As “Bachelor in Paradise” makes its grand return just under two years after the ABC reality dating series debuted its ninth season, Season 10 will look significantly different from its predecessors as it swaps out the Mexico beaches for a luxe Costa Rican villa and sees two generations of “Bachelor” alum dating simultaneously.
Marking the first season of “Bachelor in Paradise” to air after the “Bachelor” franchise launched its “Golden” iterations, the spinoff series will welcome past contestants from the “Golden Bachelor” and “Golden Bachelorette” alongside the younger alum from “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette.” The location switch-up and intergenerational romance are just some of the ways new showrunner Scott Teti, who will soon take over as showrunner for “The Bachelor” flagship series, hopes to give “fresh take” to the show while also holding true what fans can expect.
“I wanted to hold the core DNA of the show for the fans and for all the viewers and for the cast as well … but I wanted to try and come at it with a new angle and a new style,” Teti told TheWrap, adding the team used new cinematic lenses, high speed motion and drones that led to “sexy camera looks.” “That has translated into a new style of the way the show flows, looks, feels and [how] the cast come across as well.”
The move from Mexico to Costa Rica was decided before Teti, who previously executive produced Bravo’s “Summer House” and ABC’s “Claim to Fame,” came on board, but he applauded the swap for giving the show some welcome upgrades, from air-conditioned rooms to an expansive layout with a sprawling pool.
“It definitely took it out of one feel, and gave it … a little bit of an elevated, chic or modernistic paradise,” Teti said, noting the upgrades embodied the “paradise” mindset they hoped the cast could embrace. “The cameras were backed off, and they didn’t feel like they were really on a set as much as they were really in paradise.”
With the new villa, entrances of new cast members arriving later into the season will also look a bit different as Teti said new arrivals will be “coming in much different ways than you’ve ever seen, whether it’s by boat or by jet ski or Jeep.” “We really kind of gave them the ability to have fun with their entrances,” he said.
After the ratings success of “The Golden Bachelor,” one might think adding in some of the beloved “Golden” cast would seem to be a no-brainer, but Teti said the decision to incorporate the older franchise favorites was part of “an internal discussion that went back and forth.” “It’s a big move, and it was bold — it’s something that I wanted to embrace along with [the] network,” Teti said, adding that news of the Goldens’ addition immediately brought shock and questions from fans, who were quick to ask “how the hell is that gonna work?”
The second question asked amongst fans was, naturally, if there would be any romantic intermingling between the two generations — a possibility that Teti said the production team “didn’t really anticipate” would happen but prepared for in the event that it did.
“It was kind of this social experiment in a way of not really telling people you can’t do this, or you can’t do that,” Teti said. “The way they were brought in … guided them in a direction where they very much stayed in their own lanes, but it’s still Paradise, and anything can happen.”
While Teti remained tight-lipped about whether any romantic connections between the older and younger cast members did occur, he noted the combination brought camaraderie and friendship between the generations, with the Goldens frequently imparting life lessons to the younger cast. And, aside from their wisdom, the Goldens brought a youthful spirit that fit perfectly with the show, according to Teti.
“They partied hard,” Teti said. “They came in and were ready to do body shots and things like that. They got crazy, but all in a fun way.”
As the team filled the villa with alum from across “The Bachelor” franchise, Teti and EP Caitlin Stapleton played matchmaker ahead of time as they brought back some unexpected past contestants, from Dale Moss, who got engaged to former “Bachelorette” Clare Crawley early into Season 16 to “Bachelor in Paradise” Season 9 alum Kat Izzo and Justin Glaze.
“[Caitlin] got in there, like a scientist, and really did so much legwork ahead of time that the matches that took place over the season really were super organic and real,” Teti said. “I think we came out of this with much more love than anyone could have ever expected.”
Those connections are helped along by some chemistry tests this season, which enabled beach-goers to check out their compatibility with other contestants — an exercise Teti said was embraced equally by both generations. “It really brought about so much story that we didn’t even expect to get as much as we did,” Teti said. “The Goldens embraced it as much as the younger cast did … they just went on this ride together.”
Another new arrival to “Bachelor in Paradise” this season is former “Bachelorette” Hannah Brown, who joins in a new role dubbed head of paradise relations as she runs the newly created champagne room.
“She’s been through this, and she has found real love … [so] her honesty and her advice that she imparted on the cast was it really resonated in a real way,” Teti said. “She owned the part, and she was really there to help them when they needed good advice … or help spice up a date.”
Joining resident bartender Wells Adams, Brown functions in a similar way to Adams, according to Teti, with both of them there to lend an ear and impart advice to the beach-goers. “[Hannah] came in and got her feet wet early on, but then really embraced talking with the with the women, and really giving them sound advice,” Teti said, adding that Adams’ role is more layered this season.
“Wells not only does that, but he is really, really funny — we put him in interviews, and he gives his take on what the situation is with all the relationships and love triangles going on and whatever, and he adds his own spin to it,” Teti said.
“Bachelor in Paradise” Season 10 premieres Monday, July 7 at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC.
