Bachelor in Paradise is returning to ABC this fall, and the network has announced the show will air twice a week.
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RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
Bachelor in Paradise will be taking over the Monday timeslot Dancing with the Stars previously aired in each fall, as well as the Tuesday time period The Bachelorette had filled the last two years.
The Bachelorette's nineteenth season is set to premiere on ABC on Monday, July 11 at 8PM ET/PT, so Bachelor in Paradise will inherit The Bachelorette's time period once the season finishes airing, presumably in late September or October.
As for Dancing with the Stars, the ABC reality dancing competition is moving to a new home on the Disney+ streaming service this fall after 16 seasons on ABC.
"Slotting Bachelor in Paradise in to take over for Dancing with the Stars is an opportunity for us to do even better; the Live+Same Day numbers of Bachelor in Paradise match or exceed Dancing with the Stars," ABC Entertainment President Craig Erwich told Deadline.
Erwich called Bachelor in Paradise "the perfect show to kick off the fall season" because it was up in the ratings last year and was "probably one of the most talked about installments of the reality show" producers have seen "in a long time."
"Because there are so many characters and storylines, it's the perfect show to expand over the course two nights," Erwich said.
Erwich also explained how Bachelor in Paradise will serve as "one of the strongest" lead-ins for a new scripted drama, Rookie: Feds.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)
While ABC hasn't announced a premiere date for the Bachelor in Paradise season yet, the network's existing commitments suggest it probably won't settle into its twice-weekly schedule until October.
ABC is already scheduled to air Monday Night Football broadcasts of NFL games on September 12, September 19 and September 26 -- which will likely also result in The Bachelorette being pushed to Tuesday nights during those weeks, assuming the season has not already concluded.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOWBachelor in Paradise's eighth-season cast will be revealed at a later date, but Erwich teased to Deadline that he believes it will be a compelling group.
"When I think of some of the people they have in mind to come back for Bachelor in Paradise, I think it's going to continue to be a very watched and very discussed block of programming on Mondays and Tuesdays," Erwich said.
ABC executive Robert Mills told Variety in early May, a month after ABC announced it was renewing Bachelor in Paradise for another season, that producers were "still in the middle of planning the creative on Bachelor in Paradise."
Bachelor in Paradise's seventh season, which premiered in early August 2021, was hosted by a lineup of celebrity guest co-hosts last year, including former boyband member Lance Bass and rapper Lil Jon.
Chris Harrison previously hosted the entire The Bachelor franchise, but he exited the show in early 2021 after a racism scandal.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)
Bachelor in Paradise will continue to feature The Bachelor and The Bachelorette alums looking to receive a second -- or maybe even a third -- chance at finding a committed relationship in a tropical location.
The new season is expected to feature shocking twists, surprises, unexpected guests, and some unlikely relationships, per usual.
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Season 7 of Bachelor in Paradise ended with three engagements, but the only couples who are still together are Joe Amabile and Serena Pitt as well as Kenny Braasch and Mari Pepin-Solis.
Riley Christian and Maurissa Gunn split not long after their engagement aired on ABC last year.
Noah Erb and Abigail Heringer also reunited and became a couple after filming the summer spinoff's seventh season together, as did Becca Kufrin and Thomas Jacobs.
After ABC announced The Bachelorette's later-than-usual Season 19 premiere, speculation that Bachelor in Paradise was being canceled began circulating online, but franchise creator Mike Fleiss later set the record straight.
"Canceled??? No f-cking way!!! #BachelorinParadise forever!" Fleiss tweeted in response to the cancellation rumors.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
