The first-ever season of "Bachelor in Paradise Australia" begins in Australia on March 25 and I could not be more excited. From what I know of the initial lineup, we're in for a treat. With cast mates that previously divided audiences (you either passionately love or hate them) like Keira Maguire, Laurina "Dirty Street Pie" Fleure, and Blake Colman, it's likely old grievances will be reignited, strong personalities will clash and things will get heated as the contestants battle to be lucky in love.

But the real question is, will it be as dramatic, raunchy, and scandalous as the original American version of the show?

In my opinion, the Australian versions of "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" have always been much tamer than their American counterparts. But, after having watched the previews and sneak-peek videos published by Channel 10, stalking the cast's personal social media channels, and reading far more articles than I care to admit, I think we might just be in for some titillating viewing.

The cast of 'Bachelor in Paradise Australia'

Laurina Fleure

Laurina first appeared on Blake Garvey's season of "The Bachelor" in 2014 and made the phrase "Dirty street pie" famous after a less than romantic one-on-one date. She has a firecracker personality and won't stand for any BS.

Keira Maguire

I can't say I ever liked Keira.

Perhaps something to do with the permanent sneer on her face. This feisty blonde first appeared on Richie Strahan's season of "The Bachelor" in 2016. To be honest, I was expecting Keira and Laurina would clash, but from Keira's Instagram account, this doesn't seem to be the case.

Elora Murger

Canadian Elora was originally from Matty J's season of "The Bachelor," and caused a bit of drama when she tried to steal a kiss from Matty J at a cocktail party behind the other girls' backs.

Simone Ormesher

Simone also originally appeared in Matty J's season of "The Bachelor" (2017) and was instrumental in the downfall of Leah.

Florence Sophia

Florence is another of the women who first appeared in Matty J's season of "The Bachelor."

Tara Pavlovic

Crowd favorite Tara first appeared on Matty J's season of "The Bachelor" (2017).

Tara is well-loved by male and female viewers alike because of her down-to-earth, easy-going and cheerful personality.

Lisa Hyde

I legitimately love Lisa. Late-comer in Blake Garvey's season of "The Bachelor" (2014), Lisa ended up being the runner-up to Sam Frost. Considering Blake turned out to be such a massive liar and broke Sam's heart, the fact Lisa didn't win this season was probably a blessing in disguise (sorry, Sam). I hope Lisa has better luck in paradise!

Nina Rolleston

I can't remember much about Nina, to be honest, except that she first appeared in Sam Wood's season of "The Bachelor" in 2015.

Leah Costa

As a feminist, I thought the reason Leah was eventually eliminated from Matty J's season of "The Bachelor" wasn't right.

That being said, I'm not a fan.

Ali Oetjen

Ali first appeared on Tim Robard's season of "The Bachelor" in 2013.

Megan Marx

Megan famously walked out during a rose ceremony in Richie Strahan's season of "The Bachelor" and then got into a relationship with fellow contestant, Tiffany Scanlon. From the previews of "Bachelor in Paradise," it looks as though she may have another female love interest in this show.

Davey Lloyd

Davey first appeared on Sam Frost's season of "The Bachelorette" in 2015 and seems like a good bloke with a decent sense of humor. Perhaps a little immature though.

Brett Moore

Brett is another contestant who first appeared on Sophie Monk's season of "The Bachelorette" (2017).

Jake Ellis

Jake was the second runner-up in Georgia Love's season of "The Bachelorette" in 2016.

Michael Turnbull

Brisbane boy Michael first appeared on Sam Frost's season of "The Bachelorette" in 2015. He seems nice enough, but a bit of a party boy.

Luke McLeod

Tall, quiet and handsome, I think Luke is one of the most "normal" Bachelor/ette contestants, which is why he's so likable. Having first appeared on Sophie Monk's season of "The Bachelorette" (2017), I can see Luke getting along with the guys and the girls on "Bachelor in Paradise."

Apollo Jackson

Magician and all-around entertainer Apollo first appeared on Sophie Monk's season of "The Bachelorette" (2017).

