Well, Bachelor in Paradise has bounced back after all.
Warner Bros. confirmed yesterday that production would resume, just weeks after the show was shut down in the wake of what appeared to be a disastrous turn of events for the series—an internal investigation into possible misconduct during filming.
"The safety, security and well-being of the cast and crew is our number one concern, and we suspended filming so that the allegations could be investigated immediately and thoroughly," Warner Bros. said in a statement. "Our internal investigation, conducted with the assistance of an outside law firm, has now been completed. Out of respect for the privacy interests of those involved, we do not intend to release the videotape of the incident. We can say, however, that the tape does not support any charge of misconduct by a cast member. Nor does the tape show, contrary to many press reports, that the safety of any cast member was ever in jeopardy."
Yet the details of what really transpired between the parties involved—DeMario Jackson and Corinne Olympios—remain a case of he said, she said, as lawyers have been hired and unanswered questions persist. Corinne's legal team has vowed to press on with its own investigation.
"I am a victim and have spent the last week trying to make sense of what happened on June 4," Olympios said in a statement a week ago, her first public comment after production was suspended. "Although I have little memory of that night, something bad obviously took place, which I understand is why production on the show has now been suspended and a producer on the show has filed a complaint against the production."
Jackson, meanwhile, said that his character has been "assassinated" by "false claims and malicious allegations." He told Inside Edition that he'd been fired from his job as an executive recruiter. "I don't blame anyone right now. All I want is the tapes," he said.
Olympios' attorney, Marty Singer, told E! News yesterday that it came as "no surprise" that Warner Bros.' investigation came up empty.
"It needs to be made crystal clear that production of Bachelor in Paradise was shut down because of multiple complaints received from BIP producers and crew members on the set," Singer said. "It was not shut down due to any complaint filed by Corinne against anyone."
An insider also told E! News that Olympios didn't file a complaint or otherwise demand production be shut down—and that she didn't even know for two days that a producer had filed a complaint. That being said, "there is no way she is going back," the source added.
To the casual observer, it certainly seemed as if this season—if not the entire show and the find-romance-in-paradise premise it's based on—was in danger of being shut down for good. Why would anyone want to go back?
Heck, even to the uncasual observer. Multiple sources were saying that production wasn't likely to resume anytime soon, or was canceled entirely, and another insider told People that the Mexican Tourism Board, which helps pay for the show, probably wouldn't want to be linked to any further negative publicity. Seasons two and three took place at the picturesque Playa Escondida Resort in Sayulita.
"Was sad leaving Puerto Vallarta BUT THEN this happened at the airport!!" an apparent fan, who happened upon some of the cast as they were leaving town en masse on June 11, captioned a group shot on Instagram.
But it became quickly apparent after news of the production shutdown first broke that other cast members past and present were sorely disappointed. And not just Evan Bass and Carly Waddell, who fell in love during season three and returned to Mexico to tie the knot over this past weekend.
What initially seemed like a ripe time to blow the lid off of what many assumed to be the hotbed of booze and sex and producer-devised shenanigans that seemingly constitute the Bachelor franchise in general, mainly turned into an opportunity for those who had perfectly fine experiences on the show to chime in.
"I feel bad for everyone involved... cast and crew... and that people aren't going to be able to enjoy an experience that meant so much to us," tweeted Tanner Tolbert, who married season two cast mate Jade Roper in January 2016. They're currently expecting their first child together.
"I remember the days when the worst things that happened in paradise were fire ants and raccoons," added second season alum Clare Crawley. "I hope everything is ok!"
"Sad to see #BachelorInParadise is possibly cancelled. Roses must be dead," quipped Lacy Faddoul, who was briefly engaged to co-star Marcus Grodd.
Not all of the immediate reactions were sympathetic. Leah Block, who was eliminated in the first week of season three, tweeted, "Just shows everyone how trashy that show is & how trashy the producers are to think it's ok to film sexual activity on an ABC SHOW. #garbage." She continued, "All of these contestants (including myself) are supposed to trust these producers who we all think are our 'friends'. Yeah...definitely not."
"But we are grown ass adults at the end of the day...Which is why you will all be just fine."
Robby Hayes was the first member of the current cast (or at least the original season four cast, as ABC hasn't announced who is returning in the wake of the scandal) to publicly speak out: "What happens in paradise, stays in paradise. #NoComment."
Which, when everyone in the dark and imaginations were running wild, was perceived as a pretty callous thing to tweet.
And still, the reality of the situation remains murky. (Hence it remains a callous thing to tweet.)
