Body shots and age-gap relationships: New 'Bachelor in Paradise' season promises intrigue
NEW YORK – The beaches of ABC's "Bachelor in Paradise" are nearly open, and host Jesse Palmer isn't ruling out a summer of inter-generational love.
The show, a popular spinoff of "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette," for the first time will feature contestants from the original dating franchise alongside cast members from "The Golden Bachelor" and "The Golden Bachelorette." New additions under the "Bachelor" umbrella, the "Golden" shows follow senior citizens as they search for second-chance romance.
"Obviously, we have two different generations," Palmer said at a July 2 cocktail party celebrating the show's July 7 premiere (Mondays at 8 ET/PT; streams next day on Hulu).
"I'm not in a position to tell anybody who they're allowed to love," he said. "I just encouraged everyone to stay in their generational lane and not make it weird." That advice may be welcome for fans of the franchise, popularly dubbed Bachelor Nation, who reacted with raised eyebrows when an intergenerational cast was first announced.
The consensus seemed to be: Are we really about to watch an alcohol-fueled sandy romp into age-gap relationships? Not quite, Palmer assured, but he wouldn't rule it out. "Listen, I can't sit here and say it didn't happen. But that was at least the instruction that was given," he hedged. "But everybody's on the beach single and they have free will, so I'll just leave it at that."
As for the alcohol portion, the "Golden" contestants could drink the young 'uns (and Palmer himself) under the table, he revealed.
"When the Goldens show up, they got 'Paradise' lit," he joked. "They got there at 10:15 in the morning, surprised the younger cast, and at 10:19 they were doing body shots off each other in the pool."
Keith and Jack from the "Golden Bachelorette" can hold their liquor the best, he revealed, a fact former contestant and series bartender Well Adams attributed to the fact that they opt for no-frills beverages like whiskey neat over sugary margaritas. Kathy from the "Golden Bachelor" is a close third, Palmer said, joking she could "drink me under the table."
Jesse Palmer downplays new 'Golden Bachelor' Mel scandal
The prospect of mixed-age couples comes at a precarious time for the "Golden Bachelor," after the series' newest star, Mel Owens, landed in hot water over comments made on a podcast earlier this month.
Owens, 66, told host Jon Jansent on the "In the Trenches" podcast that he would "cut" women over 60 who wound up on his upcoming season, due in September.
"We had lunch with the executive producer. I said, 'You know, if they're 60 or over, I'm cutting them,'" Owens quipped. The producer's response? "Oh Mel, you can't, you know, this is not the 'Silver Bachelor.' It’s the 'Golden Bachelor.'" Owens said. "He goes, but they're going to be hot, don’t worry about it. Don't worry about it."
The profession presented an immediate PR snafu for ABC, whose pitch for the show relies on the idea that it's never too late for love. For a program with a primarily female fan base, the optics of a lead tilting into a well-worn stereotype of an older man unwilling to date women his own age were precarious.
But Palmer shrugged it off. "I've seen the headlines … I haven’t heard the podcast," he said. "I haven’t spent a ton of time yet with Mel, we haven’t started filming 'Golden' yet. I will say the limited time I’ve been with him, (he) seems like a good guy. I'm sure that’s something that him and I are going to talk about."