During The Bachelor Season 29 finale, host Jesse Palmer promised a Bachelor in Paradise twist that no one saw coming. While Jesse is dramatic at times, he isn’t lying about this one. After Grant Ellis announced his engagement to Juliana Pasquarosa, Jesse dropped a bomb no one saw coming.
At first, Jesse brought out Zoe McGrady, who placed third in Grant’s season. It seemed like inviting her to the beach was the twist, but this wasn’t the case. Jesse then introduced Leslie Fhima and Gary Levingston, who starred in The Golden Bachelor and The Golden Bachelorette respectively. Jesse then announced that they would be heading to the beach as well. You heard that right. The cast of the Golden franchise will be searching for love alongside those of the original shows this summer.
The response to the news was mixed and many fans were taken aback and confused by it. While we’re all for the Golden cast getting another chance at love, this isn’t the right way to go about it. Here’s why.
Bachelor in Paradise is already in trouble
The last two seasons of Bachelor in Paradise haven’t been smooth sailing. Neither BIP Season 8 nor Season 9 produced any successful couples. The last successful installment of the series was Season 7, which introduced five couples who are still together today.
I think a lot of why BIP hasn’t been successful recently has to do with the new twists and turns. Season 8 saw the show copy Love Island’s Casa Amor twist, which introduced new singles after separating the original men and women. This caused a strain on several existing couples, without creating any successful new ones. Season 9 also saw some unnecessary additions, including the Roast Event hosted by Katie Thurston. People’s feelings got hurt and the event did nothing to further any connections.
Bringing Golden Bachelor and Bachelorette contestants to the beach could be another unnecessary distraction. Both groups will likely be required to mingle, taking time away from focusing on connections. Paradise is already short, so adding more twists and turns doesn’t do much to promote building lasting relationships. With the goal of getting engaged in a matter of weeks, there really is no time to waste.
Adding Golden Bachelor and Bachelorette contestants will make the beach too crowded
After BIP didn’t film last year, there are more cast members than usual hoping for a spot on the beach. Contestants from The Bachelor Seasons 28 and 29 as well as The Bachelorette Season 20 are expected to appear. In addition, it’s common to see a handful of cast members from older seasons return as well.
The Golden Bachelor and Bachelorette cast members will likely make up about half the cast. This could potentially overcrowd the beach and even take away spots from contestants in either age group. It will also be a lot more for production to keep up with, which could take away screen time from contestants viewers are most interested in watching. While it will be great to see the Golden cast again, it would be better for them to have their own season.
Things could get pretty weird
I hate to say it but with this new format, things could potentially get weird. While the rules haven’t been explained, it seems like the entire cast will be on the same beach. It’s always possible that a younger cast member might get flirty with someone from the Golden cast, which would be kind of strange. While age-gap relationships are common on shows like 90 Day Fiancé, they just don’t seem fitting for the Bachelor franchise.
Apart from the flirting, adding the Golden cast could take away some of the Paradise drama we so love and crave. In an effort to respect the older cast, some of the younger ones may try to be on their best behavior. While this would be ok in real life, BIP is a reality show at the end of the day. Viewers want to watch contestants find love but of course, they want some drama too!
While we’re skeptical of the Golden Bachelor in Paradise twist, we still hope that the new season will be a fun watch.
