I will be the first to admit that I think that shows like the now-defunct Bachelor Pad and its replacement Bachelor In Paradise are just carryover shows to take me to the next season of The Bachelor or The Bachelorette. I will also say, though, that there's something very captivating about about Bachelor in Paradise : All of these men and women, previously on The Bachelor/ette, still striving once again to find love on television. Does it work? Do they just want to be on TV? And most importantly, who will actually sign up to be cast for Bachelor in Paradise Season 2 nonsense after seeing what Season 1's group went through?
Of course, Bachelor in Paradise is not the first extension of a successful reality show franchise. Do you know how many seasons of Real World/Road Rules Challenge (or whatever MTV is calling them these days) they’ve had? Um, a million. Because I’ve watched so many shows in this genre, including, of course, Bachelor in Paradise (I have no social life, clearly), I feel really equipped to judge what kind of personalities are shoo-ins to be on a show like this.
But, in true Chris Harrison interruption fashion, before we get to that, a quick explanation of how Bachelor in Paradise works. Here’s the gist: At the first rose ceremony, six men on the show are given a rose to give out to a woman of their choice. Too bad that there’s an uneven number of men and women, and two women are left hanging, just like the musical chairs of dating. Then, as relationships start to progress, more contestants are added to the Bachelor in Paradise house, just to further confuse everyone. Anyone who doesn’t get a rose or decides to split gets bounced. Now that we understand how Bachelor in Paradise works, let’s take a look at what it takes to be chosen for a summer (or, really, four weeks) of love.
Be Just a Little Off
Look, in order to be on reality TV at all, you have to have quite the personality. There is really no room for wallflowers here. Whether they are edited as such or actually are actually clinically insane, contestants who are perceived as being a sandwich short of a picnic basket are shoo-ins to be cast on Bachelor in Paradise, because they bring the d-r-a-m-a. It’s just like, the rules of reality TV.
Be Thirsty
Nobody wants to admit that they are just on The Bachelor or Bachelor in Paradise to launch their acting career, but plenty of people do it. After all, any exposure is good exposure, right? If someone thinks they’re going to get their big break on a much-maligned reality dating show, who am I to crush their silly dreams?
Be Dramatic
Without drama there would be no ratings, so far be it from me to declare The Bachelor or Bachelor in Paradise a drama-free zone. In fact, these shows are boring without a little bit of hysterics, and producers are not going to cast without even the slightest bit of potential to cause a problem. Party on, ladies and gentlemen.
Be a Fan-Favorite
It’s a pretty easy equation to figure out that if viewers’ favorite characters from Bachelor/ettes past are on Bachelor in Paradise, they’re going to tune in. It’s just science, you know? These cheerful (hopefully) contestants also tend to balance out the dramatic contestants for a little bit of Bachelor-certified harmony.
Be Sympathetic
A way to get to fan-favorite status is to get your heart absolutely smashed and then handed back to you during your time on The Bachelor/ette, or have a really upsetting sob story that makes people want to root for you. Both of these plot devices work every single time.
Image: Francisco Roman/ABC; giphy (5)
