ABC/Craig Sjodin
Back to the Beach! All the Details on ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ Season 8 — Cast, Hosts and More
Bachelor Nation is headed to the beach for Bachelor in Paradise season 8. There are already tons of predictions about what’s to come when former The Bachelor and Bachelorette contestants walk onto the beach at Playa Escondida Resort in Sayulita, Mexico, in summer 2022. Keep scrolling for everything we know so far.
When Does ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ Premiere?
Season 8 of Paradise will premiere on September 27, the show confirmed via Twitter on June 18. ABC previously revealed that the dating show will air Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST/7 p.m. CST.
Who Will Be on ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ 2022?
The official cast list was announced on August 26 — one month before the show’s premiere. When it comes to the men, Andrew Spencer, Brandon Jones, Casey Woods, Jacob Rapini, Justin Glaze, Logan Palmer, Michael Allio and Romeo Alexander are all set to appear. As for the ladies, Brittany Galvin, Genevieve Parisi., Hailey Malles, Hunter Haag, Jill Chin, Kira Mengitsu, Lace Morris, Serene Russell, Shanae Ankey, Sierra Jackson and Teddi Wright were announced as cast members.
Ahead of the official cast list, Bachelor Nation viewers took to social media and shared who they wanted to see from Michelle Young‘s season of The Bachelorette and Clayton Echard‘s season of The Bachelor on the beach. Former Bachelor in Paradise star Joe Amabile (Grocery Store Joe) — who found love during BiP season 7 with Serena Pitt — read fans’ minds with a Twitter post from March 2022 shared during Clayton’s Women Tell All special. “The auditions for Bachelor in Paradise live on #thewomentellall.”
Viewers speculated that they would be seeing Clayton’s villain Shanae Ankney and Genevieve Parisi following their moment in the hot seat — they were right. Viewers were also hopeful that Katie Thurston‘s contestant Aaron Clancy would also be showing off his beach body, especially after Shanae claimed he and Genevieve had relations in the past — which they’ve both denied. Aaron will definitely be making an appearance on the beach.
As for Michelle’s contestants, the number one name that was thrown around was Rodney Mathews. While some were hopeful that he would be The Bachelor, others just want him to find love. “If Rodney is not on Bachelor in Paradise I will, quite literally, riot,” one fan shared on Twitter. Well, looks like we’re going to see his journey!
A 1st Look
During Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia‘s Men Tell All special on August 29, fans got the first teaser for BiP season 8, and things look steamy!
“Everyone’s in the best shape they’ve ever been in, they are ready for the beach, and this season is the sexiest season that we’ve ever had,” resident BiP bartender Wells Adams told Entertainment Tonight ahead of the season. “I think everyone’s gonna be excited about that.”
Finding a ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ Host
With Chris Harrison out, the franchise has had a slew of different hosts. For BiP specifically, they brought in multiple celebrity guest hosts for season 7. Some fans have rallied around Wells, claiming he should just host the show in its entirety. When Jesse Palmer was named as The Bachelor host for Clayton’s season, Wells admitted to being “a little bit” upset.
“But I was never the Bachelor, so I understood the decision,” he explained to Us Weekly in December 2021. “I also know Jesse really well, I’ve worked with him before. So I get him being the host, he was the Bachelor [so it] totally makes sense. You know, I’m happy [for him].”
On May 17, ABC confirmed that Jesse would be returning to host BiP.
“When I think of some of the people they have in mind to come back for Bachelor in Paradise, I think it’s going to continue to be a very watched and very discussed block of programming on Mondays and Tuesdays,” Craig Erwich, ABC Entertainment President, told Deadline.
Confirming the ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ Season
ABC confirmed Bachelor in Paradise season 8 on April 7, via Twitter. “It’s the announcement you’ve been waiting for,” the show’s official account wrote. “#BachelorInParadise is headed back to the beach for another season!”
Prior to the official announcement, Bachelor Nation blogger Reality Steve — Stephen Carbone — reported in October 2021 that he hadn’t “heard anything” about BiP starting production. Fans are happy to see their favorites headed back to paradise!
All the Changes
Bartender Wells confirmed that there are some new and improved parts to Paradise this year, and not all of the changes landed with the cast.
“It’s got all the things that everyone loves about Paradise,” he teased to Us Weekly ahead of the season 8 premiere. “There’s a lot of crabs. There’s a lot of crying. There’s a lot of, like, suitcases being dragged through the sand and then there’s the things that everyone loves. There’s the comedy, the make-out sessions, the boom-boom room, [and] you know, the love at the end of it.”
However, production did “try some things this year” and from behind the bar, “the cast did not like it very much.” Wells, explained, “You’ll see a lot of cast members be kind of angry at some of the things we throw at [them] this year, but it’s a fun show and, you know, I guess it’s a testament to, like, how much ABC believes in the show.”
