It was arguably the biggest scandal in the franchise's history when Bachelor in Paradise production was temporarily shut down last month due to allegations of misconduct on set. Early reports claimed that a sexual encounter between DeMario Jackson and Corinne Olympios occurred when she was too drunk to consent.
Days after production was shut down, Warner Bros. launched an internal investigation and both Jackson and Olympios hired lawyers. Ten days later, Warner Bros. announced there was no evidence of misconduct. Olympios' legal team continued its own investigation, and ultimately reached the same conclusion.
Although she was invited back when filming resumed, Olympios declined the invitation. But she will return to Paradise one last time for the show's reunion special, she announced today.
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“I am very happy to be appearing on the Bachelor in Paradise special,” said Olympios, 25.
Olympios' statement follows on the heels of Jackson's recent announcement that he'll appear on the reunion special. (Jackson won't return to Mexico for Bachelor in Paradise filming, either.)
“I’m doing the Men Tell All for The Bachelorette and I’ll be doing Paradise as well,” Jackson told TMZ. “I owe it to my cast mates. They’ve been very supportive of me throughout this whole entire thing and I want to thank them all personally, face to face — give them all hugs and bro out or sis out, or whatever. They’ve been so helpful.”
Olympios, who does not recall the events that ultimately resulted in the production shutdown, initially described herself as "a victim" and stated she planned to enter therapy "to begin dealing with the physical and emotional trauma stemming from that evening."
After the investigation concluded, Olympios updated her previous remarks: “I felt victimized by the fact that others were judging me through conflicting and unsubstantiated reports, while I myself had no recollection of the events that transpired,” she said in a statement.
Although Warner Bros. has said it won't release a videotape of the incident in question, the production company says it plans "to implement certain changes to the show’s policies and procedures to enhance and further ensure the safety and security of all participants.”
When Olympios and Jackson appear on the reunion special, we'll likely hear both sides of the controversial story.