Chris Soules’ Fatal Accident Could Affect ‘Bachelor In Paradise’ In More Ways Than One


Chris Soules has had some support from his friends from The Bachelor in the week following his involvement in a fatal tractor crash that left a fellow Iowa farmer dead, but two big names from the ABC franchise have been strangely silent. Bachelor creator Mike Fleiss and show host Chris Harrison haven’t commented on Soules’ arrest for leaving the scene of a fatal accident, making it clear they want to stay far away from their former star’s legal drama.

Soules was required to turn in his passport and is currently wearing an ankle monitor after his mother posted $10,000 bail to free him from jail, which means the reality star’s rumored role on Bachelor in Paradise is in jeopardy. Even if Chris has the felony charge removed, it would be a stretch to think he will ever appear on an ABC reality show again.

[Image by Buchanan County Sheriffs Office via Getty Images]

But Soules’ arrest could still directly affect the show he won’t even be a part of. People magazine obtained court documents which revealed Chris was in possession of alcoholic beverages and containers at the time of the fatal crash. In addition, Chris’ Iowa State Court records reveal he has been arrested multiple times for alcohol-related incidents, according to Radar Online.

Bachelor in Paradise is known for its abundance of alcohol as former Bachelor stars speed date while shacking up in a Mexican frat house. Last season alone, “contestants” Chad Johnson and Lace Morris got sloppy drunk as the cameras rolled. Johnson’s drinking was so bad that it got him booted off the show by host Chris Harrison. That, coupled with the alleged alcohol factor in Soules’ crash, could prompt the network to scale back on the happy hours in Mexico this summer.

Earlier this year, Bachelor in Paradise alum Ashley Iaconetti told Us Weekly the show’s popular bartender, Jorge Moreno, wouldn’t be serving drinks in paradise this season.

“Jorge’s not coming back as the bartender in Paradise because Jorge is doing his own thing,” Iaconetti revealed. “He has his own tour company … so he’s building his own company and he won’t be here this year.”

Moreno definitely helped the BiP cast get their party on. In an interview last fall with Eater, Moreno revealed that he routinely indulged in drinks with the Bachelor in Paradise cast members.

“You know, I had a rule that I told the contestants: Any time you feel like you want to do a shot and nobody else wants to do a shot with you, I will never say no,” Moreno dished.

“Oh, Lace Morris, I never let her down, I always said, ‘Let’s do it!’ Sometimes it was the other way and I was like, ‘Lace, I want a shot,’ and she was like, ‘I already had two today,’ and I’d say, ‘You know what, let’s have a shot!'”

But just a month before this summer’s Bachelor in Paradise is set to shoot, Chris Soules’ tragedy has put a damper on the party.

Chris Soules has asked an Iowa district court to drop the charges related to his leaving the scene of the deadly crash with farmer Kenny Mosher’s tractor. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Soules maintains he did everything he was legally required to do before leaving the scene. Chris called 911, identified himself to the operator, and even reportedly tried to resuscitate the tractor driver. Soules also stayed at the scene until emergency responders arrived, but was later arrested at his home for leaving the crash site before police arrived.

In a motion to dismiss, Soules’ attorney Gina Messamer stated that Soules satisfied Iowa’s legal requirement to identify himself and render “reasonable assistance” to the victim, and she questioned why the charging officer failed to include that information in the complaint against the ABC star.

The new information about Chris Soules could mean the difference between a summer in paradise and a summer in the slammer.

Chris Soules appeared on the ABC reality shows The Bachelorette, The Bachelor, and Dancing With the Stars. Bachelor in Paradise premieres on August 8 on ABC, presumably without Chris Soules.

[Featured Image by AP Images]

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