Bachelor in Paradise Season 8, Episode 1 recap: Welcome to Paradise

As one door closes, another opens. The Bachelorette Season 19 wrapped up with Gabby Windy finding love with Erich and Rachel still searching for her perfect match. Now we move on to the more interesting and exciting spin-off, Bachelor in Paradise!

This season will feature the biggest cast to date as Bachelor Nation members seek a second chance at finding love. Will they find it in Paradise?

Bachelor in Paradise Season 8, Episode 1 recap

1. Meet the contestants!

There is an interesting assortment of people on Bachelor in Paradise Season 8. Several women from Clayton’s season of The Bachelor are in Paradise, including Shanae, Jill, Hunter, Hailey, Sierra, Kira, Genevieve, Serene, and Teddi. The other women on the show include Brittany, The Bachelor Season 25, Lace, The Bachelor Season 20, and Bachelor in Paradise Season 3.

I’m looking forward to seeing how all of Clayton’s women interact with each other.

The men are from several seasons of The Bachelorette. You may have seen Michael, Justin, and Andrew on The Bachelorette Season 17. From The Bachelorette Season 18, we have Romeo, Brandon, and Casey. There are also a few guys from Gabby’s and Rachel’s seasons of the show in Johnny, Logan, and Jacob. There are also various ages among the men, with Michael and Casey on the older end of the spectrum. Also, there are nine men to the 11 women out the gate.

Immediately Andrew and Teddi hit it off and were both looking forward to meeting each other. A couple to watch out for. How did the women react to seeing Shanae there? About as you’d expect. Genevieve immediately regretted coming and downed her drink. Shanae painted herself as a 2.0 version of what she was on Clayton’s season. She and Genevieve immediately had some tension as they kept their eyes on what men each other was talking to.

Genevieve and Justin broke off for a private conversation but not quite out of sight from prying eyes. While peeping on them, Shanae and Jacob were conversing about what they were looking for in Paradise and sealed their first conversation with a very intimate kiss. Mind you, Jacob was wearing a leaf…just a leaf.

Lace and Brandon were some of the later contestants to arrive. Lace didn’t have the warmest welcome, having been on the show six seasons prior. Some women thought her time had passed, but there were some older men on the show. Romeo was a later arrival, already having chemistry with Kira and Jill. As Romeo and Jill reconnect, we discover they broke up because he kissed Kira. And in walks Kira taking Jill’s drink and sitting beside Romeo. The drama starts now.

2. So it begins

Jesse breaks down the rules with the cast before releasing them to explore the beach and their home for the foreseeable future. This week the men get to give out the roses, being outnumbered 9 to 11. As they break off and have separate discussions amongst the men and women, they discuss who they already have eyes for. Serene and Brandon are an obvious pair, along with Teddi and Andrew. Many women have eyes for Michael, one of the oldest men on the beach. On the other side, Jacob can’t remember the names of the women he talked to.

While the cast meets Wells, the bartender, Jill finds the first date card and finds it belongs to Andrew. He invites Teddi on the first one-on-one date of Bachelor in Paradise Season 8. They went for a romantic dinner away from the beach and got to know each other better. You could tell they were nervous but had a connection with each other that may have started before the show.

Back at the beach, Genevieve and Justin broke off and shared intimate moments on the beach and in the hot tub. Although she thought he wasn’t interested, Justin said that actions spoke louder than words and proceeded to kiss her. These two have some early sparks.

Andrew and Teddi are building something on their one-on-one date. As Andrew fumbles around nervously with his words, Teddi accepts him with open arms, and the two feel so natural with each other. If you just saw them, you would think they have known each other for years. The two capped off their date with a dip in the margarita hot tub as they shared a romantic kiss twice.

3. Trouble in Paradise

Trouble is brewing as Lace is in bed while the others are out on the beach. Since the men are handing out the roses, she doesn’t feel like they are pursuing her, but she isn’t putting in much effort. After a discussion with Shanae, she decides to be fake and tell people it’s her birthday to try to get attention and sympathy from others. She pulls Logan aside and tells him she only has eyes for him despite their age gap (32 to 26). Once she finds out he’s 26, her attitude changes. Then he calls her Luce instead of Lace. That did it. Logan dug a hole he probably won’t get out of and Lace is stuck with no one else.

Sierra and Michael were trying to start something and they seemed to like each other. He brought up his son, and she didn’t run away, so that’s a good thing. Jill wants another chance to talk to Romeo, and he finds her and pulls her aside. He said he doesn’t have feelings for Kira and wants to start on a clean slate with Jill. She wanted to see actions, so Romeo gave them to her through mouth-to-mouth contact. Then Kira interrupted, and things got messy. Romeo wouldn’t defend either side and told Jill to return with the other girls.

Romeo told Kira that he wanted to pursue Jill romantically and asked her permission to do so. She said they are on Bachelor in Paradise, and he is free to explore any relationships he wants to, and if that is Jill, then so be it. As Jill cries in bed, Kira is now trying to get with Casey. Her “shackles” are gone, so she can explore any relationship she pleases. Early drama is brewing on the beach, which will only get worse at the rose ceremony.

As a new day dawns on the beach, a new woman arrives. Victoria arrives and has eyes for Justin. Watch out, Genevieve. The teaser clips for the upcoming season of Bachelor in Paradise show a lot of new faces hitting the beach with a shocking twist that sends all the remaining women from tonight packing. The beach is back, Bachelor Nation!

Need a recap of who is on the show thus far? Check out the article above! What do we think about the first day in paradise? Are any couples sticking out to you early on? 

Let us know what you think in the comments below, Bachelor Nation!