'Bachelor In Paradise' Reportedly Implements Consent Rule

In addition to the reality show's reported new drug policies, there's also allegedly a new consent rule on Bachelor in Paradise. According to TMZ’s sources, BiP contestants must check in with producers before having sex. TMZ reported on the rule, which supposedly allows producers to have the final say if they feel either party is incapable of giving consent.

This alleged policy has been implemented just a few weeks after an allegedly non consensual sexual incident between Corinne Olympios and DeMario Jackson brought production on BiP to a halt. Jackson has repeatedly denied that Olympios was too drunk to consent and even called her an agressor in a recent interview with E!. Olympios for her part has issued a statement claiming she was too drunk to consent to sexual activity with Jackson.

Warner Bros.' own investigation did not find any misconduct between Olympios and Jackson, and BiP will resume, though Olympios' lawyer released a statement confirming that they would continue investigating on their own.

BiP would not be the first series to implement a “check-in” rule. In a recent interview with Broadly, veteran reality TV producer Mark Cronin explained that he requires contestants on his shows, which include The Surreal Life and Flavor of Love, to talk to producers before having sex. Cronin told Broadly earlier on June 19,

If either one of them we felt was too drunk to make decisions, we would not allow it. Because we had control, this was our house. They were living in our house on our TV show. You can't say, 'Oh, they're adults, they're going to do what they do.' You can't allow a crime to occur. You just can't. You have to intervene, and you have to protect drunk cast members.

It seems ABC may have been a bit behind when it comes to producer-ensured consent. The last thing ABC wants on their plate is a similarly unsavory scandal in the future. But this new policy isn't just good for ensuring against lawsuits, it will also ensure safe situations for the show's contestants. This new policy will hopefully make it crystal clear that every participating party is on board, that no one is too intoxicated to consent to sex, and that there is no murkiness.