'Bachelor in Paradise' returns next week. Here's what you need to know about the new season.

People standing on a beach in beachwear.
The cast of "Bachelor in Paradise." Craig Sjodin/ABC/Getty Images
Advertisement

The season premiere of "Bachelor in Paradise" will air on Monday, August 16, after a two-year hiatus.

david spade kelsey bachelor in paradise
Guest host David Spade welcomes cast member Kelsey to paradise. Craig Sjodin/ABC/Getty Images

The seventh season of "Bachelor in Paradise" was put on hold last summer due to the coronavirus pandemic. While producers initially thought the show might be suspended, it was ultimately canceled and pushed to this year. 

The series started filming in June, in between Katie Thurston and Michelle Young's back-to-back seasons of "The Bachelorette."

The premiere will air on Monday, August 16, on ABC.

The "Bachelor in Paradise" drama will unfold at the Playa Escondida resort in Mexico once again.

Sayulita, Mexico
Sayulita, Mexico. Shutterstock

While there were concerns that coronavirus-related health and safety precautions could keep production in the United States, "Bachelor in Paradise" returned to the Playa Escondida resort in Sayulita, Mexico, where it has been filmed since the second season of the show.

Advertisement

For the first time, Chris Harrison will not host the spin-off. Instead, a series of celebrity guest hosts will appear in paradise.

bach hosts
David Spade, Lil Jon, and Tituss Burgess. Getty Images

Chris Harrison stepped down from his hosting roles on "The Bachelor," "The Bachelorette," and "Bachelor in Paradise" earlier this year.

In his place, ABC announced that a series of celebrity guest hosts would be appearing on "Bachelor in Paradise."

Among the guest hosts are David Spade, Lil Jon, Tituss Burgess, and Lance Bass.

Advertisement

Fan-favorite cast member Wells Adams will return as the series' resident bartender and will also oversee all rose ceremonies.

wells adams
Wells Adams. Nick Agro/E! Entertainment/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images

The Hollywood Reporter first broke the news that Adams, who appeared on JoJo Fletcher's season of "The Bachelorette" and is now engaged to "Modern Family" star Sarah Hyland, will be taking on a new role this season.

In addition to serving up margaritas for all of the Paradisians, Adams will serve as "master of ceremonies" at the rose ceremony eliminations. He will also guest host one of the episodes.

"Starts practicing 'This is the final drink of the..sorry, this is the final rose of the evening.' See ya on the beach!" Adams wrote in the caption of an Instagram post in June, confirming his new role.

Advertisement

Former cast members were reportedly "apprehensive" to sign up for the show after the franchise was immersed in controversy this year.

the bachelor matt james rachael
Rachael Kirkconnell and Matt James. Craig Sjodin/Getty Images

"They have put out several asks to 'Bachelor' veterans," one source told E! News in March. "Many people are declining due to the current state of Bachelor Nation. A lot of people are removing themselves from the franchise."

"The Bachelor" has come under fire in recent years for its lack of diversity. After all, in the 19 years that the show has been on the air, only three leads have been people of color.

However, things reached a boiling point in Matt James' season of "The Bachelor" when it was revealed his frontrunner Rachael Kirkconnell had attended an "Old South" party in college in 2018. She was photographed in a Civil War-era dress at a plantation-themed fraternity formal.

At the taping of the "After the Final Rose" special for James' season, Kirkconnell publicly apologized for the second time. They have since gotten back together.

After "Bachelor" host Chris Harrison appeared in an interview defending Kirkconnell's actions, he faced immediate backlash. He has since stepped down from his hosting role.

Ivan Hall, a fan-favorite cast member on Tayshia Adams' season, told E! in February that he wouldn't go on the show if Harrison was the host. 

"I wouldn't feel comfortable if Chris is there, to be quite frank," he said. "[I'm] not saying he can't make a recovery, can't learn from all of this, but, you know ... it would just be too soon, really."

Advertisement

However, the cast includes fan-favorites from past seasons and undoubtedly a few dramatic twists.

bachelor in paradise cast joe abigail ivan
Joe Amabile, Abigail Heringer, and Ivan Hall. Craig Sjodin/ABC/Getty Images

On July 8, the first round of cast members was released. However, more cast members will be added throughout the season. 

The cast includes Abigail Heringer, the show's first deaf contestant from Matt James' season; Brendan Morais, a finalist from Tayshia's season; Ivan Hall, another finalist from Tayshia's season; Joe Amabile, otherwise known as "Grocery Store Joe" who appeared on Becca's season and "Bachelor in Paradise;" Kelsey Weir, known for "champagne-gate" from Peter's season; both Serena C. and Serena P. from Matt's season, and more. 

Joe Park, an anesthesiologist who appeared on Clare Crawley and Tayshia Adams' joint season of "The Bachelorette" last year, also seems to be among the cast, according to how Rob Mills responded to a tweet about Park receiving his COVID-19 vaccine.

Mills shared Park's post on Twitter and added, "We've got ourselves a vaccinated Paradisian!!" 

Advertisement

Joe Amabile's ex Kendall Long will also be hitting the beach on the new season.

Kendall Long and Joe Amabile
Kendall Long and Joe Amabile in 2019. Michael Kovac/Getty Images

The couple met on the fifth season of "Bachelor in Paradise" and got engaged in August 2019. However, after the pair called it quits last year, Long has said "it would be so hard" to see Amabile find love in paradise, according to Us Weekly.

Reality Steve, who's known for his "Bachelor" spoilers, revealed that the former contestants would both be appearing on the beach again this summer, but it wasn't confirmed until a recent promo for the new season showed both of them struggling to deal with the other being in paradise.

As will fan-favorite cast member Demi Burnett, who got engaged on the previous season of "BiP."

demi burnett
Demi Burnett attends the Steve Irwin Gala Dinner at SLS Hotel on May 4, 2019. John Wolfsohn/Getty Images)

In a promo for the new season, Burnett is seen telling the cameras, "Those poor girls. I'm going to steal all their men."

Advertisement

Becca Kufrin is the first Bachelorette to make an appearance in paradise.

becca kufrin on bachelor in paradise
Becca Kufrin. ABC

Kufrin, who appeared on Arie Luyendyk's season of "The Bachelor," will make history as the first former Bachelor or Bachelorette to appear as a contestant on "Bachelor in Paradise."

Kufrin got engaged to Garrett Yrigoyen on the finale of her season of "The Bachelorette," but the pair called it quits in September 2020. 

"Garrett and I came to this decision after many conversations. It wasn't just something we just arrived at one night," Kufrin said in a statement, according to People. "It wasn't based solely off of one Instagram post or somebody else's opinions or comments. There's much more to it. To any relationship, there's a lot of layers. It's not for me to divulge details. It's no one's business other than what I'm telling you right now."

Advertisement
Close icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.