Last week Deadline Hollywood reported that Warner Bros. TV’s announced that its "investigation determined no misconduct had occurred on the set (of Bachelor in Paradise) and production on the reality series would resume.
Back on June 12, fans of ABC's "Bachelor in Paradise," were disappointed to learn that production had been put into hiatus due to allegations of sexual misconduct. The alleged assault was said to have involved controversial contestants Corrine Olympios and DeMario Jackson. Both Olympios and Jackson were reported to have been intoxicated during the encounter.
Booze flows freely at Bachelor in Paradise house
Drunk contestants make for good tv and it seems to me that contestants are encouraged to indulge in a cocktail or two or three. Apparently, both Olympios and Jackson took full advantage of the open bar at the BachelorinParadise house. E! News reported that Olympios was so drunk she claims to have blacked out, fallen down injuring her knee, fallen face first into the jacuzzi, and badly bruised her legs. Jackson admits to drinking but did not report injuries.
Olympios appeared 'fully engaged'
Since the news of production hiatus broke, rumors have been swirling about exactly what occurred between Olympios and Jackson, and if any sexual misconduct actually occurred.
While Olympios claimed to remember nothing, DeMario Jackson remembers everything. He claimed that the hookup was completely consensual and consisted of "rubbing, touching," and more.
Sources familiar with production have gone on record saying that Olympios stripped nude and apparently willingly joined Jackson in the pool, wrapping her legs around him.
The same sources were reported by TMZ as saying that Olympios appeared "fully engaged" during the encounter.
Here's where the story gets tricky. A cast member has reported that Olympios talked about the drunken hook-up the next day and was concerned and upset that her boyfriend back home would find out about it. The same cast member says Olympios never mentioned that the hook-up was non-consensual or that she was "too drunk to consent."
It's interesting to note that the entire hook-up was filmed, and nobody saw any reason to step in and stop the encounter.
It seems rational to expect that if a contestant appeared so intoxicated as to be victimized, a member of production would've stepped in. Nobody stepped in, not a member of production, not a fellow cast mate, nobody. This leads me to believe that Olympios wasn't nearly as drunk as she's claimed to be. Rather, I believe Ms. Olympios realized what she had done the next morning and panicked at the thought of her boyfriend finding out about her hook-up on "Bachelor in Paradise."
Too drunk to consent?
Once production was halted and cast members returned home, Olympios lawyered up, retaining attorney Marty Singer. Olympios has gone on record asserting that she was "too drunk to consent" and is, therefore, a victim of sexual misconduct.
Jackson vehemently denies any allegations of sexual misconduct and is determined to clear his name. He has retained an attorney of his own, Walter Mosley. Mosley claims that Jackson has suffered "a lot of trauma" as a result of the allegations made against him. Mosley asserts his client's innocence and claims he is the victim, as he has been portrayed as a sexual predator by Olympios and even lost his job over the allegations.
My problem with the situation
I have a huge problem with this entire situation. Since when is getting drunk and hooking up a cause for allegations of sexual misconduct? Thousands of women are sexually assaulted every year around the world but a drunken hook-up doesn't qualify as a sexual assault in my book.
Olympios was coherent enough to strip down naked, get into the pool, engage in a sexual encounter, and greet a fellow cast member walking by the pool.
This doesn't sound like a woman who was so out of it that she was "unable to consent" to the sexual encounter. She sounds like one of many women who regret a drunken hook-up. The ramifications of her accusations are life altering for Jackson. He's already been fired from his job over these allegations and the media has been brutal toward him. He's lost another source of income as a result of Olympio's allegations, as "Bachelor in Paradise" won't have him back when production resumes.
What happened to "innocent until proven guilty?" It seems Jackson has already been tried and convicted in the eyes of the media. The lack of justice for Jackson is nothing short of shameful and Olympios should be ashamed of herself.
