ABC Executive Hints ‘Bachelorette’ Fan Favorite Is Set for ‘Bachelor in Paradise’

ABC Host Chris Harrison on the set of 'Bachelor in Paradise.'

Joe Park was never much of a contender for the hearts of Clare Crawley or Tayshia Adams, but it looks like he’ll have another shot at love on Bachelor in Paradise. That is, if a recent tweet from ABC executive Robert Mills is to be believed.

When Entertainment Weekly reporter Kristen Baldwin tweeted a screenshot on January 8 that showed Park getting his second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, Mills replied by calling Park a “vaccinated Paradisian.”

One of the replies came from another fan favorite from season 16 of The Bachelorette, Ivan Hall, who gave Mills a seal of approval for his tweet about Park.

Park, 36, was mostly in a background role during his time on The Bachelorette, but won over fans anyway with his charming sense of humor and kind spirit.

Robert Mills Has Dropped Other ‘Paradise’ Hints & Wishes

It’s not surprising that a contestant who garnered as much fan support as Park would be a top candidate, but he’s just one of many possibilities for Bachelor in Paradise. After the global pandemic forced the franchise to skip Paradise in 2020, there’s now a logjam of former contestants to choose from.

Mills has already talked a few contestants on his wish list, headlined by the lead of season 24 of The Bachelor, Peter Weber.

“I love that idea,” Mills said in a Sirius XM interview when asked about the possibility of Weber on the beach. “Absolutely, yeah. I wanna say, and I could be wrong here, but I’m almost positive I remember this: there were discussions about [former Bachelor] Chris Soules and some stuff happened. But I like the idea of Peter in Paradise.”

Another high on Mills’ list of options is Bennett Jordan, another contestant from season 16 of The Bachelorette.

“[Bennett]’s one of those guys that you think ‘God, I hope we can figure out a way to make Paradise happen,’” ABC executive Robert Mills said on an episode of Viall Files in October. “Bennett would be great on there.”

Chris Harrison agreed with that sentiment in a December interview with Access and threw in another name too when he said, “Obviously, we’re going to put Noah [Erb] in a trailer out back.”

Joe Park Didn’t Initially Love the Idea of ‘Bachelor in Paradise’

While Park didn’t even make the final 12 contestants competing for Adams, there was a campaign among viewers to have him take the reins as The Bachelor in 2022. While Park found the idea “flattering,” it isn’t his favorite scenario.

“The first thought when I saw that was like — I know Matt James is the Bachelor now, and I was like, man, I hope I’m not still single by 2022,” Park told Entertainment Weekly. “I hope I’m in a committed relationship by then! … It’s flattering, but I hope I’m not single until then, if I’m honest with you.”

Park had a similar answer when Nick Viall asked him about the possibility of Bachelor in Paradise on an episode of Viall Files in November. But with Paradise expected to return in the summer, Park’s running out of time to pull himself out of the running by getting into a committed relationship.

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