Joe Bailey can’t seem to escape his villain edit on Bachelor in Paradise, and the mean tweets are about to go from bad to worse when the fifth episode of ABC’s summer reality show airs on Sunday night.
Fans started bashing Joe on social media almost immediately after he arrived in Paradise last week, attacking his character on Twitter and Instagram just weeks after host Chris Harrison berated fans for bullying Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe on social media.
BRB driving to KY to slash @joebaileysego new set of tires #BachelorNation
— Fiona Anne (@thefeeohnuh) August 14, 2015
While some fans realize that the show is notorious for giving certain contestants an unflattering edit , there are others who have lashed out at Joe with total disregard for the fact that producers create the show with drama in mind — “finding love” certainly seems to be an afterthought. After all, it’s all about ratings.
Tweets and Instagram comments telling Bailey to “die” or “go to h**l” are never okay, but Joe seems to be fielding them as best he can with little or no support from his co-stars or the show’s producers. He has been responding to fans on social media with honest answers and some understandable sarcasm, but viewers won’t let up.
Joe Bailey is psycho. Sick twisted douchebag! He will get what he deserves in the days to come! #BachelorInParadise — amy johnson (@amyjohnson519) August 11, 2015
Cyber-bullying was front and center on Katilyn’s season of the Bachelorette , but it seems to be falling on deaf ears now. Joe is getting zero support from the show’s creator Mike Fleiss and host Chris Harrison who called Bailey “one of the most deceptive players to hit the beach on Paradise.”
@joebaileysego …. @ABCNetwork is antibullying for @kaitlynbristowe but their edit welcomes threats!! @chrisbharrison @theyearofelan
— Scott McDougall (@EScottMcDougall) August 14, 2015
Responding to his critics on Instagram, Joe admits that he is “human,” but states that there are “two sides to every story.” He points out that only the two guys (Jonathan and Mikey) who were on the “chopping block” last week were the only cast members who went to Juelia and trash-talked him — an obvious move to save themselves from elimination. Mikey went so far as to try to force a kiss on Juelia, but very few fans called him out for his desperate move.
“Yes I did lash out and say some disturbing things I didn’t mean I’m human but their are 2 sides to every story. Why is it that the 2 guys on the chopping block told Julia?… Cause no one really cares until their ass is going home… it makes for more dramatic TV, it creates more hate towards me.”
When Juelia Kinney ditched Johnathan Holloway to go out on a date with Joe last week, viewers didn’t bash her for leading Jonathan during the first few episodes of the show. However, when Joe made it clear that he was biding his time until Samantha Steffen arrives on the show, the social media trolls came out en masse.
“That show gives me to much credit as a manipulator. I don’t believe in karma, but I do believe in going after what you want in life and not bashing someone behind social media.”
How did this happen? Clearly there’s plenty of editing going on behind the scenes. Joe was a prime candidate for the villain role on Bachelor in Paradise because he isn’t afraid to speak his mind. In the eyes of viewers, the spliced together moments and producer-prompted conversations all make Joe Bailey look like the baddest of the “Bad-chelors” in the history of the show.
“That show gives me to much credit as a manipulator. I don’t believe in karma, but I do believe in going after what you want in life and not bashing someone behind social media.”
Even if Joe Bailey did say (or was prompted to say) some things that weren’t appropriate, fans should remember that the show was created for entertainment and without a villain, the ratings would tank.
Much like Bachelorette contestants Ian Thomson and JJ Lane , producer manipulation may put an otherwise “nice guy” in a very bad light. Perhaps fans should keep that in mind and cut Joe Bailey some slack on Bachelor in Paradise .
[Image: Joe Bailey/Instagram]