Contestants speak out over Bachelor scandal: ‘There was a dark energy’

TWO drunken reality show contestants end up in a pool with cameras rolling. What happens next shuts down the entire program.

THE fallout from Bachelor in Paradise continues.

Contestant Corinne Olympios has reportedly hired a lawyer, blaming the producers of the Bachelor spin-off for letting a sexual encounter with fellow cast member DeMario Jackson go too far following a day of drinking, sources close to the reality star tell TMZ.

Olympios and Jackson allegedly engaged in sexual conduct while on the premises of a Mexican resort during the filming of Bachelor in Paradise over the weekend. Both had been drinking heavily throughout the day.

Jackson is said to remember the tryst — which TMZ reports as “intense rubbing, touching and fingering” while in a pool. He claims that Olympios put her genitals in his face and he started to perform oral sex on her.

However, Olympios says she cannot remember the encounter, claiming her castmates informed her the following day of what had happened.

While Olympios alleges contestants expressed their concerns for her safety to the crew, production insiders insist the cast did not approach the staff.

People previously reported Jackson engaged in sexual activity with a woman who was too intoxicated to consent. According to those with knowledge of the footage, however, it appears Olympios was “fully engaged.”

Contestant DeMario Jackson. Picture: ABC

Entertainment Weekly quotes one contestant who spoke on condition of anonymity. The contestant says the cast were placed in lockdown after the incident, unable to speak to each other.

“We were told to stay in a certain part of the [resort] while they figured out what the hell had happened,” the contestant says. “We knew something bad had happened; there was a dark energy that came around the house. You have to understand that we weren’t even there a week. The game hadn’t even really begun yet.”

“They stopped taping anything, and we were just kind of there, waiting in limbo.

Contestant Corinne Olympios has reportedly hired a lawyer. Picture: Getty

“We couldn’t talk to each other about what we knew. On Thursday, one of the camera guys told me that they were probably going to shut down production. I didn’t realise that it was that serious until then. I was like, ‘Wait, they’re thinking of cancelling the show?’ It hadn’t even crossed my mind that they’d do that.”

Production of the ABC reality series has since been suspended, with Warner Bros. on Sunday launching an investigation regarding “allegations of misconduct.”

“We have suspended production and we are conducting a thorough investigation of these allegations,” the studio said in a statement to The Post. “Once the investigation is complete, we will take appropriate responsive action.”

Olympios, who appeared on Season 21 of The Bachelor, is said to be in a relationship, telling friends she would not have engaged in such conduct with cameras rolling.

As for Jackson, the Bachelorette cast-off made an embarrassing exit on the most recent season of the dating competition after his ex-girlfriend crashed the set, encountering star Rachel Lindsay.

The fourth season of Bachelor in Paradise was set to premiere Aug. 8.

This story originally appeared on the New York Post and is republished here with permission.