Current 'Bach' Contestant Claims Race Played A Role In 'BiP' Scandal

As Bachelor Nation works to regain a sense of normalcy after a whirlwind controversy, new and old contestants are offering their opinions as to how an alleged incident between DeMario Jackson and Corrine Olympios led to production on Bachelor in Paradise being shut down and, not long after, brought back to life. Current Bachelorette hopeful Will Gaskins commented on the Bachelor in Paradise scandal with a lengthy caption posted on Instagram on June 20 in which he claims Jackson's race may have played a role in the situation.

Gaskins claimed on Instagram:

However one thing which has been largely absent from these headlines is the fact that by all accounts of those present both parties were willing participants in whatever it is that happened that day. And in fact there were multiple other people with whom one party engaged in some type of physical contact with that day but it wasn't until The black man got into the mix that this was deemed as no longer acceptable. We can lie to ourselves and say that race isn't a factor here and pretend that it doesn't affect our day to day lives but it's just that, a lie.

As The Hollywood Reporter notes, Gaskins may be referring to an interview BiP contestant Jasmine Goode gave in which she claimed Olympios had sexual encounters with other men on the show. Goode claimed to E! that "Corinne forced herself on three male cast members, when they were unable to consent, in addition to engaging with DeMario." A lawyer for Olympios did not return Bustle's request for comment on Goode's claims. Olympios previously released a statement through her lawyer in which she referred to herself as a "victim." Her lawyer has also stated that their investigation will continue.

Since the accusations arose, Jackson released a statement saying his character is being "assassinated." Both parties have hired legal representation. Bustle has reached out to ABC and lawyers for Olympios and Jackson for comment on Gaskins' post, but has not yet received a response; Warner Bros. had no comment.

Bachelor Nation may never get all the details when it comes to this situation, but Bachelor and Bachelorette alums show no signs of slowing down when it comes to sharing their opinions on this story.