Lovers of reality TV watched as this year's star of "The Bachelorette," Joelle Fletcher, gave her final rose to Jordan Rodgers, the brother of Greenbay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
And while the ending to that show was predictable, eager fans couldn't wait to wrap up the season and tune into the show's late summer guilty pleasure, "Bachelor in Paradise."
Unless you're a card-carrying member of Bachelor Nation, however, you may be wondering what "Bachelor in Paradise" even is and how it differs from its sister shows, "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette."
To sum up? There are more couples, more roses, and there's a lot more drama. Keep reading to become a "Bachelor in Paradise" expert.
The "Bachelor in Paradise" is the perfect filler between "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette."
"Bachelor in Paradise" is the show that airs when "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" are in the off-season. Now in its third season, "Bachelor in Paradise" gathers 16 beautiful singles who have appeared on past seasons of its sister shows, but who were ultimately dumped.
Basically, it gives these former "Bachelor" cast members the opportunity to come back on the show to "find love"— not to mention stretch their 15 minutes of fame. Plus, it's set on a beautiful Mexican resort where there are ample opportunities to watch the cast drink, tan, and make out.
"Bachelor in Paradise" has a lot of couples and a whole lot of drama.
Unlike on "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette," the men and women all have equal opportunities to give one another roses.
During the first night, there are more men than women and each man gives a rose to the woman he most wants to get to know. The two women without roses are then asked to leave the island BUT are replaced immediately by two men so that the men outnumber the women. The next episode, it's the women's turn to choose the men they want to get to know better, and so on until the end of the seven-week season.
Because the show's producers are evil geniuses, they know exactly when to bring on a new contestant that could break up a seemingly strong couple. ABC calls it a "constant love shuffle," and that's a nice way of a saying it's a booze-induced sh-- show as people break up, make up, and fall in love.
Still not sold? It's LEAGUES better than its sister shows.
I'm a huge fan of "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette," but for a show dedicated to one man or woman dating a ton of other people, it takes itself way too seriously by pretending it's all about love instead of the ratings and drama it courts.
"Bachelor in Paradise," on the other hand, knows exactly what it is — a fun reality show — and doesn't really pretend otherwise. Sure, people get engaged at the end, but from the editing of the cast members paired with cheesy shots of animals to the lame opening credits that are reminiscent of "Gilligan's Island," the whole thing is campier, funnier, and way less stodgy.
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