Reality TV
Bachelor In Paradise Newcomer Sam Picco Is Used To Reality TV Drama
The Season 9 mystery woman has already competed on two Canadian shows.
As another Bachelor in Paradise elimination approaches, ABC gave the unmatched men a lifeline: Samantha “Sam” Picco. The mysterious Episode 5 arrival — Sean McLaughlin’s “best chance” at staying in Paradise — might not look familiar to American viewers, but Sam is actually a reality TV vet and already a member of Bachelor Nation.
After placing ninth on Big Brother Canada 7 in 2019, the 33-year-old Newfoundland native recently appeared on Bachelor in Paradise Canada Season 2, which premiered on Citytv in May. After finding herself in a dramatic love triangle with castmates Cole Medders and Lisa Mancini, resulting in her eventually leaving BiPC solo, Sam headed to Mexico to try her luck on the U.S. version.
Sam’s BiPC bio highlighted her “infectious energy” and a longtime “penchant for blazing her own, non-traditional path.” No stranger to looking for love in the public eye — she was in a Big Brother showmance with Adam Pike — Sam “was left with some soul-searching to do” when the relationship didn't work out.
Heading into her BiPC run, the self-described charismatic and flirtatious go-getter was ready to meet her match — but still listed “commitment” as one of her fears/phobias (in addition to spiders and tornados).
As she gives it another go stateside, here’s everything else to know about Sam.
Sam Is A “Beauty Mogul”
The Canadian entrepreneur got her first taste of the beauty industry at a young age. “My mom owned a salon in St. John’s and later became a rep for a beauty brand,” she told Newfoundland’s The Overcast in 2017. “My whole life, I was surrounded by just bins and bins of product.”
After getting her professional start as a freelance wedding makeup artist, Sam opened a salon called The Studio Beauty Bar. “Being able to connect and promote the self-esteem of so many people on a daily basis is the real reason we’re in this,” she told the newspaper, which reported that she was also the lead makeup and hair artist for two Canadian TV shows that filmed in Barbados and Trinidad.
In early 2022, she started Sam Brand, a jewelry and beauty line that features all Canadian-made products. In a January 2023 caption on her company’s Instagram, she recalled “bawling [her] eyes out” when her very first launch sold out.
Sam’s Instagram Is Comically Catty
In addition to promoting her brand and products on Instagram, Sam shares glimpses of her daily life with her family, friends, and pet cat. Wearing a “Cancel My Ex” crop top in one August post, she thanked her mom for a novelty mug that read: “I [Love] Instagram (My Life Is So Awesome Even I’m Jealous).” Other posts suggest that she enjoys cooking, boating, and has openly discussed her experience living with ADHD.
More fun facts about Sam, according to her BiPC bio, include her ideal first date (“Something high energy like a concert, followed by a dining-in-the-dark experience. Or maybe a tropical vacation”), her walk-on song (“Can't Hold Us Down” by Christina Aguilera or “Dangerous” by Akon), and the three things that can always be found in her refrigerator (leftovers from a month ago, things that don't actually belong in the fridge, and old clementines).
Sam also shared her bucket list: “start a podcast, write a memoir, host my own show, travel to Japan, start a clothing line, [and] provide for my friends and family.”
