After production was halted to investigate claims of sexual assault involving two contestants, Bachelor spin-off show Bachelor in Paradise has resumed filming its fourth season.
But it seems producers are putting some very strict rules in place to avoid any more allegations of misconduct.
Two weeks ago, reports suggested a female contestant may have been too intoxicated to consent to a sexual encounter with a male contestant. It was also alleged the incident was caught on film.
The studio behind the show announced last week the show would continue, after an internal investigation found no evidence of any wrongdoing, on or off camera.
According to TMZ, a source on the show's Mexican set revealed that contestants must now seek "permission" from producers if they wish to pursue sexual relations with each other.
"We're told before anyone can get it on, both parties must go to a producer and state that they consent," the site reports.
The source also said that before allowing sexual conduct to go forward, producers must determine whether both partners are capable of giving consent.
If not, the producer is allowed to "ban" the liaison from happening.
The site also reports that producers have the right to "barge in and stop things mid-coitus" if contestants disobey the new rules.
Other new policies for the contestants—which no longer include DeMario Jackson and Corinne Olympios—include handing over all drugs, legal or otherwise, and a drink maximum of two per hour.
Although we can appreciate the new measures being put in place, it does appear that such procedures should have existed before a scandal made international headlines.
Perhaps a lesson on how consent works would be better suited because we're pretty sure that if you have to ask someone else if the person you are with is unable to consent, then you're clearly missing the point.
Top Comments
How about the production team also take responsibility for the common reality TV practice of plying the participants with alcohol in order to disinhibit them? Not necessarily for the purpose of sex, but to create some exaggerated reactions for 'great' TV.
"Perhaps a lesson on how consent works would be better suited because we're pretty sure that if you have to ask someone else if the person you are with is unable to consent, then you're clearly missing the point."
I think you're missing the point. Consent wasn't an issue... they have a tape that shows what happened and shows that it WAS consensual. This is the EXACT problem, men are treated as guilty the moment an allegation is made. In this case there is even filmed evidence of what really transpired but it's essentially meaningless because the woman is taken at her word while the man is not.
Instead of this being thought of as a case of false allegation, it's instead thought of as a case where a man has 'gotten away' with rape or sexual misconduct or that they don't understand what consent is.
Why is it so much easier to believe that a man would have sex with an unconscious woman (yes that's rape), rather than a woman making a false allegation after being blatantly slut shamed into embarrassment / regret.
I understand it's a difficult issue but BOTH parties need to be accountable for their actions.
This is probably a desperate fabrication by producers to drum up drama for the show to generate ratings, and sites like this are happy to give this publicity.