'Bachelor in Paradise' 2022: Everything We Know

Unmistakably the most unhinged chapter of an already unhinged franchise, Bachelor in Paradise has it all: sun, sea, and dozens of extremely attractive people on the hunt for love and/or Instagram followers. Last year's Paradise was particularly out of control, thanks to the record number of contestants who showed up on the beach, many of whom were greeted by Lil Jon, Lance Bass, Titus Burgess, and David Spade (yes, really). How can ABC possibly outdo last year's season—which was light on viewership but heavy on drama—I hear you ask? (Perhaps I'm just hearing myself ask.)

Well. In spite of rumors in the spring that ABC could kill this chapter of the franchise, the network ultimately decided to renew Bachelor in Paradise for an eighth blockbuster season. This year's season will air later than in past years, but there's no doubt about it: We're going back to Mexico, and everyone will get a second—or third, or fourth, or fifth—chance at said love and/or Instagram followers.

'Bachelor in Paradise' Release Date

Bachelor in Paradise will premiere on ABC on Tuesday, September 27. Which is unusual: Paradise typically airs in late summer. Most seasons of Paradise have run from mid-August through to mid-September, although the 2021 season ran all the way 'til October (like I said, a lot of contestants, a lot of drama). But the upcoming season of The Bachelorette, featuring Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia, hit our screens in July, which is also unusual (most Bachelorette seasons start in May). Their Bachelorette season will likely run through September, essentially taking Paradise's typical slot, so you can expect to see Paradise air in about October. 

In spite of all of its unhinged-ness, Paradise is by far the most enjoyable edition of the franchise, mostly because most of the franchise's tenets—chastity until marriage or Fantasy Suites; strong religious undertones; the right reasons—are thrown out of the window. Basically, everyone just gets drunk on the beach.

Format

The 2022 season of Paradise will take a cue from Love Island and separate the contestants—all while bringing in new contestants—to ensure maximum drama. Per Reality Steve: "All the couples are separated with one gender going to another villa and meeting new singles...I think the women were the ones that moved to a new location in Mexico, and were introduced to five new men brought in. The guys stayed on the beach and were introduced to five new women brought in."

Host of 'Bachelor in Paradise'

In May, the franchise formally named Jesse Palmer the host of the 2022 edition of Paradise—a move that suggests that Palmer will host all of the franchise's iterations going forward. ABC also noted that likable former contestant Wells Adams will serve once again as bartender, a demotion from his "master of ceremonies" role last year. (Adams' wife-to-be, Modern Family's Sarah Hyland, was recently named host of Love Island USA, so they've got the beach dating market covered.)

Speaking to Us Weekly's "Here For the Right Reasons" podcast, Palmer said of Paradise: "It’s insane down here. It’s absolutely crazy. There’s all these people. It is just so much chaos, so much drama and yes, never-before-seen things [are] taking place in Paradise. I’ve been watching this show for years, huge fan of it. And we’ve been switching things up. We’ve been changing things up. It’s hard to keep track of it all, to be honest."

“Right now, I see myself looking at different cast members and just hoping those relationships survive all the drama and all the chaos that people inevitably find down here on the beach," he told TV Insider. "It’s sort of the same thing [as The Bachelor and The Bachelorette], there’s just so much more of it.”

Cast of 'Bachelor in Paradise'

Remember when Palmer said that "all these people" were on the beach? Yeah, well, it's because we've gotten another record-breaking number of contestants on the beach: 43, up from 41 from the year before. The cast of Paradise remains unconfirmed until ABC releases an official cast list, but here's who Reality Steve and other spoiler accounts are betting will be on the beach:

• Aaron Clancy
• James Bonsall
• Sarah Hamrick
• Tyler Norris
• Alex Bordyukov
• Rick Leach
• Mara Agreat
• Ency Abedin
• Lyndsey Windham
• Rick Leach
• Olu Onajide
• Serene Russell
• Victoria Fuller
• Lace Morris
• Teddi Wright
• Sierra Jackson
• Jill Chin
• Hunter Haag
• Cassidy Timbrooks
• Kira Mengistu
• Kate Gallivan
• Sarah Hamrick
• Kate Gallivan
• Eliza Isichei
• Jessenia Cruz
• Joey and Justin Young
• Eliza Isichei
• Jessenia Cruz
• Brittany Galvin
• Andrew Smith
• Tyler Norris
• Genevieve Parisi
• Johnny DePhillipo
• Brandon Jones
• Rodney Matthews
• Justin Glaze
• Hayden Markowitz
• Jacob Rapini
• Logan Palmer

Other members of Bachelor Nation aren't so sure. Ben Smith, from Tayshia's season, wrote "Nah, girl" on Instagram when asked if he'd be joining the cast—in spite of rumors that Teddi might be interested in him. Demi Burnett said, “I cannot go on Bachelor in Paradise again" when asked, adding, “Also, I’m way out of their league.”

Meanwhile, former Bachelor Peter Weber almost agreed to Paradise, per E! News. “I always kept looking at [Paradise] as, like, the one venue I hadn't, like, really checked off yet or tried. I thought maybe [I could] give it one more try,” he said. “But [ABC and I] ended up not being able to agree on anything and get out there. I feel everything happens for a reason, so it’s all good.”

Spoilers

Per Reality Steve, the "villain" of the season may be Kate Gallivan, who you'll remember from Clayton's season. "Kate is possibly next villain, as she seems to be causing quite the ruckus down there," RS noted. "I don’t think her edit is gonna be great and she’s rubbing some of the contestants the wrong way from everything I’m hearing.”

And remember the twins who were awkwardly sent home on night one on Gaby and Rachel's season, Joey and Justin? Yeah, they're there, too—and apparently involved in some sort of love triangle/quad with three of the woman (!).

Plus, we know who left the beach engaged, according to Reality Steve: 

• Johnny DePhillipo and Victoria Fuller
• Brandon Jones and Serene Russell

Two more couples left together, but didn't get engaged. They are:

• Michael Allio and Danielle Maltby
• Tyler Norris and Brittany Galvin

And two more couples were together, but ended up splitting up before leaving Mexico:

• Aaron Clancy and Genevieve Parisi
• Logan Palmer and Kate Gallivan