How 'Bachelor in Paradise' Addressed the DeMario Jackson & Corinne Olympios Sex Scandal on the Season 4 Premiere
After two months of mounting anticipation, the Bachelor in Paradise season 4 premiere is here — and it’s diving straight into Corinne Olympios and DeMario Jackson‘s sex scandal.
In case you’re not caught up, the beloved Bachelor/ette spin-off has placed alums in an elaborate game of romantic musical chairs in Mexico every summer since 2014. This season, however, things took a sharp turn after a sexual encounter occurred between Olympios, 24, and Jackson, 30, both of whom had been drinking heavily all day. Warner Bros. subsequently suspended production on the show and launched an internal investigation into “allegations of misconduct,” which was later cleared after they deemed nothing improper had occurred. Production soon resumed — this time without Olympios and Jackson. (For more on the scandal and its aftermath, here’s everything you need to know.)
On Monday’s season premiere, the incident was addressed within the first few minutes — here’s how it all went down.
SPOILER ALERT: The following story will reveal details from Monday’s season premiere of Bachelor in Paradise.
The two-hour opener kicked off with longtime host Chris Harrison welcoming fans to a “new season of Bachelor in Paradise” — the one that “looked like it might not happen.”
Harrison then acknowledged the show’s decision to suspend production after two and a half days of shooting, admitting that it was an “extraordinarily stressful and emotional time for our cast and all of our crew.” With that, he introduced the episode, which began with footage that was filmed pre-scandal.
At first, it seemed like a classic first day in Paradise: One by one, the cast of men and women trickled in and began getting to know each other. Jackson, who had gotten himself into hot water after it was revealed he had a girlfriend during Rachel Lindsay‘s season of The Bachelorette, knew a “hostile” reception might be awaiting him, and he wasn’t wrong — but he insisted he had every intention of showing a “different side” of himself.
“I wanted to come here to set everything straight and hopefully find the next Mrs. Jackson,” he said. “Because I’m a good guy. I swear, I’m like the sweetest guy in the world. I would love to ultimately fall in love. I can’t wait for that.”
Then came Olympios’ arrival — two glasses of champagne in hand and immediately branded the “life of the party” by her castmates.
“I personally am not ready to settle down,” she said. “I’m not rushing to find someone. I’m not going to jump on the first guy that shows me a little bit of attention. If you want to have this, you have to work real hard.”
But despite her intentions to take things slow, she and Jackson hit it off pretty much immediately after he approached her at the bar. Within minutes, the two were all over each other, hugging and touching, with Jackson massaging her back, picking her up and twirling her around in the air.
“Corinne and I, man — it’s extremely natural,” said Jackson. “I feel it.”
Sparks continued to fly between the two and their fellow cast members began to pick up on it, with Raven Gates even jokingly asking at one point if they might “get engaged.” At 4:30 p.m., Olympios first jumped into the pool with her clothes on, leading Jackson by the hand.
“They look like they’re enjoying each other’s company — they seem like they’re ‘clicking,’ if that’s the word that us young folk are using these days,” said contestant Alex Woytkiw with a laugh as he observed them cuddling in the pool. “Corinne and DeMario are already attached at the hip.”
By sunset that first day, the cast was still milling about, hanging around on the beach or by the pool. The first date card was handed out, with Kristina Schulman offering it to Dean Unglert. Back at the house, the drinks were flowing — a little too much some — and hookups were happening as couples started to form.
But while all of this was going on, Olympios and Jackson were mostly out of sight, with just a couple of brief separate glimpses of them surfacing here and there. The following morning, the two were shown eating breakfast side by side and everything seemed to be totally fine between them, if ever-so-slightly awkward.
As the day progressed, two more dates unfolded: Raven and Robby Hayes, followed by Jasmine Goode and Matt Munson, who stopped by a Mexican drag bar. As for Jackson? Well, he already had his sights set another contestant: Alexis Waters.
“I can find love in Paradise and I do want to find love,” he said. “So I would love to get to know her a little bit more.”
That evening, the cast got ready for the first rose ceremony, with the women set to hand out the roses. At that point, it had become clear that whatever had occurred between Jackson and Olympios was already over: Though their interactions were friendly — she even called them “homies” — she had decided she would be giving her rose to Vinny Ventiera.
But before that could happen, without any warning, things came to an abrupt and screeching halt during the cocktail party before the ceremony. First, a producer came to pull Olympios aside, while another asked to speak to Jackson in private as the cameramen began to set their equipment down. Confusion and chaos descended on the cast, with no one seeming to have any idea what could have caused them to suddenly suspend production — though Taylor Nolan speculated it might have something to do with “Corinne and DeMario from the first night.”
As for what unfolds next, we’ll have to stay tuned to find out. The Bachelor in Paradise season 4 premiere continues Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.