The finale of ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ season eight aired on Nov.22, and it’s getting mixed reviews from Bachelor Nation. I’ve always preferred Paradise over ‘The Bachelor’ and ‘The Bachelorette’ especially with the increase of failed engagements and racism allegations. After the whirlwind that was Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia’s season, I was looking forward to Paradise because the dating atmosphere is much more realistic. This season has not been short of twists and drama, but as of right now there are four successful couples. Here is my official review of season eight, opinions on the cast and predictions on which couples will last outside the beaches of Mexico.
Warning: Spoilers ahead!
Season Eight Overall Review
One of the reasons I prefer ‘Bachelor In Paradise’ is because it is much more likely for members of the cast to form a natural connection. The season started with 9 men and 11 women. New men and women continue to come onto the beach as time goes on, so viewers get the opportunity to see multiple love stories unfold at once. Yet, a larger cast also leads to more drama, and this season was full of it. While I love to see love triangles and messy arguments there was a severe lack of screen time for couples like Brandon Jones and Serene Russell, Brittany Galvin and Tyler Norris or Michael Allio and Danielle Maltby.
My favorite parts of each episode (other than every time Wells Adams was on my screen) are the one-on-one dates and getting to see the daily life of the cast. These dates are (usually) pretty wholesome as the viewer gets some dedicated time to watch the relationships develop. Additionally, some of the best moments of the show come from the cast just chatting and spending time on the beach, or the deep conversations between the couples. Seeing more of these moments would help the viewers understand how each couple’s relationships came to be.
Honestly, the drama gets repetitive, especially when it is fabricated by the producers. The producers’ favoritism and manipulation was so obvious this season and it greatly affected the relationships between the cast members. One example is when the producers allowed Justin Glaze back on the beach to pursue Eliza Isichei. Eliza could not decide which of the two men she wanted to be with. While she chose Rodney Mathews at the rose ceremony, she changed her mind the following morning, which was extremely hurtful to Rodney and caused him to leave the beach. Another instance is how Sierra Jackson was pushed away by Michael because he wasn’t ready to commit to her, yet the next day when Danielle came down suddenly Michael was into her. Also, the whole saga of Salley Carson and her suitcase was so unnecessary especially since she didn’t last one night on the beach.
Finally, I have to talk about the biggest twist of the season: “Split Week.” I’ve watched a few seasons of ‘Love Island’, and this twist had Casa Amor written all over it. For anyone who hasn’t seen ‘Love Island’, Casa Amor is when either the women or men are sent to live at a new house, Casa Amor, for the week. At Casa Amor, a new group of the opposite gender arrives, attempting to sway the original cast from their previous relationships. The catch? The same thing is happening back at the main villa, and neither of the groups has any idea. At the end of the week, the entire cast, including the newcomers, returns to the main villa, and the original cast decides if they want to stay in their original couple or swap to be with one of the newcomers. This format is essentially what occurred during Split Week.
I actually am a big fan of this twist as I think it challenges the couples and forces them to take a step back and assess their relationships. The only thing that I did not like was how all of the new women were allowed to stay on the beach, even though they weren’t in relationships, but some of the men, namely Rick Leach and Olu Onajide, did not get to come back to the beach. Overall, I hope that this twist returns in the future; it’s one bit of drama that I would look forward to.
Opinions on The Cast
I do want to preface that this is a reality television show where editors can manipulate footage to give off a certain impression to viewers. These opinions are based solely on what was shown to the audience, so take them with a grain of salt.
First, I have to mention the success stories of this season: Brandon and Serene and Michael and Danielle. It was beautiful to watch both of these relationships develop. Throughout the craziness that was this season, both couples remained loyal to each other and provided the wholesome content that was definitely needed. Brandon and Serene are a match made in heaven, and Michael and Danielle bonding over their past trauma was so emotional to watch. I hope nothing but the best for all of them!
There were several cast members who I really enjoyed having on this season. Shanae Ankney, who was a major source of drama on Clayton Echard’s season, came onto the beach a totally different person, which I loved. She built solid relationships with the rest of the cast, and even repaired her messy relationship with Genevieve Parisi, which has to be one of the best moments of the season. Another person who had a huge change from their time on ‘The Bachelor’ is Victoria Fuller. Despite everything that has happened since the season ended, on the beach, she was often a voice of reason and had minimal drama. Rodney was a favorite among fans and the cast, and it was so heartbreaking to see him leave the beach. Finally, I loved Jill Chin. I had low expectations coming in because she didn’t make much of an impression on Clayton’s season, but Jill ended up being one of my favorites. Even though she was involved in some drama early on in the season, was a hilarious character to watch.
It is well known that in this franchise, the producers give the screen time to whoever is causing the most drama. I didn’t think that one of those people would be Kate Gallivan, who went home in week two of Clayton’s season. While I wasn’t a huge fan of Logan Palmer on Gabby and Rachel’s season, he got totally screwed over by Kate. She strung Logan along far too long for how frequently she complained about their age gap, his “lack of maturity,” and his orange car. I also thought that Genevieve and Aaron Clancy’s relationship was given way too much screen time. Watching them argue about whether or not itching is a form of pain was definitely a low point in the season. I am sure Kate, Logan, Genevieve and Aaron are all great people in real life, but the season felt dominated by them at times.
As with any season, there are a handful of cast members that should not have been on the season for one reason or another. The first two people who come to mind are Peter Izzo (self-nicknamed “Pizza Pete”), who spent his whole date with Brittany bragging about his pizza business, and Hayden Markowitz, who once again left his sick dog at home to use as a sob story for attention. Both of these men did not form any meaningful relationships during their short time on the beach, thus wasting the screen time of other more successful couples. I never understand the appearances of other cast members who got eliminated from their respective seasons in the first few weeks, such as twins Joey and Justin Young, Hailey Malles and Ency Abedin. The audience hardly knows who they are, so we are not invested in them finding love.
Predictions on Which Couples Will Last
Brandon and Serene – I absolutely have the most hope in Brandon and Serene. They hit it off in week one of Paradise and never looked back. I loved watching their relationship grow throughout the season, and don’t see them breaking off their engagement hopefully ever!
Michael and Danielle – This was such a beautiful couple to watch on the show and at the reunion. I think it will take a while before Michael proposes, but I do not see them breaking up anytime soon.
Kira and Romeo – These two leaving Paradise together seemed like a gimmick, but as of the reunion they are still together! That being said, I do not believe they will last another year.
Jill and Jacob – These two rekindled their relationship at the reunion, and while the moment was cute, I don’t think they will last more than three months.