Bachelor in Paradise 9 finale date and runtime confirmed

The final episodes of Bachelor in Paradise season 9 are much closer than you think, which is why we want to fill you in on what you can expect in the upcoming weeks to avoid missing out on all the juicy drama!

To get the most asked question out the way, no, you won’t be able to watch a brand-new episode of Bachelor in Paradise while you’re chowing down on turkey with your loved ones. The ABC show will not air on Thanksgiving Day, meaning season 9 is airing into December 2023. But how far into the last month of the year will new episodes continue to be released?

The final episode of BiP season 9 airs December 7

While a Christmas episode of Bachelor in Paradise would be nice, season 9 won’t be airing that long! Rather, the latest season will officially come to an end on Thursday, Dec. 7!

The final episode will be approximately three hours long, airing from 8:00 p.m. ET to 11:00 p.m. ET on ABC. And, from the looks of it, the television network really means it when they say there will be no more episodes after this finale. Sadly, there is likely to be no reunion special for season 9 scheduled at this time.

• Finale date: Thursday, Dec. 7
• Finale time: 8:00 p.m. ET
• Finale runtime: 3 hours long
• Where to watch live: ABC
• Where to stream: Hulu the next day on Dec. 8

Naturally, some fans have their reservations about season 9 airing so late in the year, especially since they’re used to the show releasing in the summer.

“Bip [Bachelor in Paradise] in december just feels wrong. I hope it goes back to being a summer show next year,” one comment read, while another held sentiments, saying, “Gotta start actually putting this in the summer. Editing doesn’t take 6 months!!”

Whether or not this ABC reality series airs in December or July should be the least of our worries, as a considerable number of fans weren’t the biggest supporters of this season.

Mixed feelings could put Bachelor in Paradise on the bubble!

Although Bachelor in Paradise is the one installment of the Bachelor franchise fans look forward to because contestants don’t have to act refined and can date as many people as they want, season 9 seems to have been an exception to this norm.

Some fans felt the casting was an issue.

“This is the least fun season ever so far! These people are taking their day 1 connections so seriously trying to make everyone that goes on date feel guilty that they should stick with their original person…that’s not what this is about,” one fan on Reddit expressed. “The guys need to lighten up and not get so attached so quickly.”

Other fans believe this season shows that Bachelor in Paradise lost its direction.

“I think I kind of hate it now because everybody knows each other before the show. They’re friends or they’ve been flirting. It’s not fun anymore because it’s basically a vacation for people who are already dating and know each other,” another fan said on a Reddit thread titled “BIP is Cringe.”

But some fans, like ourselves, see both sides.

Season 9 definitely didn’t draw us in like previous seasons did. We could attribute most of that to a few castmates who definitely feel like they’re only here for a vacation. But we truly feel that the show’s formula is a tad outdated given the current state of reality TV.

With reality TV shows, viewers want to see drama that actually threatens the contestants’ calm and collected nature. (Sorry, seeing if someone can poop or not doesn’t fit this bill!) We want cutthroat contestants who couldn’t care less about whether they date two or three people at the same time because this is a show where they are allowed to do that. Most importantly, we want to have fun!

All in all, the romance is fine. We just want bigger personalities and higher stakes from Bachelor in Paradise. Only time will tell if we receive that. Until then, let’s see how season 9 closes out!

Don’t forget to catch Bachelor in Paradise season 9 every Thursday night on ABC!