Spoiler alert! This story discusses the Season 8 premiere of Bachelor in Paradise, so consider yourself warned!
Bachelor in Paradise has finally returned to our screens, and after a couple of traumatic seasons of the flagship dating shows, we are certainly ready for some fun in the sun. The Season 8 premiere did not disappoint, as previous contestants from The Bachelor and The Bachelorette arrived on the sands of Mexico for a second chance at love and plenty of guaranteed drama.
The summer spinoff is a favorite among many fans, not just because it tends to produce more long-lasting relationships, but also because it takes itself way less seriously. Let’s look at four wild times the season opener of Bachelor in Paradise proved this is the best series in the franchise.
Johnny DePhillipo's Rap And Other Great Introductions
Right off the bat we got some hilarious introductions of our favorite former contestants. Hunter Haag opened the show literally on the toilet to call back to her IBS being outed on Clayton Echard’s season. We are not in Bachelor Mansion anymore, Toto. Dr. Kira Mengistu also had a fun intro, appearing on the beach in a doctor’s coat, before revealing her bikini top underneath and saying, “Take two of these and call me in the morning.” It was Johnny DePhillipo, though, from the latest season of The Bachelorette who won the intros, with a whole rap music video:
Hopped out a limo in a all-black suit. Season 19, two girls, they threw me for a loop. Then they took me to the crib, where she gave me a kiss and threw me a rose, and I thought, ‘This could be it.’ To my people in the crowd, let me see your hands. We in Paradise sipping with our toes in our sand.
It was so, so bad, but it was EXACTLY the kind of nonsense I tune into Bachelor in Paradise to see.
‘They Make Sea Unicorns?’
Justin Glaze was infamous on Katie Thurston’s season for his facial expressions, but it was his lack of knowledge about a narwhal that made his Day 1 appearance worth it for me. Genevieve Parisi described it to him as an animal with a horn, like a unicorn but in the water. This led Glaze to inquire: “They make sea unicorns?” as he hit us with that fantastic face:
Learning what a narwhal is for the first time #BachelorInParadise pic.twitter.com/BvxOGzrgXDSeptember 28, 2022
I mean, Justin Glaze knew he was going to spend this season getting memed again, so why not start in the season premiere?
Lace Morris Got Seriously Dragged
Lace Morris is a Bachelor in Paradise legend, as she appeared on Season 3 and even left engaged. But these new folks certainly had no respect for their “elders,” as 26-year-old Hailey Malles absolutely dragged the 32-year-old alum when she walked onto the beach, commenting to the camera:
I’m all for alumni showing up to the beach and everything, but six years? Girl, come on, like let it go, you’re done here. You have no place.
Ouchhhhh. Later in the episode, Lace Morris lied and said it was her birthday in order to garner some attention, which worked until Logan Palmer accidentally called her “Luce” (which she heard as “Loose”). The icing on the cake came during a commercial break, when a casting announcement came on with Jesse Palmer’s voiceover, saying:
Considering faking your own birthday to meet men? I think we can do better! Apply to be on the next season of The Bachelor.
Absolutely brutal. My apologies to Lace, but I lived for that.
Love Is In The Air Already!
When in Paradise, it doesn’t take long for the sparks to start flying! Couples were already hitting it off on Night 1. Serene Russell was not shy about how she was waiting for Brandon Jones to come down the stairs, and once he did, I swear it was like he had cartoon hearts in his eyes. Immediate predictions were voiced from the cast that they might get engaged by season’s end.
That only scratches the surface of what Bachelor Nation witnessed on Night 1 of Season 8, as Wells Adams was pouring the drinks, Jesse Palmer tried out some different languages and accents, the villainous Shanae Ankney returned for redemption, and so much more.
Bachelor in Paradise is exactly what my life needs right now, and the drama all continues at 8 pm EST Monday, October 3, on ABC. Keep up with all of the upcoming premieres with our 2022 TV Schedule.
