ABC’s “Bachelor in Paradise” is in its fifth season and comprises past contestants from “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette.” Each week, either the men or women hold the power of the rose. If a contestant earns a rose, then he or she is allowed to stay in paradise. This past week, the men held the roses and four women went home.
To preface, two of the contenders, Tia and Colton, dated after Tia finished her season of the Bachelor and before Colton went onto the Bachelorette. Tia still carried a lot of feelings for Colton, while Colton was broken-hearted from his time on The Bachelorette with another woman. I felt the Tia and Colton situation started out fairly rocky because Colton wasn’t ready for a relationship and Tia was pressuring him. This episode was the first time when I didn’t want to shut off my TV. I think Bibi, who was seen on Arie’s season of The Bachelor, was right when she spoke to Colton: he needs to stop overthinking it and explore the feelings he does have.
This is the part of the show that I find brilliant. The contestants don’t have the time to flounder around. They have to dive deep into their feelings and make decisions based off of those emotions; however, I appreciated Raven, a former contestant on the show and close friend of Tia, being honest with Tia and encouraging her to ask the right questions. Overall, this situation seems to be heading in the right direction, but I am hoping to see other couples featured more on this show because it is starting to get old.
Once the Tia and Colton situation played out, it was good to start seeing other couples such as Kendall and Joe in action. However, I think Bachelor Nation can agree that seeing Kendall ditch Joe to go on a date with Leo was depressing. On TV, Leo comes off as a womanizer. It doesn’t help that before this episode aired, women came forward about Leo crossing boundaries and even sexually harassing them. I really find Kendall to be a great girl, so it is frustrating to watch her fall into Leo’s trap. His conversations with other women lend to the fact that he isn’t there to find his soulmate, he is there to hook up with different women. Team “Grocery Store Joe,” am I right?
The final plot line in this week’s episode was Jordan and Jenna. Jordan’s reaction to David’s birthday gift to Jenna was ridiculous. He threw the gift into the ocean, leaving the entire cast uncomfortable. At first, I thought it was a joke, so I laughed, but then he started using profane language with the other contestants and I was disappointed. I was starting to like Jordan and then his actions took a turn for the worse. In regards to Benoit, I think Jenna should have had a conversation with Jordan about the date before waltzing away with Benoit, purely out of respect for that relationship.
Overall, the series is entertaining as ever and worth the watch. I am excited to see the other relationships blossom or crash, and who will be the successful Paradise couple.
