Shows Into One
The main issue a lot of Bachelor fans, myself included, have with this twist is that the network is trying to force two shows to become one. I get what ABC was trying to do. The Golden series were both hits. Fans have developed fan favorites like Kathy Swartz and Susan Noles from Gerry Turner’s season, or Charles Ling from Joan Vassos’ season. Getting those kinds of contestants, along with ones from Grant’s season, Jenn’s season, and beyond is a money mine. Fans will get to see all their favorite people on their screens again. Not to mention, the multi-generational drama would be unlike anything we’ve seen before on reality TV. However, logistically it’s not going to work.
Golden Bachelor In Paradise needs to be a completely different show. They need to film it in a completely different resort. One that has more indoor and air-conditioned spaces, where everyone isn’t sleeping in open-air bunk beds. Bachelor In Paradise feels like a summer camp; Golden Bachelor In Paradise can’t have that same feeling. A higher-end resort that has elevators, or at least fewer stairs, would also be ideal. Even a mansion would work. The network also can’t completely change Bachelor In Paradise to accommodate the older contestants. The resort has become a staple of the show. Between walking down the infinite staircase, to the crabs on the beach, and the bunk beds, the resort makes the show what it is. The audience loved it and would be really upset if things were to change.
You know the saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The network shouldn’t waste their time trying to revamp Bachelor In Paradise with Golden contestants when the show was doing amazing as is. Bachelor Nation was devastated when the network made the decision to put Bachelor In Paradise on pause last year. Now that it’s back, ABC needs to leave the show be. If they want Golden contestants to make a comeback, it’s gotta be a completely different show.
