Bachelor In Paradise Is Getting ‘Messy’ With The Age-Gap Kisses, And I’m Dying Over These Fan Reactions

Spoiler alert! This story discusses the episode of Bachelor in Paradise that aired July 28. All of Season 10 is available to stream with a Hulu subscription if you need to catch up.

Pretty much the first thought on everyone’s mind when it was confirmed that Bachelor in Paradise was getting a little “Golden” for its 10th season was whether or not we would see the age barrier broken for some smooching between the youngs and the olds. Mark this one in the record books, ladies and gentlemen, because we got not one but two age-gap kisses on the 2025 TV schedule’s most recent episode, and fans are trying to process how “messy” it’s all getting.

We all should have known April Kirkwood would be trouble as soon as she was pegged as “Kat Izzo in 40 years.” She was the recipient of both kisses, but despite having given her rose to Jonothon Johnson in a previous week, he was not one of the younger cast members to lock lips with her. That honor went first to Dale Moss, whose lips lingered for just a second while doing a body shot with the Golden. One fan wrote:

Yes, Kat Izzo’s roommate technically kissed her boyfriend, but she didn’t seem to mind one bit. Honestly, look at how hard she's cheering this on (Kat's the one all the way to the left):

Bachelor Nation didn't seem to mind too much either, and many agreed which cast member should be taking home a trophy at the end of the season. According to the tweets:

• April is the MVP on this beach. I love her spirit and ability to have fun. – mike_h1990
• What an MVP April is. – CunananIlah

Another felt like this party was getting a little out of hand, posting:

Well if Dale Moss’ smooch with April Kirkwood scared you, you definitely weren’t ready for what came during the bird mating call party or whatever name they gave it.

Again, a body shot was the catalyst for the lip-lock, and again, April laid down to deliver the shot. It was for Sean McLaughlin this time, though, and when he went for the lime in her mouth, he definitely did not come up immediately. As one Bachelor Nation fan said:

If you pay attention to spoilers, this kiss between Sean McLaughlin and April Kirkwood was the one that leaked prior to Season 10’s premiere, and I have to wonder if that means everyone will heed Jesse Palmer’s advice and stay in their generational lanes from here on out.

While many people were into the Golden lady living her best life — “I love April so fucking much omg,” wrote litterallydevon — there was one move she made that dropped Bachelor Nation’s jaws, and not in a good way:

Yes, during Sean McLaughlin’s bird mating dance, he pulled off his skivvies and tossed them in the direction of Hannah Brown (who was judging the competition with Wells Adams). Those undies ended up in April Kirkwood’s possession, and following their kiss, she did SNIFF THEM and then STUFF THEM IN HER BRA.

This woman is a treasure. Protect April at all costs!

Episode 5 ended before the rose ceremony, so we’ll have to wait another week to see if any of the men — young or old — does the Lord’s work by giving April Kirkwood their rose so that we can continue to witness her cougar-y antics. Tune in at 8 p.m. ET Monday, August 4, on ABC, with episodes streaming the next day on Hulu.