It was a strange Men Tell All for Gabby and Rachel’s double-season of The Bachelorette. Everyone in the audience got a free cruise, Billy Eichner came out to promote his new rom-com, Bros, and Meatball once again took a shower in pasta sauce (then tackled Billy Eichner onstage). But, most importantly, Jesse Palmer announced that Bachelor in Paradise Season 8 finally has a premiere date on the 2022 TV schedule.
After bringing out Serene Russell, Genevieve Parisi, Victoria Fuller, and Andrew Spencer, Jesse and the four BIP Season 8 stars promised that the new season will be one of the most dramatic of all time. They also took time during the Men Tell All to show a sneak preview of the new season, which looks as chaotic as promised. And, according to Jesse, we can expect a lot of “man tears.”
Bachelor In Paradise Season 8 Premieres September 27
With Rachel and Gabby’s finale of The Bachelorette approaching on September 20, fans of the show won’t have to wait very long at all for new Bachelor Nation content. Bachelor in Paradise Season 8 is set to premiere the very next week on September 27 (a Tuesday, rather than Bachelor’s usual Monday night slot).
The Bachelor In Paradise Season 8 Cast Includes Shanae Ankey, Genevieve Parisi, And More…
I had a lot of predictions and hopes for who we might see in Season 8 of Bachelor in Paradise—and as it turns out, many of those are coming true.
ABC released the full cast list this past week, confirming which contestants we’ll see on the beach.
- Romeo Alexander (The Bachelorette Season 18)
- Michael Allio (The Bachelorette Season 17
- Shanae Ankey (The Bachelor Season 26)
- Jill Chin (The Bachelor Season 26)
- Brittany Galvin (The Bachelor Season 25)
- Justin Glaze (The Bachelorette Season 17)
- Hunter Haag (The Bachelor Season 26)
- Sierra Jackson (The Bachelor Season 26)
- Brandon Jones (The Bachelorette Season 18)
- Hailey Malles (The Bachelor Season 26)
- Kira Mengistu (The Bachelor Season 26)
- Lace Morris (The Bachelor Season 20 and Bachelor in Paradise Season 3)
- Logan Palmer (The Bachelorette Season 19)
- Genevieve Parisi (The Bachelor Season 26)
- Jacob Rapini (The Bachelorette Season 19)
- Serene Russell (The Bachelor Season 26)
- Andrew Spencer (The Bachelorette Season 17)
- Casey Woods (The Bachelorette Season 18)
- Teddi Wright (The Bachelor Season 26)
Will Shanae get a redemption arc? Or will she be back to her old ways? More importantly, is there going to be a showdown between her and Sierra? I seem to recall Sierra saying “See you in paradise” at the Women Tell All for Season 26 of The Bachelor.
Only Two Guys From Gabby And Rachel’s Season Are In The Cast…So Far
The cast of Bachelor in Paradise is usually full of eliminated contestants from the seasons of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette that came out most recently—meaning I was expecting to see a whole bunch of Gabby and Rachel’s guys on the beach.
Surprisingly, only two guys from Season 19 of The Bachelorette are set to arrive in Mexico at the start of paradise: Jacob Rapini, and Logan Palmer (who was unceremoniously axed from Gabby's group of guys after contracting Covid during Season 19 of The Bachelorette). However, that doesn’t mean we won’t see a few more join in as the season goes on.
Unsurprisingly, the majority of the cast is made up from the women from Clayton’s season—nine cast members from Season 26 of The Bachelor will be looking for love and settling past dramas at the Playa Escondida.
Wells Will Be Back Behind The Bar
Also confirmed in ABC’s announcement of the new BIP season is Wells Adams, a former Bachelorette/Bachelor in Paradise contestant who’s been the bartender for the past several Paradise casts.
That means it was a super busy summer for Adams, who was married to longtime girlfriend and Modern Family actor, Sarah Hyland, this August.
Okay, so maybe he didn’t meet his wife in Paradise, but I’m still going to consider The Adams Family a successful Bachelor Nation couple.
Jared Haibon And Ashley Iaconetti Will Make An Appearance
My personal favorite Bachelor couple will be returning to the beach to guide the new couples along their way. According to ABC, Jared Haibon and Ashley Iaconetti are set to return to the beach later in the season, although we don’t know officially when they’ll show up.
Jared and Ashley met on Bachelor in Paradise back in Season 2, and then again on Bachelor in Paradise Season 3, although they didn’t leave the show together (much to Ashley’s dismay). Fast forward to 2022—the pair are happily married and share a son together.
It Looks Like Something Goes Down Between Jesse And The Girls
In the season preview shown at the Men Tell All, the girls are seen packing up their bags and making tearful exits after a cryptic announcement from Jesse stating that all the women must leave the beach.
We also see the girls standing on a bridge (presumably outside the resort), yelling “F*ck you, Jesse Palmer.”
I’ll assume Jesse didn’t actually do anything to warrant that, but it seemed like there might have still been some tension between Jesse and Serene, Genevieve, and Victoria at the Men Tell All.
There Are People Who Aren’t On The Cast List Who Appeared In The Sneak Preview
Like I mentioned previously, the cast of Bachelor in Paradise usually grows as the season progresses. It’s a surprise which former contestants will join in, but I watched that sneak peek with an eagle eye to see if I could pick out any familiar faces who were absent from the cast list.
We see Mara Agrait, the self-proclaimed “older woman” from Clayton’s season who was eliminated after drama between herself and Sarah Hamrick. We also see Aaron Clancy, who famously left the beach during BIP Season 7 in a “bromance” with fellow contestant, James Bonsall.
Not pictured in the sneak peek is Salley Carson, the woman who self-eliminated herself from Clayton’s season after admitting she just wasn’t into him. We don’t see or hear Salley in the clip, but we do hear the buzzing sound of Salley’s vibrator as the other girls toss it around their room.
It’s a given, since she appeared on the Men Tell All, but Victoria Fuller from The Bachelor Season 24 will also make a trip to the beach at some point (although it presumably won’t be in the first episode).
Also, was that one of the twins I saw getting rolled up in a burrito?
I can’t wait to see the drama unfold—and judging by the rings they showed at the end of the preview, at least some of the drama will end in a proposal.
Bachelor in Paradise returns to ABC on September 27, 8/7c. Episodes of past seasons of BIP, as well as current episodes of The Bachelorette Season 19, are available to stream with a Hulu subscription.
