It’s been less than a week since we watched Aaron Bryant get engaged to Eliza Isichei and Kat Izzo accept a proposal from John Henry Spurlock on Bachelor in Paradise. However, just four days after that Season 9 finale aired, both couples announced they had ended their relationships. This sad news came after Kylee Russell and Aven Jones — who left Paradise as a couple — also spoke out about the end of their romance amid “multiple infidelities.” Bachelor in Paradise historically has produced more successful couples than The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, so was Season 9 just a fluke, or is it a sign that it’s time to change things up?
Aaron Bryant And John Henry Spurlock Announce The End Of Their Engagements
Filming for Season 9 of Bachelor in Paradise ended in June, so at the end of the three-hour season finale that aired December 7, the show gave us an update on the contestants, revealing that Aaron Bryant and Eliza Isichei had hit some “speed bumps” in their relationship but were trying to work through it. It seems they were unable to do so, as on December 11, Aaron posted a photo of himself and Eliza to his Instagram Stories with the message:
I want to thank our family, friends, and Bachelor Nation for all their support not just through the Paradise journey but after as well. Tricky emotions watching it all unfold but unfortunately me & Eliza’s love story has come to an end. We’re leading our amicable split with nothing but positivity and mutual respect for one another. Thank you all. 🖤
Eliza Isichei and Aaron Bryant got together early in the season and seemed to be the most solid couple throughout. However, Eliza showed some hesitation to get engaged, especially without being able to include her family in the happy moment. She does not appear to have commented on the breakup as of Monday night.
Just hours before that news came, John Henry Spurlock posted his own Instagram statement announcing the end of his engagement to Kat Izzo. Tagging his former fiancée, the underwater welder wrote:
With mutual love and respect, Kat and I have recently decided to part ways. Our relationship has been filled with wonderful memories and growth, something we looked forward to sharing with you. While our paths are taking different directions due to our career goals not aligning, we are grateful for the love and support we’ve received from our family, friends, and Bachelor Nation. While this decision wasn’t easy, we believe it’s the right step for both of us as individuals. As we navigate this transition, we ask for your continued support and respect for our privacy.
Kat Izzo also posted a screenshot of his statement to her Instagram Stories with an additional comment to Bachelor Nation below the photo that read:
I want to remind everyone that we are trying to enter a place of healing. Please try to remember this before you pass on hateful or hurtful comments.
With these breakups — along with Kylee Russell and Aven Jones’ split — that effectively leaves no successful couples from Season 9, save for Brayden Bowers and Christina Mandrell, who hard-launched their relationship in the “Where are they now?” portion of the finale, despite The Bachelor alum Mandrell not appearing in Paradise.
Does Bachelor In Paradise Need A Revamp?
When it comes to The Bachelor franchise, Bachelor in Paradise has produced most of the successful couples. As evidenced by the montage at the end of the Season 9 finale, numerous marriages, engagements and babies have come in 2023 alone from relationships started on the beach! So what went wrong this season?
I’m not sure what it was about Season 9 — and if the strange transition from The Golden Bachelor to BIP had anything to do with it — but I felt like the show was kind of a chore to get through. For one thing, we had to suffer through the poop baby story, and even after poor Sam Jeffries left Paradise on a medical recommendation, Jesse Palmer continued to update the cast (and us) on whether or not she had pooped yet. Why was this necessary? Did they not have enough footage from the other happenings on the beach?
That also seemed to be the case with the recaps. It felt like so much of the episodes each week were spent recapping what had already happened, previewing what was going to happen, and then having multiple cast members remind us who was coupled up at any given time.
I’m not saying those things had anything directly to do with there being no successful relationships this season, but it does seem like there’s ample opportunity to improve what we just saw. I’d love to see the reality show alums do something more than just sit around the beach and narrate who’s talking to whom or rehash a conversation that we just saw happen. Maybe next season, assuming there will be one, could feature more group activities, like the ones we saw Hannah Brown and Katie Thurston lead.
Bachelor in Paradise hasn’t really done any big format changes other than Season 8’s Split Week, which did not return for the season that recently ended. Maybe now is the time to think of ways to help the contestants foster the relationships they’re forming on the beach so there’s a better chance of success after the show.
All said, I wanted more from Bachelor in Paradise Season 9, and the fact that all three of the couples that formed this season announced breakups less than a week after the finale aired just added to my disappointment.
Hopefully that disappointment is short-lived, because there are big things coming up for Bachelor Nation. We’ve only got a few more weeks until The Golden Wedding, which will see Gerry Turner marry Theresa Nist on live TV. That special is set to air at 8 p.m. ET Thursday, January 4, on ABC. Then Joey Graziadei will kick off his own journey on The Bachelor on Monday, January 22. See what else is coming in the new year with our 2024 TV schedule.
