Chris Harrison Says This Person Is To Blame For The BIP Fiasco

There's still a lot we don't know about the events that occurred during production of Bachelor In Paradise's fourth season. From our vantage point, the situation is complex and probably can't be reduced to the "fault" of a single person. According to Chris Harrison, though, the eye of the storm was a third party — not Corinne Olympios and not DeMario Jackson — who wasn't actually present when the events transpired.

In an appearance on Good Morning America, the longtime Bachelor host claimed, "Corinne and DeMario had very little to do with the entire incident, as far as, you know, filing a complaint or allegations against one another."

He added, "It was someone who really wasn't there and didn't see or hear anything that kind of got this ball rolling." To be clear, we still don't know who this person is, though from the sound of it Chris Harrison is alluding to the producer who filed the initial third party complaint.

"There were tears shed," Harrison said on GMA. "When you have three, four hundred people whose jobs are on the line. People that we bring on the show — there were allegations that these people's safety was put in jeopardy. Now, you're questioning people's loyalty, their integrity."

There's been a lot said about this controversy since it began in early June, especially from Harrison, who also co-executive produces the series. Ultimately, though, Harrison's opinion comes down to: It's not our fault, it's not a big deal, and I hope people trust us on this.

"There was never a need to see the actual footage [of the incident]," Harrison told The Hollywood Reporter in an extensive interview. "I think everyone has a decent idea of what it was and what happened, so there’s absolutely no reason to do that to anybody."

He continued, "There wasn't this big, dramatic and crazy bombshell that dropped. That’s the bizarre and kind of confusing and frustrating part for everybody, so that’s what I want everyone to see."

As for the "third party" person he mentioned on GMA, this is essentially the first Harrison has brought them up. He alluded to another party in the interview with THR, but didn't get specific.

"There’s such a gray area of what went down, who made complaints and all that, so I’m really looking forward to everyone being able to see and hear it for themselves," he said.

So, who did make a complaint? Apparently, they're the ones who forced Bachelor In Paradise to squeeze 18 days worth of footage into 10 days. (Harrison has said that due to the foreshortened schedule, the show will air a live finale. The finale will recap everything that's happened since the cameras shut off.) Only time and television will tell.