It is episode 4 in Paradise! If you’re looking to catch back up on the season, you can check out our recaps from the first three episodes here.
A quick reminder about the locked-in couples we have:
- Jess Edwards and Spencer Conley (honestly, Just N Life, along with the entire Internet, is rooting for them)
- Dale Moss and Kat Izzo
- Brian Autz and Parisa Shifteh
- Jeremy Simon and Bailey Brown
- Alexe Goldin and Andrew Spencer (though this relationship is very new, the first few minutes of this episode show that they seem to be all in)
- Jill Chin and Sean McLaughlin (similarly, they just met but could be headed in the direction of a relationship
Then there’s Jonathon Johnson, who keeps getting friend-zoned.
Plus, last week, the Goldens arrived, though they haven’t been in Paradise for long, so there aren’t very strong connections yet:
- Leslie Fhima
- Natascha Hardee
- Keith Gordon
- Kim Buike
- Kathy Swarts
- April Kirkwood
- Ralph “RJ” Johnson
- Charles “CK” King
- Jack Lencioni
Day 8
The fourth episode brings the roses back into the hands of the ladies.
So, we’ve arrived at the eighth day in Paradise, and when we last checked in, Jonathon was contemplating April’s words from the previous episode: “Second door on the right, if you need me.” Since he’s been friend-zoned twice, he’s getting a bit desperate for a rose and is intrigued by her interest. Though intergenerational dating isn’t built into the format of the show, it isn’t discouraged. We’ll see where that leaves Jonathon and April.
Beyond a few moments between Jonathon and April that left the others staring, Dale told us that day 8 was his best day since getting to Paradise.
First, it starts with Leslie leading a water aerobics class for all of the contestants, and really, it just seems like they had fun in the pool.
While this comes across in the Golden Bachelor(ette), the Goldens comparing themselves to the younger contestants starts a really interesting discourse, in addition to the conversations the Goldens have among each other about what they want in life.
We get a prime moment of this between Natascha and RJ, who discuss making the most of getting older, relaxing, and taking it easy in life—especially in a place that makes them happy.
But following the peacefulness of this conversation, the fun ramps up again with salsa dancers and music, bringing Gary Levingston, originally part of Joan Vassos’ season of The Golden Bachelorette.
“I came here to meet the love of my life,” Gary said. “I am looking for someone with character, someone beyond companionship, someone I can become one with.”
But he’s also clearly very fun and announces “Welcome to Garadise,” not long after he arrives.
Immediately, the Golden women are all interested in him; he’s funny, lively, and interesting, plus he’s got game, which we see later.
Beyond the water aerobics and the salsa dancing, we get a Golden body shot off of CK for Kathy’s birthday (plus she’s never done a body shot). Bartender Wells Adams says, “The golden oldies have so much more energy… [The younger people] need to be taking notes.”
Gary receives the first date card of the episode, and the first Golden (yes, literally golden) date card ever. He feels things out with April, Kathy, Leslie, and Natascha. Jonathon, still hoping April will give him her rose, is freaking out a little bit. Keith is super into Kathy and, therefore, jealous of Gary. Leslie and Gary really vibe from the beginning. They talk about aging and the impact of themselves on younger people, including someone who told Leslie that she made growing old look so much better than they thought it would be. Natascha and Gary talk about dancing, and Natascha compliments that he really makes eye contact with the people he talks to.
Ultimately, however, Gary asks Leslie to go on the date with him, making Natascha jealous.
While Gary makes his introductions with the Golden women, we see little moments from the other couples; Bailey and Jeremy make out and also take a nap together, Andrew and Alexe discuss skinny dipping in the ocean, and Kat and Dale sit out and chat in a cabana.
However, soon, their chatting turns into a more serious conversation; Kat asks if Dale kissed Alli Jo Hinkes, who came to Paradise for a limited time but wasn’t given a rose. The conversation really devolves from there, though it’s hard to keep track of what their points are. Kat is upset that Dale never told her, even though they discussed being open and honest with each other, and then Dale is annoyed that Kat brought this up and also that she brought it up so soon before the next rose ceremony.
Kat goes to Jonathon for advice, who is also ready to swoop in if she and Dale don’t work out.
Leslie and Gary go dancing for their date, and Gary says, “I feel like a teenager again, going on my first date.”
Seemingly, Leslie and Gary really like each other. They have an open conversation about what they want and what they’re looking for.
But quickly, we move into the next cocktail party and rose ceremony.
A side note here: While some love how different this season of Paradise has been, some fans are voicing complaints that the contestants have not been given enough time to really get to know each other between rose ceremonies, leaving some people without real connections that they could otherwise have. While it’s clear that the format has taken people out of Paradise more quickly than usual, this criticism is relatively subjective. But, anyway, back to the cocktail party:
Before we get to the drama, we have some really sweet moments, including Alexe sharing that Andrew has brought the light back into her and the two agreeing they fit together like a puzzle.
