ABC
The Bachelor Listen to Your Heart judges.
For the first time since its premiere, Bachelor in Paradise did not air this year. However, Bachelor Nation was introduced to a new show playing up the franchise’s proclivity to cast aspiring singers. The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart made its ABC debut in April. Now, it seems, at least one of its stars is open to making their way to paradise when it returns in 2021.
An early fan-favorite on the show, Rudi Gutierrez answered questions from her followers on her Instagram Story. When one fan asked if she would be willing to go on Bachelor in Paradise, Gutierrez said, “Yeah, I would for sure go on Bachelor in Paradise, even though I’d probably just wind up getting my heart broken all over again.”
Contestants from Bachelor Nation’s previous spinoff, Winter Games, showed up in paradise, making Gutierrez’s inclusion within the realm of possibility. When viewers last saw Gutierrez, she left the singing competition in third place after being broken up with by love-interest and singing partner, Matt Ranaudo.
Gutierrez and Ranaudo Are on Good Terms
Despite Ranaudo breaking things off with Gutierrez right before the final performances of the season, the brief couple seems to be on good terms.
In October, Gutierrez shared a video of her singing with Ranaudo. She captioned the photo, “can’t believe 6 months ago (almost to the day) – me and [Matt Ranaudo] shared the stage for the first time and #mudi was born, boy does he drive me crazy but I love making music with this fool.”
“Mudi” became the nickname for the couple, but she insisted they are not dating. However, she hinted at more music together in the future.
‘Bachelor in Paradise’ Is Expected to Return in 2021
Despite not airing this year, the franchise’s longtime host Chris Harrison told Heavy that they are trying to get it on air next year.
“I really wanna get back [to Bachelor in Paradise],” said Harrison. “Now where is it and how do we do it, maybe that’s different. But I do wanna get back.”
As fans know, safety precautions and travel restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic have caused The Bachelorette and The Bachelor to be filmed in production bubbles entirely within one resort. This could be a potential solution if such restrictions prevent travel to Bachelor in Paradise’s typical setting in Mexico.
By the time the show returns, Peter Weber and Matt James’ seasons of The Bachelor, Clare Crawley and Tayshia Adams’ season of The Bachelorette, The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart and another season of The Bachelorette spearheaded by an unknown lead will have aired.
“So we’ll have, you know, a great crop,” said Harrison. He added, “so it’s going to be an embarrassment of riches of people, some we don’t even know yet because they haven’t been on the show.”
Other Franchise Stars Are Open to Appearing in Paradise
Peter Webber’s runner-up, Madison Prewett recently spoke with Us Weekly about the possibility of going to paradise.
“I would really say that anything Bachelor related, and honestly just anything in life, any time there’s an opportunity that’s presented to me — especially a big one like that — it’s about really taking the time to pray about it, talk to my family about it, before I make any decisions going from there,” she said.
She is not the only one mulling over a Bachelor Nation return. No longer dating Joe Amabile, Kendall Long recently told Us Weekly she is open to returning.
“I try to live as if I’m not depending on The Bachelor, Bachelor World to find my future husband because then I’m just holding off my love life,” Long told the publication. “But I had nothing but amazing experiences and it worked for me. And if it could work for me once, maybe it could work for me twice.”
Fans will have to wait to see who walks into paradise when it returns next year.
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