Chris Harrison Blogs ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ Episode 1
Photo: Instagram @chrisbharrison
Welcome back to Paradise, Bachelor Nation! It’s been a year since Jade and Tanner walked down that famed set of steps and into each other’s arms forever, and now we are back with all new bachelors and bachelorettes who are ready for their second chance at love.
Related: ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ Recap: An Actual S***show
We had such an amazing time at Playa Escondida in Sayulita last year that we decided to come back to give it another go. We have everything we need for romance: a secluded beach, endless sunsets, and expertly crafted cocktails by our good friend, Jorge. As you can see, we’ve made some slight improvements to the beach and sleeping areas, and we’ve tried to make the dates even more dynamic and romantic than last year. That said, things in Paradise started off a little rockier than expected.
Before we get into the Chad of it all, let me just briefly give you my thoughts about some of our early cast members. Of course, we have a lot of your favorites (for a lot of different reasons) from Ben’s season and from JoJo’s season, but we also have some returning cast members from previous seasons.
Photo: ABC
First of all, Sarah Herron. She made it all the way to the end of our first season in Paradise, but was dumped by Robert shortly thereafter. Sarah has been a fan favorite since Sean’s season, and we thought she deserved another chance to try to find the man of her dreams. Then there’s Carly Waddell. Well, Carly probably had the worst breakup in Paradise history. She thought Kirk was going to be the one she grew old with, but it was not meant to be. Simply the fact that she wanted to come back to the place where all her sad memories live is a testament to how much she is willing to risk to find her forever. And finally (for now), there’s Jared. Jared had an on-again, off-again relationship with Ashley I. all last season and he felt like he never really got a chance to explore numerous relationships. Now he is back, he has put his relationship with Ashley I. behind him, and he is ready to try again. Paradise is all about second chances. And sometimes third chances. Love is tough. You just gotta keep trying until you find it.
Obviously, there are some early connections happening in Paradise. Vinny and Izzy seemed to hit it off pretty much right away; Jubilee expressed her interest in Jared, and that seems to be going well so far. Grant and Lace started flirting heavily as well (well, that is until Chad swooped in), and there’s all kinds of flirtation going on between Nick (who really doesn’t want to be a runner-up this time) and Amanda, and pretty much everyone is trying to figure out how to date the twins.
Related: See ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ Season 3 Photos
OK, so let’s talk about Chad. We all remember Chad’s antics on JoJo’s season. He was often too aggressive, and had received warnings about his threatening and intimidating behavior toward the other men. Before coming to Paradise, he was apologetic and asked for a second chance. He felt misunderstood, and like he was constantly being attacked from all sides. In no way am I saying that I felt that Chad was in the right. But just as people often deserve a second chance at love, people also deserve a second chance if they behave in ways they’re not proud of.
Unfortunately, Chad went off the deep end on the very first night. Chad is a big guy, but he doesn’t really handle his liquor all that well. We kept a very close eye on him that night and never really expected anything to get THAT out of control. Once it was clear that he was on the verge of being physically threatening again, which was truly the last thing that any of us wanted, we made sure security was nearby in case there was an altercation.
To avoid a physical conflict, we decided to let him fall asleep so we could have the conversation with him about his elimination while he was lucid. It was not a difficult decision. Chad had promised us he would behave himself, and he very clearly did not. As a result, he had to go. We could not let any of the women or men feel unsafe in an environment where they were supposed to fall in love. Regardless of how it went down, I do not regret giving Chad a second chance. I hope he has learned a valuable lesson from all of this, and I wish him the very best in his future.
That said, we waited until Chad was sober to ask him to leave, but obviously, things did not go as planned. You’ll find out exactly what happened next week when we return to our normal time on Bachelor Mondays at 8 p.m.! See you then!
Bachelor in Paradise airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on ABC. After Paradise airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on ABC.
