bachelor in paradise

Bachelor Star Ben Higgins Defends Bachelor in Paradise Crew: ‘I Was Never Forced Into Anything’

Higgins Photo: Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage

Now that Bachelor host Chris Harrison has spoken out about the allegations that the latest now-suspended season of Bachelor in Paradise might have filmed a sexual encounter between two contestants in which one may have been too intoxicated to consent, other alumni of the franchise are attempting to give more clarity to how these shows operate behind the scenes while defending the crew. Former Bachelor star Ben Higgins discussed the unfolding incident on his Almost Famous podcast with former Bachelor and Bachelor in Paradise contestant Ashley Iaconetti and said that, in his experience, the shows are unscripted and he never felt that he was being put in a dangerous situation. “I was never forced into anything. I was talked through [by producers] as a friend in situations. If I was confused, they would sit with me and allow me to speak my mind and help me process,” he says. “Yes, there is producing that is done. It’s a show! There are situations that happen that they need to get something out of, but it’s never a forced situation.”

Higgins’s comments come as an anonymous crew member on the current season of BiP claims producers encouraged the two contestants involved in the incident to “hook up.” But Higgins insists that “they don’t write a story line before the show begins. The story line makes itself up each and every day during the process of filming.” And Iaconetti says that she never witnessed or experienced anything that “should’ve been stopped that I thought was morally wrong” on the previous seasons of Paradise that she took part in. Both Higgins and Iaconetti make a point of saying they’re not privy to the details of the incident, but that they have heard chatter from other contestants on the now-suspended season of BiP and former cast members. “You should have seen the group messages that were going on,” Iaconetti says. “Even the cast that was there, nobody was really clear what was going on.”

Bachelor Star Ben Higgins Defends Bachelor in Paradise Crew