We know that Paradise is changing, and I’m not sure it’s for the better. This was always the show that didn’t take itself as seriously as the “Bachelor” or “Bachelorette,” it was light hearted, it made fun of itself, and was just an easier watch. A fun summer show. With how much social media is exploding and how it’s framing storylines for Paradise, it’s just not the same show it once was. I tweeted this out last night, but I’m beginning to think BIP doesn’t know what it wants to be. A fun summer show? Well, we’ve all watched these first 4 episodes. Is anything about this season a fun summer show? I’d say no. The original concept of this show was put all the rejects from the “Bachelor” and “Bachelorette” on an island, give them a second chance at love, have them date each other, and see what happens. Those waters have been muddied now. Because if you date/hook up with more than one person while on the show, the other contestants start talking behind your back. I’m not even broaching the Blake subject, because we know how bad that’s infiltrated this season’s storyline. But just the fact that Nicole has gone out with three different guys, and that Hannah is deciding between two guys, somehow that’s frowned upon now. The show is more about tearing other people down for decisions they make rather than just understand what you’re a part of and accept it. I’m not sure how they turn this around and that could be a major problem in future seasons.
I’ve been saying for weeks in this column that I fully expect Hannah Brown to be part of the DWTS cast when it’s officially announced. Host Tom Bergeron said we should be expecting the cast announcement sometime next week. Not that it should come as any surprise, but I’m here to tell you that Hannah is absolutely gonna be on DWTS this year. That should surprise no one. She’s the most popular female contestant in the history of this franchise if we’re going off IG followers. She’s off one of the more successful seasons they’ve ever had, and lets be honest, it seems like Hannah and her personality are made for DWTS. I’m sure this will make Kaitlyn very happy that they finally cast a female lead (minus Trista who was in season 1 of DWTS). We all know how many they’ve passed over in recent seasons, that Hannah is kinda making a bit of history here. So anyway, expect her to be part of the cast when it’s announced sometime next week.
So a few notes about last night’s show:
-Caelynn did utter at the beginning of the episode when she was talking to others about Blake’s pre-show behavior, “He hasn’t shown he’s been committed to one person,” right? I heard that correctly, didn’t I? Just checking.
-Can someone explain to me exactly why Caelynn was crying before Dean showed up and said that Kristina was slut shaming her when she was talking to Dean? At no point did we really ever hear anything Kristina was saying to Dean, and there’s Caelynn in the background calling her a stupid bitch? And Kristina slut shamed her? Is Caelynn just creating things in her own head now? Geez.
-Here’s one thing Caelynn did right this episode. She asked Dean how exactly life is like living out of a van. Like, where do you shower? And he gave her the answer we’ve all been dying to hear. And she seemingly is unfazed by this. And I’ll continue to be baffled. So you have to go to gyms and the ocean to wash off. What about the bathroom? And women want to be a part of this? I give up.
-How drunk was Christian last night? I think in every instance back at the beach he was hammered. Talking to Clay, fighting with Jordan, etc. He was blitzed and it was clear as day.
-And speaking of Clay, is there a more level headed contestant this show has ever had. Someone confronts him and he actually uses logic and rationale to get his point across rather than just raising his voice and talking over someone as, well, we basically see any other contestant do when confronted by someone else. It’s somewhat refreshing. You kinda forget when you watch this show enough it’s possible to have a disagreement with someone without yelling over them.
-You’ve all asked it, it’s addressed in “Reader Emails,” but it’s worth saying again: No, there’s no difference between Demi coming on the show dating someone and anyone else from any other season doing it and receiving hell. None whatsoever. But Demi is treated with kid gloves on this show because she’s breaking barriers I guess, so that’s why it’s not as frowned upon. I’ve kinda thrown my hands up when it comes to her. People give her a free pass for whatever reason.
-I know you’ve all picked up on this by now, but Paradise is so much more about what happens on the beach than the dates. The dates are so pointless on this show, they might as well not even do them. There’s nothing exotic or romantic about them as they are on the “Bachelor” or “Bachelorette.”
-Blake visiting Hannah in Birmingham pre-show is not news. You’ve known that for almost 2 months. How Hannah handled it, and Blake for that matter, is questionable. She probably should’ve told Dylan earlier. Especially when they were sucking face a day into filming. She obviously liked both guys, that’s clear. They had to have known that it was gonna get out, and it ended up getting out because Hannah told Dylan. I’d be bummed if I were him too, but, knowing how the season plays out, I guess it’s not nearly as big of deal. After the next rose ceremony when Hannah chooses Dylan over Blake, it’s basically a non-issue going forward.
“Reader Emails” begins on Page 2…
