The upcoming season of ABC’s Bachelor in Paradise may turn out to have the best cast in the history of the show. The summer reality series doesn’t premiere until August 2 — just one day after Bachelorette JoJo Fletcher hands out her final rose — but several Paradise cast members have already arrived in Mexico to start filming. [Spoilers ahead]
If the news that Bachelorette villain Chad Johnson headed to Paradise over the weekend isn’t enough to pique your interest, perhaps the addition of twice rejected Bachelorette contestant Nick Viall to the cast will have you canceling all of your Monday night plans this August.
According to a previous report from the Inquisitr , Chad Johnson was photographed at the Houston airport on Saturday waiting for board his flight to Mexico to get the Paradise party started.
The addition of Chad to the ParadiseSeason 3 cast (JoJo sends him home on Episode 4) shouldn’t come as a big surprise to fans who read Bachelorettespoilers. But Reality Steve ‘s announcement on Monday that Nick Viall is heading to Paradisecertainly took the spotlight off of the Chad-meister.
(BACHELOR IN PARADISE SPOILER): Batten down the hatches, he’s going to infiltrate your TV once again. Nick Viall is on BIP. God help us.
— RealitySteve (@RealitySteve) June 6, 2016
@RealitySteve Best news ever!!! Can we just skip JoJo’s season and get straight to BIP already?
— Ann Knopp (@ann_k10) June 6, 2016
After making it to the final two only to get dumped by both Bachelorette Andi Dorfman and Kaitlyn Bristowe’s seasons, fans assumed that Viall was all done with trying to find love on TV — maybe the third time is a charm?
According to WetPaint , Nick has spent the better part of the last year modeling for Wilhelmina International and has made it his job to show off his abs on a regular basis to his Snapchat and Instagram followers. Now he has another job — flirting it up with the ladies who will flock to him in Paradise.
ABC has yet to confirm that Chad and Nick are officially part of the cast, but Reality Steve is confident that his cast spoilers are accurate. Prior to Us Weekly ‘s report that Amanda Stanton and twins Emily and Haley Ferguson (Ben Higgins’ season) would be joining the cast, Steve had already revealed their names as potential contestants on the show.
Who else will be joining Chad, Nick, Amanda, and the Ferguson twins in Paradise ? Steve states that filming starts early this week, so several of the core cast members are already at the Playa Escondida Resort in Sayulita, Mexico prepping for the drama-fest.
Fans can expect more of Ben’s ladies, several guys from JoJo Fletcher’s season of the Bachelorette , and a few familiar faces from the growing Bachelor family.
Here’s the list of rumored contestants who may be part of the premiere cast or will show up in future episodes.
JoJo’s season: In addition to Chad, fans may see Christian Bishop, Derek Peth, Grant Kemp, James Taylor, Vincent Ventiera, Evan Bass, and Wells Adams.
Ben’s season: Jubilee Sharpe, Leah Block, Izzy Goodkind, Jennifer Saviano, Jami Letain, and Lauren Himle are on the rumored list. Amanda Stanton and the Ferguson twins have has been confirmed. Reality Steve states that Caila Quinn is not doing the show, and Olivia Caridi recently told Courtney Robertson that it’s a no-go as far as Paradise is concerned.
There is speculation that fans will see some or all of the following Bachelor in Paradisestars — Ashley Iaconetti, JJ Lane, Joe Bailey, Jared Haibon, and Carly Waddell— show up throughout the season.
There has also been a buzz about Andi Dorfman’s ex, Josh Murray , joining the show along with Bachelorette Emily Maynard’s ex, Jef Holm, but until ABC releases the official cast list, we won’t know for sure.
Are you excited to see Nick Viall on Bachelor in Paradise or do you think it’s time for him to retire from reality TV?
Chad Johnson Filming ‘Bachelor In Paradise,’ Heads To Mexico With Three Of Ben Higgins’ Ladies
Bachelor in Paradise premieres on Tuesday, August 2 at 8 p.m., followed by a two-night schedule for the remainder of the season with the remaining episodes will air from 8 – 10 p.m. on Monday nights and from 8 – 9 p.m. on Tuesday nights.
The live After Paradise show will air for one hour starting at 9 p.m. every Tuesday night from Week 2 until the season finale.
[Image via Nick Viall Instagram]