The Golden Bachelorette contestant Pascal Ibgui turned down the chance to be on Golden Bachelor in Paradise for the logical reason that he’s not interested in any of the Golden Bachelor women, but I’m convinced that there’s one change that could fix what’s wrong with the show. During The Golden Bachelorette season 1, Pascal made it to Joan Vassos’ final three men, but he self-eliminated when he realized that he wasn’t in love with her.
During The Bachelor season 29 finale, host Jesse Palmer announced that Bachelor in Paradise season 10 would also feature Golden Bachelor in Paradise, starring contestants from The Golden Bachelor season 1 and The Golden Bachelorette season 1. So far, Leslie Fhima and Gary Levingston have been confirmed as Golden Bachelor in Paradise contestants, but Pascal has refused to join the show for a reason that I feel makes sense. However, I think there’s a simple solution to his issue with the show.
Why Doesn’t Pascal Ibgui Want To Join Golden Bachelor In Paradise?
Pascal Isn’t Interested In The Golden Bachelor Women
In an interview on the I Do, Part 2 podcast, Pascal revealed that he “turned down” the opportunity to appear on Golden Bachelor in Paradise “for a couple of reasons.” He said, “Number one, I just don’t think it’s a good fit for who I am as a person. I mean, I just don’t think me being on the beach with a bunch of senior citizens–which I am…I don’t want to criticize anybody because that’s not my personality.”
Pascal shared that he hadn’t watched The Golden Bachelor, but when his daughter signed him up for The Golden Bachelorette, he watched Gerry Turner’s season in order to understand what the show was like. Pascal then admitted that he has no interest in any of the Golden Bachelor women, but he might’ve considered joining Golden Bachelor in Paradise if they were bringing in new women.
Pascal also revealed that he joined The Golden Bachelorette specifically to date Joan because “I don’t need my five minutes of fame. I don’t need the glories. I don’t need to be in TV. I live a beautiful life. So I said if it’s not that person, I’m not gonna do it.”
Pascal also shared that he’d be open to being the next Golden Bachelor lead, but he insulted his fellow Golden Bachelorette contestants in the process. He said, “I mean, if they were offering me the Golden Bachelor, that will be a different thing, because that’s more who I am as a person than being on the beach with a bunch of guys who I could care less about.”
Golden Bachelor In Paradise Should Add Some New Contestants
Bachelor In Paradise Canada Has Followed This Format
The Golden Bachelor featured 22 women competing for Gerry Turner’s heart. Theresa Nist won the show, and she and Gerry got married in the Golden Wedding in January 2024. However, just three months later, they announced that they were getting a divorce. This means 21 women could be possible Golden Bachelor in Paradise contestants because Joan is now engaged to Chock Chapple after starring in The Golden Bachelorette season 1.
The Golden Bachelor women who are eligible for Golden Bachelor in Paradise include the already-confirmed Leslie, Theresa, Faith Martin, Ellen Goltzer, Sandra Mason, Susan Noles, April Kirkwood, Kathy Swarts, Nancy Hulkower, Christina Kempton, Edith Aguirre, Jeanie Howard, Natascha Hardee, Peggy Dercole, Marina Perera, Anna Zalk, Maria Trice, Pamela Burns, Patty James, Renee Halverson-Wright, and Sylvia Robledo. However, April announced that she was dating someone in November 2024, and it’s unconfirmed if any of the other women are in relationships.
Unlike traditional Bachelor in Paradise, which has 29 Bachelor seasons and 21 Bachelorette seasons to draw from, Golden Bachelor in Paradise has a much more limited pool of contestants. I think that it makes sense that, if Pascal isn’t interested in any of the Golden women, then he shouldn’t go to Paradise. He’s not seeking fame, so he’s not going to waste his time when he could find love in the real world. He also doesn’t want to go just to hang out with the Golden men. I think that Pascal made a great point about the producers possibly adding some new Golden contestants into the mix.
Bachelor in Paradise Canada has featured contestants from both the US and Canada versions of the show, but it also introduced fans to the cast who’ve never starred on any Bachelor franchise shows. A way to fix the problem with Golden Bachelor in Paradise would be to follow this format, which made the group of contestants bigger, which I think was a good thing for the show. Because Golden Bachelor in Paradise only has one season of Golden women to cast, there’s little suspense about who’ll show up on the beach. In a regular season of Bachelor in Paradise, there are many surprises because there are so many possible contestants.
I think that it’s very possible that other Golden Bachelorette contestants in addition to Pascal will turn down the show because they aren’t interested in the Golden women, and the Golden women might do the same if they don’t want to date the Golden men. I believe that the best solution to this issue is to introduce some new Golden contestants. This twist would make Golden Bachelor in Paradise better, and perhaps even lead to some new love connections.
