Chris Harrison Blogs ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ Week 5

Well, first and foremost, Bachelor Nation, we are very pleased to finally be able to reveal to you our new Bachelor tonight on After Paradise. We are very excited for an amazing summer and can’t wait to bring a new exciting season to you in January. And of course we are hoping it will be the most romantic and dramatic season of all time. I look forward to hearing all of your thoughts over the next few weeks. But before we get to any of that, let’s talk all things Paradise!

It’s hard to believe that we are only one week away from the end of all of this. It seems like only yesterday that Chad was threatening me and then wandering off into the abyss. But now we are only 7 days from the most epic finale in Paradise history. For the first time ever there is going to be more than one proposal. Who will it be? Who will say yes? And who will go home alone? That’s all coming up next week.

Related: ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ Recap: Ashley vs. Random Girl From Canada and a Russian ‘Hooker’

This week was an incredible whirlwind. It feels like the end of an era to have to say goodbye to the twins, Emily and Haley. They’ve come so far as twins and also as individuals. It was hard for them to make the decision to leave, but as we all know, the last week of Paradise is very intense and they didn’t want to lead anyone on. Unfortunately, along with them went all the men who attempted to win their hearts, leading to the biggest exodus in recent memory. But before they left, Haley and Emily pulled the pin out a grenade and left it in the sand. Obviously, their time in Paradise was over, but Amanda is truly their best friend and they just wanted to make sure she was looking for red flags.

This, predictably, did not sit well with Josh and we finally got to see something we’ve been waiting for for a long time. Josh was clearly upset, which, by the way, feels reasonable in some ways. If I felt like I was being genuine and earnest and had to keep hearing that people were questioning me, I would be very upset as well. This is one of those cases where people are just going to see the world from different perspectives. People who don’t see Josh as genuine are going to see his outburst as a wild overreaction. People who think Josh is genuine are going to think he is absolutely justified. Paradise is a complicate place. I guess it all just comes down to who you believe: Josh or the people who question him.

That drama came to a head but wasn’t the only drama this week as the Ashley, Caila, Jared love triangle (or whatever you want to call it) finally also came to head. I think if there’s one thing we can all take away from this, it’s that you shouldn’t try to live with someone you’re still in love with while you’re both trying to date other people. Tensions were just way too high for those three to coexist any longer. In some ways, things worked out perfectly. Jared got to leave with Caila and give their relationship a shot outside of Paradise and Ashley now gets to continue to court Wells (who has all the ladies swooning at the moment) without being distracted by her ex.

Going into our last week, a lot is still up in the air. Who will Wells end up with? Will there be a residual effect from the confrontation with Josh on the beach? Lace and Grant continue their volatile-spiked-with-passion relationship. Evan and Carly continue their roller-coaster love affair. And finally, Josh and Amanda will need to figure out how things could work out for them outside of Paradise.

Next week is sure to be the most dramatic season finale in Paradise history and we look forward to seeing you there. And we can’t wait to hear all your thoughts on our new Bachelor! Talk to you soon, Bachelor Nation!

Bachelor in Paradise airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on ABC. After Paradise airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on ABC.