JJ Lane didn’t find love on Bachelor in Paradise last season, but he did shed the villain edit that he was given on Kaitlyn Bristowe’s season of the Bachelorette . Now that ABC has confirmed that Paradise will return for a third season on August 2, will the Denver-based single dad give reality TV another shot?
A confirmed cast list won’t be released until closer to the premiere date, but filming is expected to get underway in early June, similar to last season’s taping schedule. However, there are plenty of cast rumors circulating online and on Monday, JJ dropped a major hint on Instragram that he is headed back to the beachfront dramafest this summer.
“Getting ready for a little “tropical vacation” in a few weeks,” Lane captioned the photo above. “#DadBodsOfInstagram Monday morning routine: lifting and #310shake. Wanna try it? Get a free sample and shaker cup like mine at www.try310shake.com.”
Although the photo is clearly a product endorsement, his putting “tropical vacation” in quotes is a subliminal way of letting fans know that JJ will be back for a second round of Paradise drama, something he previously said he would only do if one of Ben Higgins’ ladies, Amanda Stanton joins the cast.
In February, Lane told the New York Post that if Amanda, a single mom of two girls, isn’t part of the Season 3 cast, he will walk away from the show. He went on to say that he is “retired” from reality TV, but will make an exception when it comes to Bachelor in Paradise , stressing that Amanda is the only reason he would even consider getting back in front of the cameras.
“I want to know that girl. I would go only for one reason. I would walk the f**k away if Amanda wasn’t there.”
Love at first sip! #drinkOXiGEN #WangoTango @ashleyiaco @amandastantonnn @SammiSteffen pic.twitter.com/ZurGRtFHU5
— OXiGEN™ (@f4oxigen) May 15, 2016
ABC tries its best to convince fans that the cast members don’t know who will show up in Paradise each week, but it’s obvious that most of them talk and know what they are signing up for.
Remember Samantha Steffen ? Both Nick Peterson and Joe Bailey claimed that they talked before going on the show, so it won’t be a big shocker if Amanda signs on the dotted line and goes on the same “tropical vacation” that JJ is headed to in a few weeks.
If JJ Lane does end up in Paradise to film the three week show this summer, there’s a good chance he will know many of his co-stars. There is speculation that Ashley Iaconetti, Jared Haibon, Carly Waddell , and Joe Bailey — who is also working on his “dad bod” — will return to the show to find love or suffer through another round of heartbreak.
Gotta be ready for BIP 3: Gimme That Rose https://t.co/DNLqae33Kn
— JJ Lane (@jjhlane) April 29, 2016
I’m at the gym, I know I know… It’s hard to believe. And my yoga pants are really tight #entertainer #fitness
— J O E. B A I L E Y. (@joebaileysego) April 29, 2016
Host Chris Harrison confirmed that Lace Morris (Ben’s season) will be part of the cast during the Women Tell All in March, but time will tell if she follows through. She’s been showing off her new boyfriend on SnapChat over the past few weeks — will she dump him to go on the show?
Other names circulating in the Bachelor in Paradise rumor mill include a few men from JoJo’s season, several girls from Ben’s season (Becca Tilley, Caila Quinn, twins Emily and Haley Ferguson, Lauren Himle, Jubilee Sharpe, Leah Block), and a few blasts from the past including Courtney Robertson ( Bachelor Ben Flajnik’s season) and Jef Holm ( Bachelorette Emily Maynard’s season).
Bachelor in Paradise premieres at 8 p.m. ET on August 2 on ABC.
[Image via ABC Television Network]