Bachelor in Paradise host Chris Harrison admits producers misjudged Samantha Steffen during the casting process.
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"We thought [being a fan-favorite] would be true for Samantha because people didn't get to know her," Harrison told TV Guide in a recent interview, referencing how she barely made the edit on Chris Soules' season of The Bachelor.
So Harrison assumed Steffen's beauty and sweet personality would shine on the second season of Bachelor in Paradise.
"That didn't turn out to be the case," the show host confessed. "Honestly, that will go down as the biggest surprise to me in Paradise."
Harrison never guessed Steffen would turn out to be the season's biggest villain once people realized Joe Bailey was pretty much just under her spell.
"I thought she was lovely and that this would be a great addition -- who knew she would be the biggest controversial figure in Paradise?" Harrison said.
Harrison believes Steffen lied so much about her situation with Bailey because she was very determined to protect her image.
Although many stories were told in Paradise, Bailey proved through a screenshot of his text messages with Steffen that they had definitely plotted for about a month prior to appearing on the dating show.
Steffen asked Bailey to do whatever it takes to get a rose so they could meet in Paradise. Seemingly following orders, Bailey played single mom Juelia Kinney for her rose, which ended up being an extremely controversial move since Kinney was so loved and respected by all her fellow cast members.
"It was a snowball effect. If she and Joe had just said, 'Hey we did this, but we want to be together,' it's pretty hard to fight against that," Harrison explained.
"But it's the lies upon lies and manipulation that set everyone off. So, Samantha will become more of the puppet master and Joe becomes a sad figure in this. You almost start to feel sorry for him. Karma is a bitch and some people think he got what's coming to him."
Bachelor in Paradise's finale airs Sunday and Monday night next week at 8PM ET/PT on ABC.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
