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‘Bachelor In Paradise’ Scandal Was Due To Race, Claims Rachel Lindsay Suitor

By Victoria Miller
Published on: 22:16 PST, Jun 22, 2017

Bachelor in Paradise will resume filming after a temporary shutdown in production, but a franchise alum says there’s more to the story between DeMario Jackson and Corinne Olympios, whose alleged drunken hookup led to scandal on the set.

In a lengthy Instagram post, Bachelorette constant Will Gaskins defended his friend Jackson and blasted the Bachelor in Paradise production staff, and, seemingly, Olympios herself, claiming race was the reason behind the scandal that rocked the rose-filled summertime reality show.

Although Rachel Lindsay’s fellow suitor says he planned to stay out of the Paradise drama, once it was announced the show will resume production in Mexico, he decided to speak up in defense of Jackson. An investigation by Warner Bros. Television concluded that no misconduct occurred on the set of Bachelor in Paradise, but Gaskins feels the reason the incident blew up in the first place is due to the fact that Jackson is a black man who hooked up with a white woman.

In his post, The Bachelorette suitor revealed that while he was happy that the matter is closed from ABC’s perspective, he added it “is not the end of this story.” Gaskins acknowledge there have been accusations regarding consent and “the ability to give it,” but he says both Bachelor in Paradise parties were “willing participants in whatever it is that happened that day.”

Gaskins did not name Olympios in his comments, but it was clear he was talking about the blonde beauty’s behavior on the Bachelor in Paradise set on June 4.

“There were multiple other people with whom one party engaged in some type of physical contact with that day but it wasn’t until the black man got into the mix that this was deemed as no longer acceptable. We can lie to ourselves and say that race isn’t a factor here and pretend that it doesn’t affect our day to day lives but it’s just that, a lie.”

Gaskins described DeMario as straight forward caring, saying he hopes his friend will be vindicated. Olympios hired celebrity lawyer Marty Singer after claiming she was a “victim” in the on-set incident, while Jackson says the scandal has damaged his reputation and family name. The reality star was also reportedly fired from his job as an executive recruiter in the aftermath of the firestorm.

“I hope that in the coming days, hours and months that he will continue to be vindicated of any wrongdoing and his name will no longer be associated with such a despicable act,” Gaskins wrote of the ill-fated Bachelor in Paradise star.

A source close to Bachelor in Paradise echoed Gaskin’s comments about race and the incident that was caught on camera by BIP producers.

“There’s an elephant in the room — that this is a black man and a white woman,” the insider told People.

“The story isn’t these two people snuck away off site and something happened between them that we don’t know about. It’s all there.”

But a legal insider for Olympios tells the magazine it’s “obvious” something went significantly wrong in Paradise.

“It’s very rare to shut down a production,” the source explained. “People have been killed on movie and TV sets, and yet they continue to film. In this case, it’s been completely shut down.”

With the investigation complete and Bachelor in Paradise ready to roll for a redo, the insider told People DeMario Jackson should “be okay” in the long run.

“No one handled this the right way,” the source said.

“You have to take every accusation seriously, but you don’t have to ruin this young man’s career, his family name. This isn’t someone of questionable character. Hopefully he can recover from this.”

It has not gone unnoticed by Bachelor Nation that the scandal may have been race related. Former Bachelor contestant Ashley Spivey expressed sadness over the fact that the hoopla was taking way from Rachel Lindsay’s “historic” season as the first-ever African American Bachelorette. Other fans of the franchise believe race is behind the scandal as well.

It has been reported that neither Jackson or Olympios will return to ABC for Bachelor in Paradise, but according to the Hollywood Reporter, Jackson could get a forum on the network to address the controversy and tell his side of events. Bachelor in Paradise producers are currently in talks about how to address the scandal when the show returns to ABC in August.

[Featured Image by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for IMDb.com]

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Bachelor in Paradise Rachel Lindsay Corinne Olympios DeMario Jackson
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