"We were told to stay in a certain part of the [resort] while they figured out what the hell had happened," an unnamed contestant told People right after the production shutdown. "We knew something bad had happened; there was a dark energy that came around the house. You have to understand that we weren't even there a week. The game hadn't even really begun yet."
"They stopped taping anything, and we were just kind of there, waiting in limbo. We couldn't talk to each other about what we knew. On Thursday, one of the camera guys told me that they were probably going to shut down production. I didn't realize that it was that serious until then. I was like, 'Wait, they're thinking of canceling the show?' It hadn't even crossed my mind that they'd do that."
Meanwhile, it hadn't crossed anyone's mind since then that they'd actually resume filming.
"We're pissed that this whole thing happened," the aforementioned contestant also said. "They could have stopped this before it got this far."
So how did this all get wrapped up sufficiently enough in time to save the season? And why?
"See you on the beach!!!" was all creator Mike Fleiss tweeted. "summer 2017 is back," wrote season four cast member Kristina Schulman.
At the end of the day, the value of the publicity, as negative as it seemed at first, probably could not be ignored. Who isn't at least curious about what ABC and Warner Bros. will do with this season now? Who doesn't want to watch?
And perhaps, though the news that something bad had allegedly occurred on a show that does its best to foster romance among its contestants did not come as a complete shock, the overall environment on set isn't really as unseemly as one might think.
"The cast is not encouraged or forced to engage in any behaviors or to drink alcohol," season four cast member Jasmine Goode told E! News last week. "Producers check in to make sure the cast is comfortable and accommodate to the needs requested." Jasmine contends that Corinne "forced herself on three male cast members, when they were unable to consent, in addition to engaging with DeMario," and expressed her displeasure when producers tried to "cut her off from drinking."
A source told E! that Corinne and Jasmine were friends from The Bachelor and "their friendship was fine until Jasmine found out production was suspended." Moreover, the source said, Corinne "may have been flirty but did not force herself sexually on anyone."
Of course contracts are signed and certain discreet behavior is expected of contestants both during and after the show, as events taped months ago unfold in prime-time, as they do on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette.
But aside from the relationship-centric drama that is this franchise's bread and butter, there has been no big blow-up to date over what really happens on Bachelor in Paradise.
"The cast spends all day together and you get to know one another very well quickly," Carly Waddell's ex Kirk DeWindt described his experience on season two to The Ashley in 2015. "The group of guys (and girls) were great and no matter what the show may have portrayed of some of the cast, there really were stand-up people there."
As for their typical day-to-day, he continued: "We sat around. A lot. And bulls--t. A lot. We would swim in the pool and the ocean a good bit, lay by the pool and the ocean, and drink fruity 'Paradise' drinks. We also had a bocce ball set that we abused daily which was good fun. Dan [Cox], Mikey [Tenerelli] and I would get a workout in everyday which was part of our routine as well. Mostly we ate, drank, and were lazy."
"I'm happy that I did it," Lauren Himle concluded after the season three finale aired. She told Glamour in September, "Paradise is crazy. It's so dramatic. I was there for just a short period of time, and I'm already like, 'Oh my gosh, I'm ready to go home and get back to a normal life.'"
Jared Haibon, who appeared on seasons two and three, told Glamour it was a one-of-a-kind experience—so why not do it twice?
"You know, I was looking ahead and realized that if I said no to this experience, I also knew this might be my last opportunity to have an experience like this," he said.
And then newlywed Evan Bass offered up a most heartfelt defense of the show in a guest column for The Hollywood Reporter, writing, "While to some it's a silly TV show, for me, it was an experience that changed my life in unimaginable ways. I am troubled thinking about the allegations happening on my favorite beach, and I'm sad that some couples will not have the opportunity to find love in a powerful and unique way. Let me reiterate by saying that I do not want to downplay the seriousness of this very difficult situation. My heart goes out to Corinne and everyone negatively affected by this. I pray for peace and healing to begin and personal growth for all. And Paradise must come back, if not this season, then next season."
And here we thought everyone involved had just experienced their final opportunity to find love "in a powerful and unique way." But season four of Bachelor in Paradise will go on.
"Production on this season of Bachelor in Paradise will be resuming," Warner Bros. concluded its statement Tuesday, "and we plan to implement certain changes to the show's policies and procedures to enhance and further ensure the safety and security of all participants."
It's a shame something so upsetting had to happen to make Paradise a safer place. Here's hoping everyone involved in the production—in front of and behind the camera, as well as those hundreds of miles away at their desks—are really determined to make their show less of a guilty pleasure than it looks.