Well, this is disappointing. My favorite show of the entire Bachelor franchise is Bachelor in Paradise. And now ABC has revealed that it won’t be returning in 2024.
Usually premiering in August or September, the show allows Bachelor franchise castoffs to mingle at a Mexican resort. Whether or not anybody falls in love, the drama of watching multiple people fight over roses is certainly popcorn-worthy. Plus, watching Wells Adams serve up romantic advice alongside his margaritas at the bar is a bonus. It’s like Bachelor Nation summer camp. I’ll miss it.
While BIP’s future is uncertain, ABC has announced that The Golden Bachelorette will premiere on Wednesday nights starting September 1. Joan Vassos will be the inaugural Golden Bachelorette after exiting The Golden Bachelor early. She was called home to care for her adult daughter who had just given birth. Now Joan will get another chance at love.
Joan is back
ABC announced The Golden Bachelorette in February, a month after Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist’s wedding. The couple married in a Golden Wedding TV special on January 4. Sadly, the couple announced their divorce just three months later. Unable to leave their respective families, Gerry and Theresa just couldn’t decide where to live, so they chose to separate.
Joan, whose husband died after 32 years of marriage, is a mother of four and grandmother of two. According to her ABC bio, she loves “Elton John, spending time with her dog, and cooking.” I’m looking forward to some cute dog pictures.
Her bio adds, “As she steps into the golden spotlight and begins her journey to seek love once more, [Joan] envisions a future filled with shared moments by the beach and cherished time with family.”
While I do like Joan, I’m still disappointed that my favorite summer guilty pleasure isn’t returning.
Chris Harrison warned us
Former franchise host Chris Harrison hinted back in February that BIP could be floundering. While the show hasn’t had many successful relationships in the past couple of seasons, it’s still fun to watch. You could say the same about the Bachelor and Bachelorette. Both of those shows have a pretty low success rate, and yet they go on and on and on.
In a February episode of The Most Dramatic Podcast Ever, Harrison predicted trouble for Bachelor in Paradise. “I was a little bummed to hear that Paradise has allegedly been postponed,” he claimed at the time. “They’re postponing it for a year or canceling it.”
I’ll miss seeing members of Bachelor Nation get a second chance at love (and a paycheck) on the beaches of Mexico. I can only hope that Joan has better luck at finding love than Theresa did.
TELL US – ARE YOU DISAPPOINTED THAT BACHELOR IN PARADISE ISN’T RETURNING? ARE YOU HAPPY TO SEE JOAN GET ANOTHER CHANCE?
