Every season of Bachelor in Paradise is like watching a dating train wreck on the beach for most of the cast, but season 9 has become so disastrous that it’s clearly the worst season yet, and that makes it appealing to many, sadly. So, whereas this is season has been by far the worst, some will be rather happy about it, and maybe even call it the best.
Some of the bachelor and bachelorettes on the show have the best of intentions, but the level of hypocrisy is so high from most of the beachgoers that their twisted actions take over each episode. Here are five reasons why season 9 is the single worst season of Bachelor in Paradise yet.
5. Almost everyone is pretending to be the victim
One of the best women on the show is Rachel, but she has recently given into the victim mindset like so many have. To her defense, Brayden didn’t exactly do right by her, so she is wary. Overall, she’s had a hard time of it on the beach, but when Jordan — a former suitor from her Bachelorette season — arrived and took her on a date, then it seemed like a potential match. Both were happy to see each other, despite Rachel eliminating him early in her season. She even expressed wanting to start things over with him.
Then Tanner got upset. Why? Because Tanner had given Rachel his rose despite not pursuing her. Everyone, including Rachel, thought it was a friendly gesture, because Tanner showed zero interest. Then, he suddenly decided to tell her that he really was interested. She then started spending time with him, only for him to seem out of touch, leaving Rachel to say aloud, “I just want someone to love me.” Well, the dude who basically returned for her, named Jordan, is that man. That being said, Jordan hasn’t considered that if a woman drops you once, then maybe that woman isn’t really that interested in you.
Yet, Rachel’s situation is practically the least dramatic of them all.
Will misled Olivia early on, then dropped her for her friend Kylee, who could care less that Olivia was interested in Will. Yet, Kylee was using Will for a rose to keep her on the beach for the arrival of Aven.
Mercedes then misled Will — he deserved it — and now is realizing that Tyler might be misleading her. Like Rachel, she thinks she doesn’t deserve to be treated that way. Meanwhile, Tyler made out with Jess, unbeknownst to Blake — the man she was dating — only for Jess to be stunned when Blake felt something was off, as they weren’t getting anywhere. Got all that?
A lot of that is typical of the show, but it’s what this season doesn’t have that hurts it the most.
4. More harm, less charm
Previous seasons of Bachelor in Paradise always had people who were truly the bright spotlight of the show. Now, it’s mostly people who seem intent on hurting each other. Eliza is likely the only exception. The scales have shifted away from the good guy, and producers have favored showcasing the bad guy much more. Remember when the show had heroes? Men used to defend the good women against the bad guys. That’s gone now, because they only stand up for themselves.
Where are the quirky duos who brought charm and humor to the show, like Evan Bass and Carly Waddell? Where’s our favorite no-drama couple that we root for, like Grocery Store Joe and Serena? There are significantly fewer interesting people, and significantly more troubling people. It’s hurting the season — although viewers love watching drama, it won’t be long before they miss the charming couples that legitimized such a show.
3. Only one true couple has formed
Jess pretty much screwed things up with Blake despite their being, at one point, the most likely couple to continue outside of the beach. Only Eliza and Aaron have emerged as a real likely success story. Heck, they already committed to each other!
Maybe producers aren’t entirely to blame, but the idea of the show is for it to end with multiple success stories. They even have proposals at the end of each season. This year might be an exception because things are so bad. The only other couple that might have a chance, though probably not with an engagement anytime soon, is Kylee and Aven.
There has never been a Bachelor in Paradise season that failed to end with at least one proposal. Of course, it’s not so much about proposals, as it is about couples staying together after the show. We were all spoiled in season 7, which resulted in 5 couples staying together (technically one that reunited afterwards). However, things quickly went downhill just one season later, when the show failed to produce a couple that stayed together, even though that was only a year ago. There were two proposals, but those couples obviously didn’t last.
Now what? The downward spiral of the show that began last season continues with this one. Time will tell if we even get one proposal, and if there will be a success story, but will it be enough to save this season from being such a poor mix of people?
2. Sam’s unfortunate situation
One of the best women on the beach had to leave for crappy reasons. Sam was the most emotionally mature of anyone there but, incredibly, she developed serious constipation issues. One wonders if it should’ve even have been mentioned, but producers not only built a plot line around it, they even built up to it. She had been constipated for 9 days, and the doctor suggested they relieve her by surgically removing it. The doctor, in his words, explained it as “like delivering a poo baby.”
The irony is that she was the one person who deserved no embarrassment. Her predicament was resolved by leaving to go back home to more familiar surroundings. She even had developed a good connection with the other Aaron. So, she was gone because she couldn’t give a sh**! Coincidentally, most people don’t give a sh** about the remaining cast.
1. Kat’s immaturity
Kat has been one of the worst people on this season. She screams insults in frustration when people exposed her for using Brayden after she ditched him for Tanner, but then when Tanner ditched her for someone else, she absolutely lost it. She even said, to everyone’s karma-induced laughter, that she doesn’t deserve to be treated that way. She speaks so highly of herself and so lowly of everyone else that it makes one wonder why she doesn’t just date herself.
She rebounded from Tanner by stealing John Henry from Olivia despite having never even hinted at being interested in him before. Her outbursts are extremely childish, she holds onto too much frustration, and the worst part of it is that she has no self-awareness.
The show always has a villain, and she is undoubtedly the chosen one for this season, but the way she fails to properly handle any situation is more of a black eye to the show then to anyone else, unless she finally punches someone like she wants to, despite settling for that poor piñata.
Hopefully, no matter how this season ends, the producers realize they need to have a good mix of people next season filled with heroes, quirkiness, potential couples that really would be good together, and get back to the charm of the show.
Villains are welcome, but not when all the good is gone.