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Bachelor in Paradise returned for its highly anticipated tenth season on Monday, July 7, on ABC. After a brief hiatus, the series is back with a revamped format and several new elements intended to bring both drama and romance to its tropical location in Costa Rica.
One of the season’s biggest surprises is the inclusion of 12 contestants from the Golden Bachelor and Golden Bachelorette seasons — a franchise first. Alongside these cross-generational twists, there are new rules, competitive games, and even a teased $500,000 prize, making Bachelor in Paradise Season 10 a unique blend of dating shows and game shows.
Among the early developments, longtime host Jesse Palmer, 45, told Decider in an interview published on July 2 that the unpredictable nature of Season 10 kept even the hosts guessing.
“There’s so many new things, you don’t really know what to expect,” Palmer said.
In addition to Jesse, Hannah Brown, and Adam Wells also return, with Wells reprising his familiar role as bartender.
Key details about season 10 of Bachelor in Paradise
Bachelor in Paradise Season 10 introduces several major changes. First, the cast features 16 initial contestants from previous seasons of The Bachelor and “The Bachelorette” — six women and 10 men.
They include Alexe Godin, Bailey Brown, Jess Edwards, Kat Izzo, Lexi Young, Zoe McGrady, Brian Autz, Dale Moss, Hakeem Moulton, Jeremy Simon, Jonathon Johnson, Justin Glaze, Kyle Howard, Riquerdy “Ricky” Marinez, Sam McKinney, and Spencer Conley.
The season also brings in “Golden” alumni such as April Kirkwood, Charles “CK” King, Jack Lencioni, Kathy Swarts, Keith Gordon, Kim Buike, Leslie Fhima, Natascha Hardee, Ralph “RJ” Johnson, and Gary Levingston. Reality Steve further reported that Faith Martin and Nancy Hulkower will enter the villa later, around the third rose ceremony.
Another big twist: according to Reality Steve, no new contestants will join after the fourth rose ceremony. This change is expected to increase pressure on the couples, as there will be fewer shake-ups in later episodes. It also means viewers will watch the same contestants navigate relationships for a longer stretch, potentially deepening both connections and rivalries.
Jesse Palmer teases major twists
On July 2, Jesse Palmer spoke to Decider about how the new format was also a surprise to the hosting team. “We were finding out as everybody else was finding out,” he said, explaining that he, Hannah Brown, and Wells Adams often watched events unfold in the control room.
“We spent a lot of time in the control room together watching everything unfold and would meet at my palapa and have drinks after to digest everything that we just saw.”
Palmer also discussed the addition of game-like challenges. During a July 7 interview with Us Weekly, he confirmed that Season 10 adds activities designed to test compatibility.
“There’s a lot of compatibility testing and challenges, which is a lot of fun,” he said.
He noted that he occasionally had to wear a “game show host hat,” calling it “cool and unique.” These challenges are designed to catch contestants off-guard and force them to make quick decisions under pressure.
In the Bachelor in Paradise trailer teased by ABC, Jesse warns the contestants that a major shake-up is coming. He tells them that anyone who thinks they understand how Paradise works should prepare themselves — because everything is about to change. These challenges range from red-flag recognition to physical competitions resembling those seen on Survivor or The Challenge.
One Love Island–style game has contestants kissing people outside of their current connection to test for “fireworks,” and Kat Izzo even refers to it as “Hunger Games: Paradise Edition.” Perhaps the biggest tease came at the end of the trailer, where a bag of $500,000 in cash is shown. Jesse then tells the group,
“Your fate is going to be determined tonight. You have to make your most important decision: half a million dollars, or is it love?”
Although Bachelor in Paradise usually doesn’t feature a prize pool, Jesse suggested this season could bring a twist. Referring to a mysterious bag shown in the trailer, he joked to Us Weekly on July 7 that it belonged to Wells and added that in Paradise, “you never know who doesn’t take credit cards.”
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Bachelor in Paradise continues airing Mondays at 8 pm ET on ABC.
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