‘The Bachelor’ contestants Corinne Olympios, Alexis Waters among ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ locks
It’s never too early to start talking “Bachelor in Paradise” right? Sure, there are a certain percentage of “Bachelor” fans who watch for the love story and to see people crashing into each other’s arms like waves. Then, there are also plenty of people watching for the sake of the slow-moving blooper reel. You want a higher percentage of that for “Paradise” than the standard season of the show, with a little bit of romance sprinkled in.
If there were three casting types for the spin-off series, we’d describe them as such.
The complete trainwreck – There to cause chaos the first night, get blackout drunk, and to be used in all of the promos even if they only stick around for a day or two. Think Chad or pretty much anyone named Ashley.
The moderate trainwreck – Maybe they’re a little kooky, they talk to animals in Paradise, and get a little wacky when mixed with alcohol. Yet, get them in the right setting with the right person and they can turn out okay. We’re speaking here mostly about people like Daniel, Evan, Carly, or Claire. There’s at least a moderate chance that some of them leave the show engaged — heck, Evan and Carly still are.
The people you expect to genuinely find love – These are people like Amanda, Jared, Wells, and Jade, who already entered Paradise with big followings and you knew that they would have every opportunity in the world to find someone. The other casting types flock to them, knowing that this is a way to get airtime.
For Nick’s season at present, it’s a little too early to identify some of the contenders given that the majority of the people who you want to find love are people who make it reasonably far. We’re still relatively early in the season. There’s also typically one person (think Izzy) who inexplicably gets cast despite being almost entirely forgettable the first time that they were on the show. The following are some of the standouts so far.
Corinne – There is someone in production already salivating over the idea of her and Chad on the same season. Yes, we know that Chad is angry, violent, and totally shouldn’t be on television or around alcohol again. They’re still totally casting him again. Corinne’s a walking quote machine and a pot-stirrer extraordinaire. It doesn’t matter if she’s intentionally the villain or not. She’ll probably sign on even in spite of the hate.
Alexis – She’s goofy more in the Ashley S. way — she seems reasonably likable, if a little clueless — though some of that may be editing. She’s also got a distinct accent. If she fancies herself a dolphin / shark, isn’t it right that she be in her natural habitat close to the ocean?
Dominique – She had a memorable exit, and given the show’s issues when it comes to casting diverse contestants, that may be enough to get her an invite.
Liz – She dominated the airtime for two episodes. Did you know that she and Nick had sex at Jade and Tanner’s wedding? Let’s edit that into the episodes TWENTY MORE TIMES. If she wants to have her own experience on the show rather than just carry around drama from what happened with Nick, Paradise could be the key for her. She’s probably not a bad person or even remotely crazy — she was just put into a terrible position on this season, one admittedly of her own making.
We’ll probably get around to casting people in the Jared / Jade mold when the end of the season approaches and we get the full extent of some people’s arcs. Right now we’d just be throwing out half of the women still around.
For now, tell us: Who do you think are the early “Bachelor in Paradise” contenders? Share below, and head over here to preview Monday night’s new “Bachelor” episode. (Photo: ABC.)