The Bachelorette host Chris Harrison has a lot to say about Season 11 and the upcoming edition of Bachelor in Paradise -- including whether producers already had potential couples in mind when casting.
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"They definitely have their finger on the pulse of relationships, arguments, dating, potential, you know, hook-ups, all those things because as you know, that's really where the show came out of, is there were so many people hooking up and going out and all these reunions that we thought, 'Why not, you know, just make this a show?'"
Harrison said it was very "interesting" to enter Paradise this season.
"There are not couples already set but definitely, you know, kind of like [Kaitlyn Bristowe] and [Nick Viall] where these people have been tweeting or texting or whatever," the host said.
"So they kind of have this preconceived notion coming in of who's going to be there, what's going to happen, but often and many times, that kind of blows up in their face. But definitely as producers we, you know, have our finger on the pulse as much as we can of what is going on in Bachelor Nation."
There are some cast members on Bachelor in Paradise this season whom Harrison is super excited about.
"I was very specific and open about [Ashley Salter] coming. I think, in fact, I said if she doesn't go to Paradise, I'm not going. Actually, all the Ashleys, I should say. You know, [Ashley Iaconetti] was such a dynamic character on the show that she definitely had to come back," Harrison explained.
"And Ashley S., I mean, I don't know if I ever want to do any television without her. I could just watch her for days. I find her fascinating. And I definitely wanted some of the guys from this season just because, you know, they were so good and [JJ Lane] was such a controversial figure and getting to see him more and [Jared Haibon]. And so, it's a good wishlist. It's a great cast."
Two men who won't be on the show are Ben Higgins and Ben Zorn. One reporter on the call was curious as to whether The Bachelor would ever consider having both men star on the show simultaneously from start to finish -- similar to the way The Bachelorette had checked in with rejected Bachelorette Britt Nilsson from time to time.
So could viewers ever see that happen? Two Bachelors all season long?
"Well, you know, there lies some issues production-wise in having two Bachelorettes, keeping them the entire time. You know, Mike Fleiss and I have discussed this at length. And, look, there's not a scenario we haven't discussed because it's our life and it has been our life for 13 years," Harrison said.
"It always cracks me up when people come up to me at a bar or a restaurant and say, 'Have you guys thought of...?' I just want to stop him and say, 'Yes,' because after 13 years, we thought of it. But, you know, my issue with it, which is the same for Mike, the sanctity of our show, and what it's always been about is one person's search for love."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOWHarrison then pointed out that although they had Nilsson square off against Bristowe, producers couldn't wait to just focus on one of them.
"If Kaitlyn had been going on that wild topsy-turvy journey she was and Britt was doing the same in another direction, it just gets cloudy and muddled and it's not our show," he noted. "I mean, look, could it be a good show? Sure. But it's not The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. It's our baby, and I'm just very leery of messing with the secret sauce that's been good for so long."
Harrison couldn't deny, however, that both Bens are extremely likeable.
"Well, and that's the thing. You know, it's going to be -- look, you know, you guys have already, just out of this call, created a new show, The Two Bens."
The Bachelorette's eleventh-season finale airs tonight at 8PM ET/PT on ABC. The second edition of Bachelor in Paradise is set to premiere August 2.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