We get more of Kat and Dale arguing about whatever it is that they are both upset about, including an indication that Kat is thinking about not giving Dale the rose (maybe she’ll give it to Jonathon?). (There’s also a mention that Kat is reminding Dale of his ex—we’re not relationship experts here, but we don’t think this is a good move. Also, you may see some memes on the Internet: Dale used the phrase “deaded it” many times while having these conversations. It seems that this means the relationship was over, but we kind of agree with Kat that if he says “deaded it” one more time, we might have to jump in the pool.) There are a few extremely memeable moments of Dale from these conversations, including some convenient cuts of film by the producers, like a moment where Kat tells Jonathon that she never understands what Dale is saying because he doesn’t speak in full sentences. The cut is to Dale for not forming a single full sentence. The fight between the two of them was not a great watch, but the comedic timing of these producers is golden.
There’s also some drama with Gary: Both Natascha and Leslie plan to give their rose to him.
In other couples, April is very into Kim, but Kim doesn’t have romantic feelings towards her and is not very nice about it when he tells her. However, Jack is very into April, and it seems like she reciprocates that. Kim seems to be into a few people; it’s unclear, but he is unknowingly in the friend zone with Leslie.
Finally, with some contestants left in confused states about what they’re going to do with their roses and if they’ll be going home or not, we arrive at the Rose Ceremony.
The Rose Ceremony
In the words of Alexe, “There hasn’t been a smooth sailing rose ceremony yet,” so you never know what can happen. Here’s where the roses go:
- Parisa gives her rose to Brian, saying, “I want to thank you for getting vulnerable with me this week.”
- Bailey gives her rose to Jeremy, saying, “I didn’t come this far just to come this far,” a reference to something Jeremy said.
- Alexe gives her rose to Andrew, explaining that he gives her butterflies.
- Natascha then gives her rose to Gary, because of a wonderful connection between them, despite seemingly having a connection with RJ. (She says that she and RJ were just on different levels.)
- Leslie, thrown off by Natascha giving her rose to Gary, doesn’t know what to do. She ends up giving her rose to Kim, who says, “I knew she would give me her rose” — even though she basically friend-zoned him earlier.
- Kathy, excited by the prospect of the women choosing, gives Keith her rose because he “has a special place” in her heart.
- Jess, obviously, gives her rose to Spencer. Both of them have huge smiles on their faces, and, again, Bachelor Nation is begging them to end up together. (Some think they’re still together, based on what they’ve posted on social media since the show ended.) **link this
- Jill gives her rose to Sean, because he reminded her how much fun there is in Paradise. While Jill talks about Sean in her confessional, Sean doesn’t really talk about Jill; he just is excited to still be there. This could indicate that Sean is still open to other people.
- Kat, despite all of the questioning she’s had over Dale, gives her rose to Dale.
- April then decides to give her rose to Jonathon—Jack, though goodhearted about it, is clearly upset.
Following the Rose Ceremony, Dale and Kat talk again about Dale kissing Alli Jo and not telling Kat, and Kat bringing this up right before the Rose Ceremony. She says, through tears, that she doesn’t want to be with him (even though she just chose to give her rose to him).
Day 9
Leslie and Gary discuss the next morning, determining that they’re still on the same page. Leslie says that her rose was going to be for Gary, but Natascha gave hers to him instead. Natascha feels “iced” by Gary that morning.
However, Kim swoops in trying to show up for Leslie and writes her a poem, which he then reads to her. The interaction is every shade of awkward. And everyone else knows it but Kim. Leslie does not have romantic feelings for Kim, but Kim thinks she loves the poem.
In the grand scheme of things, though, the Golden ratio has been screwed with because April gave Jonathon a rose instead of a Golden man, leaving only three Golden men in Paradise.
Next, onto the beach, comes Lea Cayanan, from Joey Graziadei’s season and Nancy Hulkower from Gerry Turner, riding together in a Jeep.
While Nancy is excited to hang out with the women, someone says, “Oh boy, here comes drama.” The Golden men are quickly interested in Nancy, which means the Golden women are freaking out. Meanwhile, Lea is excited to be in Paradise but nervous because she’s coming in so late. But the two new women get date cards.
Adding to the drama, Kathy is excited about her connection with Keith, who calls Kathy a dear friend, and Lea starts up a chat with Sean, leaving Jill upset about the only connection she had started to make.
Right before the end of the episode, Faith Martin, from Gerry’s season, rides up onto the beach on a horse, making it six Golden women and only three Golden men.
Based on the promo for next week’s episode, we can definitely expect more drama from the Kat and Dale front and possibly some new drama for Brian and Parisa. Plus, host Jesse Palmer announces that soon (possibly after next week?), there will be no new arrivals to Paradise, but there will be almost Survivor–esque challenges. We’re just hoping it doesn’t rain in Jess and Spencer’s Paradise.
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