"Bachelor In Paradise" may be returning to ABC this summer with its annual drunken hookups and in-the-sand shenanigans, but there are at least some advertisers that won't be part of the reality dating series following the recent investigation into alleged misconduct on-set.
At least several advertisers that intended to air commercials in "Bachelor in Paradise" this season will not appear, according to several people familiar with the situation.
"We decided not to advertise in it this summer after all the controversy," a spokeswoman for an advertiser in the show last season said via email. "We've done it in the past but feel that it doesn't meet our filters as a family-friendly brand at current state." She spoke on condition of anonymity to protect the company's relationship with ABC.
"We had an advertiser that had 'Bachelor in Paradise' on their schedule but pulled it when everything went down," one media buyer said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss clients' business."If you need women in the summer it is a good place to get them, but we are not recommending they go back in."
"We have a 'Bachelor in Paradise' advertiser who won't be involved when it airs," a buyer at a different media agency said.
An ABC spokeswoman said ad sales for the show were strong. "There is tremendous interest in Bachelor in Paradise from advertisers and we have exceeded our ad commitments," she said via email.
Warner Bros., which produces the show, suspended production earlier this month and began an investigation following a producer's allegations about an on-camera sexual encounter between two contestants, Corinne Olympios and DeMario Jackson. There were contradicting reports regarding whether Olympios was too intoxicated to consent.
Warner Bros. said on June 20 that it had found no evidence to support claims that the safety of any cast member was in jeopardy or that there was any misconduct by any of the cast members.
Filming on "Bachelor in Paradise" resumed this weekend. The third season of the series was previously slated to debut on Aug. 8, but it's now unclear when it will resume.
Right now there doesn't seem to be a mass exodus from advertisers out of "Bachelor in Paradise," but it remains to be seen what happens after ABC reveals more details on when the show will return and how it will address the controversy.
The incident isn't expected to impact advertising in the rest of the franchise, which includes "The Bachelor," "The Bachelorette" and upcoming "Bachelor Winter Games."
Most advertisers don't view "Bachelor in Paradise" in the same category as "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette," which are seen as safer environments. "Bachelor in Paradise" also doesn't have quite the same cache.
Last season, "Bachelor in Paradise" averaged 4.8 million viewers and pulled a 1.4 rating among 18-to-49-year-olds. Its after-show, "After Paradise," where cast members and celebrity fans discuss the week's episode, was watched by 3 million viewers and pulled a 0.8 rating.
In comparison, the most reason season of "The Bachelor" averaged 7.4 million viewers and a 2.3 rating in the core demo.