Mack Reid

Mack also first appeared on Sophie Monk's season of "The Bachelorette" (2017). I always thought he was sweet until he revealed he was a massive fanboy and didn't seem interested in Sophie as a real person at all.

Eden Schwencke

Eden is another contestant who first appeared on Sophie Monk's season of "The Bachelorette" (2017), but aside from his epic breakdancing performance when he first met Sophie, I don't remember much about him.

Jarrod Woodgate

I was a fan of Jarrod's until he turned into an over-eager, jealous, seemingly love-sick puppy. I do believe he is genuinely a decent bloke, but he's a bit too full-on for me. Which is a pity, seeing as his family own a vineyard, which is basically my dream. After making it to the top two in Sophie Monk's season, there is speculation (according to several recent articles, including one published in Now to Love) that Jarrod may propose on this season of "Bachelor in Paradise."

Sam Cochrane

I'm always someone to go for the funny guy, the guy that will make a fool of himself to get others to laugh and feel comfortable.

Generally, because I think they are kind, somewhat insecure people who put a front on so that they don't feel so insecure. But Sam, who first appeared on on Sophie Monk's season of "The Bachelorette" (2017), ended up being more annoying and insulting than funny, and it will be interesting to see how he fares in Paradise.

Grant Kemp

One of the contestants recruited from America, Grant first appeared on JoJo Fletcher's season of "The Bachelorette" (US) in 2016 and has also appeared on one season of "Bachelor in Paradise" (US).

Daniel Maguire

Daniel is the second American contestant and he appeared on the same season of "The Bachelorette" and "Bachelor in Paradise" as Grant did.

Blake Colman

This guy.

He came fourth in Sophie Monk's season of "The Bachelorette," and was NOT happy about being eliminated, which was when he finally revealed his true character. Later, it came out that he had been charged with assault.

How the format of 'Bachelor in Paradise' differs to that of 'The Bachelor'

First and foremost, the aim of "Bachelor in Paradise" is for several couples to form, rather than just the one. This is made possible by a cast with an almost equal number of males and females.

One of the most interesting aspects of the show is that the power shifts every week, or however long the time between rose ceremonies is. So, for example, because there are only six females going into the villa when the show starts versus eight males, the males will have the power in the first rose ceremony.

When it comes to the rose ceremony, whichever gender has the most cast members will give a rose to a cast member of the opposite gender, and whoever is left without a rose, is sent home.

As a result, and another interesting format difference from "The Bachelor," the cast is constantly changing. If the Australian version of "Bachelor in Paradise" is anything like the American version, the cast isn't only whittled down one or two at a time or introduced to a bunch of new people at once via "intruders", but new people are introduced throughout the duration of the show.

As you can imagine, this constantly-changing cast and shifting of power will certainly keep things interesting!

It also means the cast has to be more strategic than ever because even if they don't have any immediate connections, they won't want to be eliminated if there's a chance of someone else coming into the villa that they will be interested in.

People who couple-up early are also likely to find their relationships challenged by the introduction of new cast members throughout the show.

While the cast and format of "Bachelor in Paradise" indicate that the Australian show has the potential to be every bit as exciting as the American show, recent reports from cast mates published on several different news sites (including News.com.au) have claimed there were strict guidelines around intimacy imposed on the cast by production. According to the same sources, these restrictions were largely influenced by an incident that occurred on the latest US version of the show, where one female cast member initiated legal proceedings after claiming the producers allowed an instance of sexual misconduct, which resulted in production being shut down temporarily (the production crew were cleared of all charges).

Rumors and gossip about the contestants, prior to the show airing

According to the official Channel 10 preview videos of the show, this first season will be must-view watching.

There's a shock pregnancy.

There's a proposal.

There is also a lot of hooking up, romance, drama, and a lot of crying.

From where I'm sitting, it seems like we're in for an epic first season of "Bachelor in Paradise Australia."

Luckily, there isn't long to wait! "Bachelor in Paradise Australia" airs in Australia at 7.30 PM on Sunday, March 25, 2018.
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