Chris Harrison Blogs ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ Week 2
Getting ready for the habanero kissing challenge with my Mexican me. (Photo: Chris Harrison)
Well, we are two weeks into Paradise and things are already up and running in ways that no one could have ever foreseen. Couples are forming, drama is brewing, and the seeds of love have been planted in Mexico’s fertile ground. Last week, we left off with Chad refusing to get into a car and leave Paradise, and you saw the rest of that play out at the end of beginning of this week. As I mentioned before, we knew that we were going to send Chad home as soon as he woke up, but didn’t want to attempt to eliminate him while he was so intoxicated. We didn’t expect the goodbye to be as explosive as it was. In fact, I expected Chad to be contrite and realize that he had taken it too far. But it was not meant to be.
Related: ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ Recap: Bait and Switch
Even after he left, Chad still found a way to cause some drama. Apparently, he had been in contact with Leah prior to filming and had gotten her excited at the prospect of meeting him. When she got there, quite naturally, she looked for Chad because she wanted to see if the Chad she saw on TV was the real Chad. But unfortunately the Chad we saw on TV ended up being exactly the same as the real Chad. Leah was immediately put between a rock and a hard place. She tried to be honest by admitting she had someone in mind to go out with, but as soon as he was unavailable, everyone else couldn’t’ help but feel like a second choice.
Leah’s date with Nick was actually quite nice. They had a good time and got to experience some of the local flavor in Sayulita. As far as first dates go, it was great. But of course, things always take a turn in Paradise. Nick enjoyed his time with Leah, but Nick also wanted to explore his other options, particularly Amanda. When he got his date card, it was fair of Leah to hope to get a second date with Nick, but it was also fair of Nick to want to get to know Amanda. Sometimes everyone can do the right thing but because of the situation, people still get their feelings hurt. That’s Paradise, and that’s life.
At the end of the week, Leah and Jubilee both were sent home. I want to thank both of them for taking a second chance at love and I want to remind everyone out there that it’s very difficult to open yourself up in front of the world. Jubilee and Leah, while very different, both deserve all the happiness the world has to offer and I wish them both the very, very best.
The week started off with a bit of wild card. Josh Murray, who was engaged to Andi at the end of her season came down those stairs and right away caught the eye of many of the ladies in the house. Those who remember Andi’s season remember that Josh was the man who ended up getting engaged while Nick was sent home alone. Now, whether they wanted to or not, Nick and Josh seem to be stuck competing for the same woman all over again. Nick went out with Amanda, and then Josh went out with Amanda, and at this point it’s pretty clear that Amanda is simply more interested in Josh.
I think Amanda has a great head on her shoulders, and even though she is finding herself in something of a predicament, caught in the middle of the drama, I am sure she will find her way on to the right path and make the decisions that are best for her and for her beautiful children.
Evan and Carly certainly got off to a rocky start. At first they were clearly starting to hit it off, but then something went terribly wrong: a kiss. A kiss that Evan clearly really enjoyed didn’t quite have the same impact on Carly. I think it’s actually quite common for people to have different perspectives on chemistry, but usually it’s not polar opposites. The sheer beauty of their date — attempting to set the World Record for the Longest, Hottest, Habenero Kiss —was the kind of miracle that seems to only happen in the summer in Mexico. Very few things were more visually jarring in the history of Paradise than the end of the Evan and Carly kiss. For that, America, I apologize on behalf of our entire team.
I applaud Carly for being honest, even though it was difficult. Last season, she felt led on by Kirk, whether he meant to or not, and now she wanted to be as up front as possible. Evan took it hard at first, but then obviously it mentally freed him up to go after Amanda. She is a single mom and he is a single dad, so in his mind, it made total sense, but in reality, Amanda has already chosen between two men, and the man she chose was Josh. Evan is going to have a lot of work to do if he wants to have a better ending in Paradise than he did last time around on The Bachelorette.
Two other new arrivals this week were Brandon and Christian. Christian hit it off right away with Sarah, but of course that put Daniel on the defensive. And Brandon hit it off with Haley, but the old “twin switch” trick fooled him, so he also has his work cut out for him. Nick is also finding himself on the chopping block. And Lace and Grant seem to be moving along well, but Lace and Grant are Lace and Grant, so there’s just no way of knowing what is next for them.
Paradise is a wild ride and as you have seen, this is all just the beginning. Next week, some new arrivals will shake everything up all over again. And finally, I want to congratulate the new hosts of After Paradise, Michelle Collins and Sean Lowe. I know the show is in good hands and I hope you all have a tremendous amount of fun this season.
Until next week, Bachelor Nation!
Bachelor in Paradise airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on ABC. After Paradise airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on ABC.