The scandal-plagued production of the U.S. series Bachelor in Paradise will now resume, after Warner Bros. executives reviewed the tapes of an alleged incident of sexual misconduct and determined that there was no evidence to support those allegations.
Leaks and reports from crew members suggested that an incident occurred between DeMario Jackson and Corinne Olympios in a hot tub, with allegations that Jackson had initiated sexual contact with Olympios while she was too incapacitated to properly consent. There was also the suggestion that the Bachelor in Paradise crew had allowed this happen, or not done enough to prevent it from happening.
Both Jackson and Olympios eventually spoke about the incident – with Olympios maintaining that “something bad” had taken place that night, and Jackson suggesting that video of the incident would prove he had not committed sexual assault.
Now the investigation has been completed, and a statement from Warner Bros. and the Bachelor in Paradise producers suggests that no evidence of misconduct were found on the video. It’s light on details as to how exactly they established this, but they have confirmed that the show will continue:
As we previously stated, we recently became aware of allegations regarding an incident on the set of Bachelor in Paradise in Mexico. We take all such allegations seriously. The safety, security and well-being of the cast and crew is our number one concern, and we suspended filming so that the allegations could be investigated immediately and thoroughly. Our internal investigation, conducted with the assistance of an outside law firm, has now been completed. Out of respect for the privacy interests of those involved, we do not intend to release the videotape of the incident. We can say, however, that the tape does not support any charge of misconduct by a cast member. Nor does the tape show, contrary to many press reports, that the safety of any cast member was ever in jeopardy. Production on this season of Bachelor in Paradise will be resuming, and we plan to implement certain changes to the show’s policies and procedures to enhance and further ensure the safety and security of all participants.
ABC, the network which intends to broadcast Bachelor in Paradise, confirmed in a statement to BuzzFeed that the results of the investigation meant that production will proceed.
“We appreciate the swift and complete investigation by Warner Bros. into allegations of misconduct on the set of Bachelor in Paradise,” the statement said. “Given their results, the series will resume production, and will air this summer on ABC.”
The show is set to be broadcast on August 8. We’ll keep you updated as this story develops.
