Bachelor in Paradise fans woke up feeling a bit like we’d been put through the wringer, experiencing a hangover without having taken a drink. This was thanks to the dramatics of Kat Izzo, Brayden Bowers, and the visit from fan-favorite Charity Lawson.
This season of Paradise might as well be tag-lined “it’s the producers against everyone,” because we’ve never seen so much seemingly intentional gasoline added to a fire, and that only escalated when Lawson walked down the steps onto the sand and wowed everyone there — well, almost everyone.
As viewers know, many contestants on this season of BIP are from Lawson’s season, and one of her exes was less than excited to see her join the ranks this season. So why, exactly, was Lawson suddenly walking into Paradise? What does it mean for the men she used to date, and will we ever get a night of restful sleep after watching a Bachelor Nation series?
Let’s take a look.
Why did Charity Lawson show up in Paradise?
First things first: Lawson didn’t come to paradise looking for love; she’s still going strong with Dotun Olubeko, the man who stole her heart during season 20 of The Bachelorette. So you can feel relief in knowing that, much like Hanna Brown’s appearance at the beach this season, it’s a bit more complex than just another addition to single hopefuls looking for romance.
In seeing the cast of BIP this season, Lawson realized that many of her friends were spending time down at the beach, and knowing her girls were going to be searching for love with some of her exes, she wanted to get the scoop, and spill some tea. One Paradise dweller was particularly bummed about her visiting the beach, and that was Aaron Bryant. Many viewers had mixed feelings about Bryant on his journey with Lawson, but things ended up on okay terms with them, as Lawson notes when she speaks to Jesse Palmer upon arriving in Paradise.
Of course, things aren’t always what they seem, and Charity shares that she heard some things about him in the following weeks and months — things that led her to question his motives, and he seems to be someone Lawson is eager to talk about in Paradise. If you were watching Bachelor Nation last night, it likely angered you to no end that The Golden Bachelor and BIP both ended on significant cliffhangers, and for BIP, that meant that we only saw Lawson begin talking to Bryant’s current beau, Eliza Isichei.
Audiences did know what that conversation might look like, however, as we also saw Izzo continue stirring the pot last night by telling Isichei that Lawson had warned her off of Bryant, too. So why would Lawson be warning her friends about Bryant? Well, as he explained to Isichei; his dating history was a bit complex in the months leading up to paradise:
“I just want to be truthful and let you know exactly what I’m going through. So I had an ex last year, we broke up in August right before her birthday because of the toxicity in our relationship. She’s been trying to put my name out there because she thinks that I broke up with her to go on the show, when the truth is, I had not been talking to her since August. I got the call in December. I was seeing someone else at the time and she ended things in October. I actually, she stopped seeing me.”
He continued by saying that rumors were swirling that he’d been the one to end a relationship because he wanted to go out for BIP, but that there was no truth to them. Of course, this left Isichei questioning things, but she really wanted only one thing — to get the truth from Lawson herself. As we all know, in Paradise — if you ask, you shall receive — unless you’re us asking Brayden to treat Rachel right, or Izzo asking for a great birthday, that is.
Bryant confronted Izzo on the beach as we saw flashes of Lawson and Isichei begin talking, and then — things quickly ended. That’s right, viewers saw a preview for next week’s episode where things will only grow far more dramatic than they’ve been — and we’re about up to here with the drama this season!
Bryant questions Lawson’s intent to ruin things for him; Isichei looks like she may be tethered between opening her heart and closing it forever, and Izzo seems like she’s put her claws so far into John Henry that she’s forgotten that he’s partnered up with someone else. Things are getting messy in Paradise, and we can’t wait to see what next week brings; in the same breath, we hope it’s some amount of solace for a few of these hopefuls. We really did like where things were going for Bryant and Isichei, and we hope there’s some truth to be uncovered in their situation that allows them to move forward together in a more vulnerable and trusting nature.
Someone has to leave Paradise happy …right?
Published: Nov 3, 2023 01:14 pm