Fans may have missed a season of Bachelor in Paradise last summer, but now ABC is making the reality series a priority for the upcoming season.
The reality dating series began in 2014 down at the beach in Mexico. From the show several couple have not only gone one to have serious relationships, but some have even gone on to tie the knot on the show. BIP has become the most successful show in terms of lasting relationships form the Bachelor franchise.
According to a news report from Variety, ABC executives are very confident about the reality series returning this summer. Last summer, BIP was unable to film due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that has swept the nation. Even the number of daily cases have been going up, the network is “hell-bent” on bringing the show back as early as this summer, according to The Daily Mail. While the show is usually filmed at a resort in Mexico, the network is unsure about where season 7 will be taking place. Rob Mills, the senior vice president at ABC Entertainment, admitted he and production are “figuring out how we make Paradise work” for this summer. “Unless something horrendous happens, I feel very confident that Paradise is coming back on this summer — how and where it’s going to be, it’s still to early to tell,” he added. Filming in Mexico may be not be possible for this year due to traveling restriction, but the network is open to creating a bubble for the cast.
The network was able to film both The Bachelor and The Bachelorette in resorts where the whole cast and crew lived and quarantined throughout the production. Mills and production have been thinking of different possible scenarios of how they can make BIP work. However, if there are vaccinations available, he is hoping they can film in Mexico. “Obviously, we don’t want producers and cast members to be getting vaccinated early just for the show, but if people can get vaccinated, then maybe we’re back in Mexico. If not, maybe there is a bubble situation in Mexico,” he continued. In addition to making BIP a priority this years, Mills is also looking into the new senior citizen-themed spin-off, which they put out a casting call for last year. “The other thing we want to get serious about revisiting is the older ‘Bachelor’ spinoff. We’re actively working on making it happen,” he added. ABC has insisted the show is still happening, but there will be one change to the senior citizen spin-off: the hometown will consist of meeting their kids rather than their parents. Mills hopes to begin filming the new spin-off in the fall of this year somewhere between filming of The Bachelor and BIP.
The new season of BIP will likely be filming between June and July of this year.
Sources: Variety, The Daily Mail
