“Bachelor in Paradise” contestant Jasmine Goode has come to the defense of DeMario Jackson, who has been accused of sexually assaulting Corinne Olympios on the set of the ABC Show. As a result of the allegations, Warner Bros. was forced to abruptly halt production on the fourth season of the reality TV series.
“The day of the incident under investigation, Corinne [Olympios] did not display any change in behavior from what was observed by the cast on her season of ‘The Bachelor’,” Goode, who was a contestant on this season, said in a statement to E! News. “Corinne forced herself on three male cast members, when they were unable to consent, in addition to engaging with DeMario. After the incident everything seemed fine. There was no mention about being hurt. However, when producers tried to cut her off from drinking, she got upset and said, ‘Watch, watch what I’m gonna do.’”
Goode, who was a contestant on Nick Viall’s season of “The Bachelor” alongside Olympios, added, “The cast is not encouraged or forced to engage in any behaviors or to drink alcohol. Producers check in to make sure the cast is comfortable and accommodate to the needs requested.”
Olympios’ attorney Marty Singer told TheWrap, “Several cast members and producers have come forward confirming the facts disclosed by my client. If nothing improper occurred on the set of ‘Bachelor in Paradise,’ why was the production shut down within two days of production?” he said. “Shutting down production of a television series is almost unheard of. The investigation and subsequent shutting down of the series was initiated based on complaints made by producers on the set of ‘Bachelor in Paradise.’”
Warner Bros., the studio behind the “Bachelor” franchise, said Sunday it halted production on the popular ABC reality show following “allegations of misconduct,” and that an investigation is underway. It appeared to involve questions about whether a sexual encounter occurred between two cast members, and whether the female contestant was too inebriated to give consent.
Earlier this week, Olympios released a statement saying she is “a victim” and that she has “little memory of that night.” Her statement continued, “As a woman, this is my worst nightmare and it has now become my reality.”
No one has publicly gone into detail about what transpired on the set, but TMZ, citing unnamed sources, reported that while male contestant DeMario Jackson and the woman, who was previously unnamed, were in a swimming pool, she “put her genitals in his face and he began licking. He says he was unable to consummate things because he was so drunk.” TMZ said a producer complained to Warner Bros. that producers did nothing to stop it and continued to film.
A field producer who had been assigned to shadow the female contestant said the woman “seemed so drunk … she had no ability to consent to DeMario Jackson’s sexual moves in a swimming pool, and producers nonetheless let it play out on film,” TMZ reported.
Jackson also released a statement saying his “character and family name has been assassinated this past week with false claims and malicious allegations.”
There has been no criminal investigation up to this point, and Warner Bros. has no issued no further statement about the alleged incident.
The “Bachelor” spinoff, which shoots in Puerto Vallarta, was scheduled to premiere on Tuesday, Aug. 8. No decision has been made about whether the show will be continued in the future.