A new report claims the misconduct that shut down production of Bachelor In Paradise allegedly occurred "without the proper consent having been given." According to People, filming of season 4 was suspended after contestant DeMario Jackson, who was also a contestant on this season's Bachelorette, was allegedly filmed having a sexual encounter with a female contestant who may have been too drunk to consent.
People reportedly spoke to an unnamed "source within the show" who said that Bachelor In Paradise "absolutely values the primacy of consent, and this instance it appears as though conduct allegedly occurred without the proper consent having been given.” The show is reportedly conducting a "thorough investigation" into the incident. People reported that it is unclear whether police have been notified in the incident, which took place in Sayulita, Mexico.
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All members of this season's Bachelor In Paradise cast have departed from the Mexico resort where the show was being filmed, according to blogger Reality Steve, and have been flown to Houston, Texas.
People reported that one contestant from this season said that two other contestants witnessed the interaction in question. This unidentified contestant who spoke with People also said that the cast is upset with the crew members because they could have done more to stop this from happening.
“People are pissed, and not just at DeMario. We’re pissed that this whole thing happened,” the contestant told the magazine. “They could have seen that she was drinking too much and that he was taking advantage. They could have stopped this before it got this far. But they decided to let it go, and let it happen, and see what happened? So, I’m angry at the show, and everyone else is too.”
People did not name the female contestant in question because she could be a victim of sexual assault. But shortly after it was announced that filming of season 4 had been suspended, Los Angeles Times film writer Amy Kaufman reported that a source told her that Jackson and Corinne Olympios, who last appeared on last season of The Bachelor, got extremely drunk on the first day of production on June 4. The two then reportedly headed to the pool where things quickly escalated to "soft core porn," although this source claimed the two didn't have sex. Kaufman's source said that the incident led one producer to "sue the production for misconduct" in the workplace.
Warner Bros. released a statement to Refinery29 explaining that they have "become aware of allegations of misconduct on the set of Bachelor in Paradise in Mexico. We have suspended production and we are conducting a thorough investigation of these allegations. Once the investigation is complete, we will take appropriate responsive action."
Refinery29 has reached out to Bachelor in Paradise host Chris Harrison for comment, but has yet to hear back.