Bachelor in Paradise is looking for a refresh after the ABC romance + reality program suspended filming indefinitely this summer to investigate possible on-site sexual misconduct. Following an internal investigation done by the show, contestants are back to their televised love lives, albeit with new procedures accompanying the competition.
The Kardashian hunters at TMZ are reporting that producers are cracking down hard on the drugs contestants can have during their time in paradise. According to the producers-to-contestantsveryone appearing on the show will be having all over the counter and prescription drugs confiscated. (Presumably things like ketamine aren’t allowed in “paradise,” either.) No one’s being full-on stripped of their meds, though. The nurse will be the one handing out the drugs.
The new drug provisions are part of the Bachelor spinoff’s “new procedures” going forward. TMZ reports that the change wasn’t prompted by the production halting investigation, but rather a general aim to the contestants under tighter show control. The production sources they spoke with claim the drug confiscation is unrelated to the program’s response to contestant Corinne Olympios’s claim that castmate DeMario Jackson sexually assaulted her. (Jackson has denied this claim and Warner Bros. has stated they’ve found no evidence of misconduct in their investigation.)
Let’s not mince words. It’s going to be tough for a portion of audience to separate the very real subject of sexual assault allegations from the trashy silly fun of primetime reality TV parked on a beach. Of course, Big Brother had a very scary moment with a knife-wielding housemate back in 2001 and it’s not like the show was snuffed over it, so there’s no guarantee for how viewers will react when Bachelor in Paradise returns.
(Via TMZ)