The biggest television controversy of the summer has surrounded Bachelor in Paradise. ICYMI, contestants Corinne Olympios and DeMario Jackson were involved in a sexual misconduct investigation, which found no evidence of misconduct. While the two did not return to continue filming after production resumed, they have both agreed to attend a reunion special.
There are still a lot of unanswered questions about what actually happened in Paradise, but we might finally get answers when Corinne and DeMario sit down for an interview with Bachelor in Paradise host Chris Harrison.
At the filming of The Bachelorette's Men Tell All special last week, Harrison teased Entertainment Tonight with details about the interview. “I don’t think it’ll be just part of the [BiP] reunion show. I’m going to sit down with DeMario and Corinne as part of a sit-down talk with the two of them."
Harrison went on to talk about the controversy surrounding the reality stars, which caused production to shut down. “First and foremost, I think a lot of people—some people on social media reached out and said we were tone deaf,” he explained. “And I need people to step back a little bit, wait and watch. All will be explained. Trust me. Have I left you guys hanging before in 16 years? No.”
"I need people to understand this was not a black-and-white, cut-and-dry issue," Chris continued. "It’s really—there’s a lot of layers to it. It was very confusing. I went through it and it was confusing. So, trust me. It needs to all play out.”
Bachelorette contestant Dean Unglert, who will appear on the new season of BiP, chimed in. “[BiP] did kind of glorify [the scandal] a little bit and build it up a little bit, but I don’t know,” he said. “The time on Paradise spent wasn’t really focused on the scandal from a cast member perspective. And I’m sure that the show will handle it applicably from there. So, I won’t put too much weight into it.”
No news yet on when Corinne and DeMario's interview will air, but Bachelor in Paradise premieres August 14.