‘Bachelor in Paradise’ Controversy: What to Know About Corinne Olympios – Hollywood Reporter

Corinne Olympios may be a household name among members of Bachelor Nation, but for the uninitiated following the Bachelor In Paradise investigation here’s a brief introduction.

Olympios, 25, is one of the two castmembers at the center of an investigation into alleged misconduct on the set of the Bachelor spinoff. The event in question occurred in Sayulita, Mexico, and allegedly involved a sexual encounter between the former Bachelor star and DeMario Jackson, 30, of the current Bachelorette season, after the two had been drinking from the set’s open bar. News broke Sunday that producers Warner Bros. suspended production on the upcoming fourth season after a report of “allegations of misconduct” on set was filed. The studio halted filming and opened an internal investigation, which remains ongoing.

Below is The Hollywood Reporter‘s primer about the Miami business owner, her history with the ABC reality franchise and why the publicist and lawyer she’s chosen to represent her matter. 

1. She hired a top Hollywood publicist and attorney: Stan Rosenfield and Marty Singer, respectively. 

Olympios has enlisted top representation to tackle the Bachelor in Paradise incident. “I have retained a group of professionals to ensure that what happened on June 4 comes to light and I can continue my life, including hiring an attorney to obtain justice,” she shared in a statement Wednesday. Read the full statement here.

Her new publicist, Rosenfield, has counted George Clooney, Robert De Niro, Kelsey Grammer and Taylor Hackford among his clients; he has also worked with Charlie Sheen, Helen Mirren, Will Smith and Kelly Ripa, among others.

Meanwhile, attorney Singer has touted following stars among those he has repped: Sheen, John Travolta, Priscilla Presley, Paula Abdul, Don Rickles, Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone. The master litigator is a perennial honoree on THR‘s Power Lawyers list. 

2. Olympios described herself on The Bachelor as a “serious business owner” of her family’s “multimillion-dollar company,” but told THR in March she’s also interested in pursuing a career in Hollywood.

It is uncertain where Olympios’ career would have taken her after Bachelor in Paradise if not for the current situation. After attending Florida International University, Olympios moved home to Miami to work for her family business (which is purportedly a flooring company). But weeks after exiting The Bachelor, she told THR in March she was “already doing some auditions” for gigs in Hollywood. 

The reality star also kicked off another venture: her own fashion line. In April, Olympios released merchandise on TeamCornShop.com in partnership with Riot Society. The clothing items and pillows showcase her signature catchphrases from her time on The Bachelor: “cheese pasta,” “platinum vagine,” “Dude, I need sushi” and “Make America Corinne Again.” Her own bikini line is in the works, as well. 

Olympios also borrowed a popular move from fellow Bachelor grads: selling products and promotional campaigns through Instagram. 

While juggling her professional and personal interests, Olympios donates her time to charities including the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Children’s Hospital and the Humane Society.

3. Bachelor Nation dubbed her The Bachelor season 21 “villain,” as she was accused of being a bully and hogging Nick Viall’s attention. 

On-and-off the show, Olympios’ actions and words sparked controversy. Bachelor Nation first met her in January on season 21 of The Bachelor, led by Viall and marking his fourth turn on the franchise. On their first date, she took her top off in the pool and instructed Viall to “grab my boobs” in front of her fellow contestants. During week three, she wore a coat with nothing underneath to the group cocktail party and brought whipped cream for Viall to lick off her cleavage. Olympios later surprised Viall at his hotel room door to introduce him to her “platinum vagine” and explore their sexual chemistry. Viall was heard through a closed door telling her to “slow down” and told her he has learned it is best to wait in these instances. In his private interview, Viall explained “as great as it is to have that intimacy, we all make mistakes, but I don’t want to make the same mistake I made with Kaitlyn.” (Viall had sex with the 11th Bachelorette, Kaitlyn Bristowe, before their fantasy suite date.) Olympios was “spinning out of control” after the rendezvous snafu and expressed feeling “very insecure,” “self conscious” and woke up in tears that week. 

Olympios stopped by The Ellen DeGeneres Show midseason in February to discuss her TV behavior. “Watching it back, I think I’m funny. I actually laugh really hard at myself,” she told DeGeneres. “I was a little bit more promiscuous than I thought I would look.” DeGeneres asked if she was drunk on the show, to which Olympios responded, “There are alcoholic beverages, but I did know my limits. I never took it too far where I blacked out or anything like that.”

After exiting the show, Olympios told THR that she had no regrets in the end. “No, I love me. If there’s no sexual attraction in a relationship you shouldn’t be with that person.” 

It is worth noting that the premise of the dating franchise is to find a committed partner, with whom ABC’s lead has a healthy emotional and physical connection for a lifelong marriage. The franchise’s 33 combined seasons of The Bachelor and Bachelorette have a history of exploring intimacy and have included candid conversations about sex. Producers typically provide “fantasy suites” for the lead to spend with his or her final four suitors, in which they may spend the night together with the cameras off. On Viall’s Bachelor season, for instance, Raven Gates openly discussed orgasms and suggested on camera that she climaxed in the fantasy suite. Bachelorette season 10 star Andi Dorfman defended her TV intimacy and spoke out about a double standard between men and women on the franchise: “The Bachelor is never called a manwhore. But when a woman who is in the same exact situation does it, she gets labeled a slut and it’s all of a sudden newsworthy.”  

As for Olympios’ relationship with the women on the show, her biggest dispute was with Taylor Nolan, with whom she was set to reunite on Bachelor in Paradise. On The Bachelor, she called Nolan a “dumb bitch,” ” f—king idiot, “stank face” and “disgusting.” Nolan was eliminated on a two-on-one date with Olympios, after biting back at her show-enemy, calling her “toddler-like” and accusing her of building a relationship off of “whipped cream and lies.”

4. She introduced viewers to her tight-knit family, including her nanny Raquel, who gained her own level of fame. 

At the time of her Bachelor season, Olympios was 24 and proud to introduce her full-time nanny, Raquel, to viewers. She later defended the criticism she received for having a nanny in her mid-20s, by telling the audience of ABC’s Women Tell All special, “I would never disrespect her … There is no way in hell I would ever call her a cleaning lady.” Fans at one point launched a GoFundMe page to “free” Raquel from the Olympios family.

Viewers could better understand their dynamic toward the end of the season, when Raquel was heavily featured on the Miami hometown date. Raquel shared, “I love Corinne very much like my daughter,” and warned Viall, “I don’t want you to hurt her … If she’s happy I’m happy.”

Olympios told DeGeneres and ABC’s Women Tell All audience that Raquel is her “everything,” and was right by her mother’s side through her battle with cancer. Raquel moved with the Olympios clan from New Jersey to Florida, and has been with them for over 18 years. 

At the time of her reality TV debut, Olympios lived in her family’s Miami mansion and gave Bachelor viewers a tour in week one. Fans also experienced what she described as “a day in the life of Corinne,” when Olympios brought Viall back home with her to meet her father, mother, nanny and younger sister. The date entailed escorting her crush to a favorite destination: one of Miami’s most expensive shopping malls, where she charged $3,423.80 on her credit card in clothes for the two of them and “didn’t even flinch.” 

Olympios tearfully exited the show in the top four. Viall broke up with her after her hometown date, during which Olympios professed her love for him. He ultimately proposed to Vanessa Grimaldi, with whom he remains engaged.

‘Bachelor in Paradise’ Controversy: What to Know About Corinne Olympios – Hollywood Reporter