As Warner Bros. tries to determine what happened during filming of the “Bachelor in Paradise,” preliminary, unverified accounts of what occurred indicate the studio faces questions about alcohol and consent.
Warner Bros. announced Sunday there were “allegations of misconduct” at the Mexican resort where the show was shot and that a “thorough investigation” is being conducted. The summer reality series features former “Bachelor” and “Bachelorette” contestants partying and partnering in a beautiful resort. Alcohol flows freely.
According to accounts of what happened on set, people present, including a producer, are investigating whether two contestants had a sexual interaction while one was too drunk to give consent. (No criminal charges have been filed.)
In an account reported by TMZ, which cites no named sources, male contestant DeMario Jackson and a female contestant were “making out at the bar. She suggested they take it to the swimming pool, where they took their clothes off and began ‘rubbing, touching and fingering.’ He also claims she put her genitals in his face and he began licking. He says he was unable to consummate things because he was so drunk.”
A field producer who had been assigned to shadow the female contestant said the woman “seemed so drunk… she had no ability to consent to DeMario Jackson’s sexual moves in a swimming pool, and producers nonetheless let it play out on film,” TMZ reported.
Both TMZ and ET reported that the female contestant had little memory of what happened. She has not made any public accusations of any kind.
“The producer in question believes [she] may have been sexually assaulted, although we know DeMario claims the encounter was not only consensual … she was the instigator,” TMZ reported.
TMZ said people “familiar with the footage” said the woman appeared to be “fully engaged.” A rep for the woman declined comment.
Asked what happened on Twitter, Jackson responded, “hahahaha” and “ALT FACTS.”
According to TMZ, both Jackson and the woman were sent home after the producer filed a formal complaint.
The “Bachelor” spinoff, which was being shot in Puerto Vallarta, was schedule to premiere on Tuesday, Aug. 8.
People reported that other cast members saw the interaction and “are upset that crew members did not do more to stop the incident.”
“People are pissed, and not just at DeMario. We’re pissed that this whole thing happened,” People quoted the contestant as saying. ‘They could have seen that she was drinking too much and that he was taking advantage. They could have stopped this before it got this far. But they decided to let it go, and let it happen, and see what happened? So, I’m angry at the show, and everyone else is too.”
According to TMZ, the woman told her friends she “has a boyfriend and wouldn’t have done what she did — especially with cameras rolling — to jeopardize that relationship.”
ET Online reported that the two contestants have talked since they were booted from the show.
“DeMario was trying to reach [her] via email, Instagram and Facebook for a few days. Finally, [he] got a hold of her, they exchanged numbers and they’ve been talking. They are both speaking and on good terms,” an unnamed source told ET.