Another round of love by the sea. Bachelor in Paradise is coming back for season 8, but this time there will be a few changes.
While season 7 featured a rotating slate of guest hosts including Lil Jon, Lance Bass and David Spade after Chris Harrison‘s June 2021 departure from the franchise, the new episodes will have just one emcee: Jesse Palmer.
ABC confirmed the news in May 2022 after previously announcing that the former NFL player would also host Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia‘s season of The Bachelorette. Palmer, who led season 5 of The Bachelor in 2004, replaced guest hosts Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe, who helmed seasons 17 and 18 of The Bachelorette last year.
Some Bachelor in Paradise alums were hoping that Wells Adams would get the gig, but instead he’ll return in his role as bartender. “Wells was more interactive with all of us than the host was just because he was there every day at the bar,” Kendall Long said during a May 2022 episode of Us Weekly‘s “Here for the Right Reasons” podcast. “And he really had a sort of host role in talking about actual, real emotions, giving advice.”
Tammy Ly, who appeared on season 7 with Kendall, agreed with her former costar. “Wells should just be the permanent host,” she told Us in May 2022. “I think he’s killer. He has great commentary. He’s funny. He’s also sympathetic and, like, really relatable.”
Aside from the host, ABC hasn’t announced any other casting news for the show’s upcoming season, but the network’s entertainment president Craig Erwich hinted that the potential contestants will be able to live up to the hype.
“When I think of some of the people they have in mind to come back for Bachelor in Paradise, I think it’s going to continue to be a very watched and very discussed block of programming on Mondays and Tuesdays,” he said during ABC’s Upfront presentation in May 2022.
Season 8 is set to tape in the summer, meaning that it’s likely some of the cast-offs from Gabby and Rachel’s upcoming season could end up on the beach. Filming for their joint season 19 began in March 2022 with a premiere date set for July 11, 2022.
There’s also a possibility that some of the contestants from Michelle Young‘s season of The Bachelorette could make an appearance. Fan favorite Rodney Mathews, for example, has hinted that he’d be willing to head to Mexico to find love.
“I don’t want to give a hard yes or no,” he told Us in March 2022. “I’m always open to [love]. I’m really hoping to find it. I think have a weird feeling, I feel like this is my year. I’m going to speak it into existence, manifest it.”
Keep scrolling for more details on season 8 of Bachelor in Paradise.