We’re in the thick of summer, which means fans are already beginning to wonder…when will we be getting new episodes of Bachelor in Paradise?! Season 20 of The Bachelorette, featuring Charity Lawson, ended on August 21, and we will be heading back to Playa Escondida in Sayulita, Mexico, very soon. ABC has revealed the premiere date and the 18 Bachelor Nation stars looking for love once again.
Bachelor Nation, I’m not sure you’re ready for this heat. 🥵 #BachelorInParadise is BACK Thursday, Sept 28 on ABC and stream on Hulu. pic.twitter.com/LE8iFH4K2M
— Bachelor in Paradise (@BachParadise) August 22, 2023
Bachelor in Paradise premiered in 2014, bringing rejected contestants from The Bachelor and The Bachelorette to the beach for another shot at finding love. The show has been filming every summer since, aside from 2020, when COVID derailed the production schedule. BIP has produced several successful engagements, marriages, and babies over the years, and those on season 9 are hoping for the same results. Here’s what we know so far about the upcoming season!
In May, ABC confirmed that a ninth season of BIP would be coming in the fall of 2023, along with a new senior citizen spinoff, The Golden Bachelor. Bachelor In Paradise season 9 will premiere on September 28 at 9:01 p.m. ET. The show is officially moving to Thursday nights this fall.
Host Jesse Palmer confirmed on June 4 that he was “Headed to [Paradise]” to begin shooting. Filming has since wrapped. Season 8 of Bachelor in Paradise started on September 27, following a Bachelorette season that premiered on July 11. In 2021, The Bachelorette ended on August 9, with Bachelor in Paradise premiering one week later.
The full cast list for Bachelor In Paradise season 9 was announced on August 25. Here’s who will be looking for love on the beach:
Greer Blitzer of The Bachelor season 27
Brayden Bowers of The Bachelorette season 20
Aaron Bryant of The Bachelorette season 20
Peter Cappio of The Bachelorette season 20
Jessica “Jess” Girod of The Bachelor season 27
Eliza Isichei of The Bachelor season 26 and Bachelor in Paradise season 8
Katherine “Kat” Izzo of The Bachelor season 27
Samantha “Sam” Jeffries of The Bachelor season 26
Olivia Lewis of The Bachelor season 27
Sean McLaughlin of The Bachelorette season 20
Blake Moynes of The Bachelorette seasons 16 and 17
Mercedes Northup of The Bachelor season 27
Rachel Recchia of The Bachelor season 26 and The Bachelorette season 19
Kylee Russell of The Bachelor season 27
Aaron Schwartzman of The Bachelorette season 20
Will Urena of The Bachelorette season 18
Brooklyn Willie of The Bachelor season 27
Catherine “Cat” Wong of The Bachelor season 27
Ahead of the cast reveal, fans had already gotten a sneak peek at who was on the season 9 roster. Since the last season of BIP aired, we’ve gotten a whole new group of ladies from Zach Shallcross’ season of The Bachelor, as well as the guys from Charity’s season of The Bachelorette.
The footage revealed on August 14 did confirm two cast members: Brayden Bowers from Charity’s season and Kat Izzo from Zach’s season. Kat admits she was “taken by surprise” by Brayden. “He’s like a Golden retriever and I love it,” she gushes. In the sneak peek, Brayden and Kat get cozy and start making out. “She’s a great kisser,” Brayden admits. He goes on to say that he feels like Kat is someone “I can see spending my life with.” Aaron Bryant from Charity’s season was also confirmed as a cast member during The Bachelorette finale on Aug. 21.
Fans were holding out hope that former Bachelorette Rachel Recchia would hit the beach for BIP. Rachel got engaged to Tino Franco on The Bachelorette in 2022 but broke up with him before the show’s finale aired in September.
When we spoke to Rachel EXCLUSIVELY, she seemed open-minded about the possibility of heading to Paradise, and she reiterated those feelings in an April 2023 interview. Well, the Aug. 21 trailer for BIP confirmed that Rachel WOULD be heading to the beach, as she was seen in various clips ready for her second chance. She is the second former lead to show up on the beach, following Becca Kufrin, who is now engaged and expecting a baby with Thomas Jacobs, the man she met in Paradise in 2021!
Zach’s runner-up, Gabi Elnicki, admitted in April 2023 that she still wasn’t sure if she’d be ready to hit the beach so soon after their breakup. “I think there are parts of myself that still need to heal,” she shared. However, she teased fans with the possibility of her arrival on the show in a recent TikTok. “That’s a great question,” she said, in response to fans wondering if she’d be on the beach. “I’ve been wondering that myself.”
One person who definitely WON’T be on the beach this summer is Clayton Echard. He confirmed the news himself on social media after rumors surfaced that he would be one of this year’s cast members.
As always, Bachelor in Paradise will air on ABC, with episodes being available on Hulu beginning the following day, as well. If you miss an episode, you’ll be able to catch it on Hulu on Fridays.
Although there were plenty of couples still together by the end of season 8 of Bachelor in Paradise, only one couple remains: Michael Alio and Danielle Maltby. Danielle moved to Ohio to be closer to Michael and his son. However, there may be trouble in Paradise for these two. Rumors have been swirling online about a possible breakup between Michael and Danielle.
“I’ll say this. Being in a public relationship, it isn’t fun,” Michael said on the She’s All Bach podcast on August 3. “Danielle and I, like, both agree that the only people that should be in our relationship are us two. So we think just the healthiest way to have a relationship is to keep it private.” He added that he and Danielle “both love each other, like, very much.”
Brandon Jones and Serene Russell were madly in love when they got engaged on BIP, but the love did not last. Less than a year after the engagement, Brandon and Serene broke up in May. The other couple to get engaged in season 8 was Johnny DePhilippo and Victoria Fuller, but they ended things before Bachelor in Paradise even started airing. Victoria moved on with fellow Bachelor Nation cast member, Greg Grippo, who she’s still dating today.
Another couple to bite the dust before the BIP finale aired was Tyler Norris and Brittany Galvin. They left the beach as a couple, but by the reunion episode, they had split. Romeo Alexander and Kira Mengistu also broke up in the months since getting together in Paradise.
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