The Ugly Truth About The Bachelor In Paradise Scandal

On June 11, 2017, millions of fans of the Bachelor franchise were shocked by news that Warner Brothers had halted production on the popular spinoff Bachelor in Paradise amid "allegations of misconduct." 

The statement, which also revealed an investigation was ongoing, was alarmingly vague, leaving the Internet to try and piece together what the heck actually happened. Here's what we know so far.

TMZ immediately linked the scandal to contestants Corinne Olympios, who had competed on Nick Viall's season of The Bachelor, and DeMario Jackson, who had appeared on the most recent season of The Bachelorette. 

According to sources close to Jackson, Jackson and Olympios had been told by producers on the first day of filming (Sunday, June 4th, 2017) that one of the storylines this season would feature the two of them hooking up. From there, sources alleged that Jackson and Olympios began drinking heavily at the bar, during which Olympios "jumped in his lap and started making out with him" and that there was a lot of "intense rubbing." Afterwards, Olympios allegedly asked to take things to the pool, where things allegedly began to get more sexual; however, Jackson reportedly said "he was not able to engage in intercourse because of the alcohol."

His version of the story goes on to allege that he and Olympios were fine the next day and that it wasn't until Tuesday when Warner Brothers notified them that a producer had filed a complaint about their encounter on Sunday. TMZ says that Jackson and Olympios were released immediately, while the rest of the cast was released two days later.

TMZ also noted that there were "other versions of what happened that differ from DeMario's."

Hours after its initial story broke, TMZ reported that the producer who filed the complaint felt that Olympios may have been sexually assaulted in the swimming pool because she "seemed so drunk ... she had no ability to consent to DeMario Jackson's sexual moves." 

Sources claimed that the producer, a female, had been assigned to shadow Olympios and later "began hearing stories from people on the set that Corinne was so drunk she had no idea what was going on in the pool." TMZ noted that while the producer has not seen the filmed footage of the incident, it is yet to be determined whether she actually witnessed it in person.

Complicating the matter further were sources who had, in fact, seen the footage and claimed to TMZ that Olympios seemed "fully engaged." 

A few hours after publishing its second report, TMZ followed up with Olympios' side of the story. According to sources close to the reality contestant, Olympios claimed she was "blackout drunk" the night of the pool incident and blamed producers "for not pulling the plug and protecting her."

Her story alleged that she was informed of what had happened the next day by various cast members. These cast members allegedly also told Olympios that they had tried to warn producers about Olympios' condition but that producers had done nothing to stop the events from unfolding. Olympios also told friends that she has a boyfriend and wouldn't have done this had she not been so drunk.

According to a subsequent report by TMZ, witnesses claimed that two hours after the incident, Olympios "was stumbling drunk, eyes closed, slurring badly and wearing her clothes inside out."

Sources for the production, meanwhile, told TMZ that nobody complained to them.

As speculation about the investigation grew, sources for People magazine confirmed that it would remain internal. "There are no authorities involved, no law enforcement but the incident was flagged internally and they take these matter seriously, so they're looking into it."

The source was also quick to note that because of the investigation, "Bachelor in Paradise will not be resuming — this summer at least." That allegation was later disputed (but more on that later).

According to one of the contestants on the show, the rest of the cast was put on lockdown on Tuesday, June 6th (aka the day Jackson and Olympios were informed of the complaint), meaning they were not allowed to speak to anyone else and were subjected to constant monitoring by producers. 

"We were told to stay in a certain part of the [resort] while they figured out what the hell had happened," the contestant, who asked to remain anonymous, told People. "We knew something bad had happened; there was a dark energy that came around the house. You have to understand that we weren't even there a week. The game hadn't even really begun yet." 

"They stopped taping anything, and we were just kind of there, waiting in limbo," the contestant continues. "We couldn't talk to each other about what we knew. On Thursday, one of the camera guys told me that they were probably going to shut down production. I didn't realize that it was that serious until then. I was like, 'wait, they're thinking of canceling the show?' It hadn't even crossed my mind that they'd do that."

They were informed that production had been halted the following day by producers, one of whom was reportedly in tears. "We're pissed that this whole thing happened," the contestant said. "They could have stopped this before it got this far."

For what it's worth, a source told Entertainment Tonight that things are OK between Jackson and Olympios following the incident. "DeMario was trying to reach Corinne via email, Instagram and Facebook for a few days," the source said. "Finally, [he] got a hold of her, they exchanged numbers and they've been talking. They are both speaking and on good terms."

After a few days' silence, Olympios released a statement late Wednesday, June 14th, 2017, in which she flat-out referred to herself as a "victim."

"I am a victim and have spent the last week trying to make sense of what happened on June 4," she said (via CNNMoney). "Although I have little memory of that night, something bad obviously took place, which I understand is why production on the show has now been suspended and a producer on the show has filed a complaint against the production."

Jackson, meanwhile—who was photographed hanging out with friends on the night of Tuesday, June 13th, 2017—also released a statement via his publicist. "It's unfortunate that my character and family name has [sic] been assassinated this past week with false claims and malicious allegations," he said. "I will be taking swift and appropriate legal action until my name is cleared and, per the advice of legal counsel, will be seeking all available remedies entitled to me under the laws." 

Additionally, a few conflicting reports popped up regarding whether he had gotten fired from his job as a recruiting consultant before or after the scandal broke.

On Tuesday, June 20th, 2017, TMZ reported that Warner Brothers had concluded its internal investigation and determined that no sexual assault had occurred during filming. The report added that Jackson's "lawyer met with Warner Bros. lawyers [on Monday June 19th, 2017], reviewed the tapes and assured him he was in the clear."

Curiously enough, TMZ added that the show will resume production at the same place in Mexico and will still air this summer. As for the footage from the pool? Not a chance.