“Bachelor Paradise” cast members are getting into strategy mode after last week’s episode introduced a twist that gives one lucky couple “the possibility of leaving paradise with up to half a million dollars.”
In an exclusive clip of Monday’s episode shared with TheWrap, the remaining beachgoers begin to strategize how to keep their couple in the running for the $500k prize — including the potential for a truce between couples.
“We have a rose ceremony tonight,” Sean McLaughlin said in the clip. “We have great couples here and that’s amazing. But now there’s $500,000 on the line, and you have to be playing chess.”
McLaughlin suggests crafting “strategic alliances” for himself and Allyshia Gupta with couples Dale Moss and Kat Izzo, as well as Bailey Brown and Jeremy Simon, suggesting that the group partake in a “secret rendezvous.”
“The game is definitely in full swing,” Gupta confirms. “No couple feels entirely safe.”
The clip then sees Gupta joining a group conversation, where Brown says,
“I personally don’t want people here who will stab me in the back later,” while McLaughlin brings up his idea of an alliance to Moss.
The new cash prize also weighs on the “Golden” cast members, with Kathy Swarts asking Keith Gordon, “You want the couple most in love to get the money?” When Gordon responds, “yeah,” Swarts continues, “I feel like whoever plays the best game should get the money.”
“You’re in strategy mode and I’m not,” Gordon said.
“You can be here for love, but you can also be here for the money,” Swarts said. “Some of them say they don’t care about the money, we’ll see.”
You can watch the full clip above.
The official logline for Monday’s episode is as follows: “As pressure builds in Paradise, couples begin to play with their heads as much as their hearts. Jesse introduces the ‘Treasure Hunk,’ putting communication skills to the test through a series of chaotic puzzles, and reveals that the next rose ceremony will feature a group vote in which two couples will be sent home. Later, the winning couple goes on a romantic date, and Sean’s bold attempt to lead a voting alliance sends ripples through the beach.”
“Bachelor in Paradise” airs at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC, and streams the next day on Hulu.
