The rumors are true. The first relationship to emerge from the new season of The Bachelor, which premieres Monday (8 p.m. EST) on ABC, doesn’t involve its star, Jake Pavelka, at all.
The dating show’s host, Chris Harrison, confirmed on Monday that a male producer had a relationship with one of the female contestants during filming and that ABC had to address the situation on camera in an episode this season.
“It was incredibly unfortunate. Horrible decisions were made,” Harrison told Sean Valentine, the morning radio host at KBIG-FM in Los Angeles. “It was embarrassing for us and in fairness to Jake and for the other women, [we said], ‘Let’s nip this in the bud and take care of it.’ And that’s what we did.”
Harrison didn’t identify the producer or the contestant, nor did he elaborate on the repercussions, though presumably neither party was allowed to continue on the program. Whatever punishment was doled out, it will be addressed on the show. “I felt bad for everybody,” Harrison said. “It was an uncomfortable deal.”
Asked if the pair are still together, Harrison replied: “I don’t know. It’s a good question. Would that count on our tally as one of our couples?” –Tim Nudd