The new season of Bachelor In Paradise is about to arrive on 10, crammed full of tropical love, drama, romance, fun and heartbreak. Ahead of its premiere, we caught up with Hilary Innes, 10’s network executive producer for the Bach Nation shows.
Q: Tell us about your time in Bach Nation?
A: I’ve been network executive producer across some of The Bachelor Australia, The Bachelorette Australia and Bachelor In Paradise seasons for about five years. I’ve worked on five series of The Bachelor Australia – with Richie, Matty J, Honey Badger, Matt Agnew and now Locky – and three series of The Bachelorette Australia, with Georgia, Sophie and Angie.
Q: What can we expect from the new season of Bachelor In Paradise?
A: Revealing secrets, relationships that began out of paradise, some fly and others fall. Infidelity. Hilarious interactions. And several people fall in love.
Q: How did you select the people who appear in the new season?
A: We went with love seekers from previous seasons of The Bachelor Australia and The Bachelorette Australia who wanted a second chance at love. We wanted people who would make us laugh, who would make us cry, and who would just make us say ‘What the heck were they thinking?’. There will also be a few surprises you’ve never seen before.
Q: Without spoiling the series, does anyone find their happily ever after?
A: Yes, they do. How long term that will be, who knows, but there are several people who left the show with their happily ever after.
Q: Production of The Bachelor Australia was paused because of COVID-19. Where are things at now?
A: We are slowly getting up and running again, just like the rest of the country and the world. We are donning tools and creating some sensational bridging episodes that take us through the COVID-19 experience and out the other side.
Q: Will Locky find true love?
A: Let’s hope so! His words to Osher on night one were that he 100% believes in love at first sight and that he was full of hope that his future wife would walk down the red carpet that night. Let’s just say he loves the ladies and they love him.
Q: Will there be a new season of The Bachelorette Australia this year? If there will be, when and who?
A: Yes, it will be back, bigger and better than ever. We are starting the casting of the new season very soon and who it is will be a real surprise.
Q: The Bachelor, in its various forms, is an enduring success. What is its core appeal?
A: Love is of perennial interest to all of us. When all is said and done, we all want to find love and we all want to be loved. The Bach Nation shows provide hope that this is possible.
Q: Other dating shows have come and gone. How do The Bachelor and its extensions remain so strong year in, year out?
A: I think because they are classic love stories. They are not overly cynical in the storytelling and most of the time, we believe that the people are there for the right reasons. They also capture romance, comedy and drama in equal measure, which makes for compelling storytelling!