reality tv

"It's a dump." Keira Maguire has feelings about the Bachelor in Paradise resort.

The contestants on Bachelor in Paradise 2019 are conventionally attractive. We know this because a) we’ve seen them, and b) they’ve been cast on a dating show on a commercial television network.

But if you’re still skeptical, Bachelor/Paradise alumna Keira Maguire has a further proof – a formula, if you will, involving intestinal infections, ambient temperature and interior decorating.

Speaking to podcast, The Buzz, this week, the 2018 star explained that conditions at the Fijian resort where the Channel 10 series is filmed aren’t as luxe as viewers might think. The revelation came in response to a comment by co-host Mikkayla Mossop about the relative attractiveness of the 2019 stars.

Watch the trailer for Bachelor in Paradise 2019.

Video by Channel 10

“If they’re looking good in that situation, they must be good looking,” Keira, who found love with Jarrod Woodgate on the show, responded. “Because trust me, it’s like 40 degrees and they’ve probably all got Fiji belly – I’m not joking.

“Because the place looks good on TV, but it’s a dump.”

This “dump” is Mango Bay Resort, a 12-acre tropical retreat in Tadrawai Valley, Viti Levu, Fiji’s main island. It sits right on the beachfront and has rooms ranging from $140 to $265 per night. So yes, it’s a pretty budget slice of paradise, but 572 ordinary folk who’ve stayed there have scored it four stars on TripAdvisor.

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Mango Bay Resort, Fiji.
Mango Bay Resort, Fiji.
Mango Bay Resort, Fiji.
Mango Bay Resort, Fiji.
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Mango Bay Resort, Fiji.
Mango Bay Resort, Fiji.
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It's also in Fiji... on a beachfront... and presumably free if you're on telly. So there's that.

But given Keira's review, we're a little concerned what the more, erm, vocal members of the 2019 cast might think.

Cat (^^) and her mate Romy, for example, weren't exactly backwards in coming forwards on the 2018 season of The Bachelor (bullies, they were straight up bullies). And though Keira acknowledges that's why they were cast in the spinoff, she - like the rest of the reality-television-watching public - has her fingers crossed that the sea breeze and salt water might do them good.

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"As you saw from my season, a lot of people change in different circumstances, so you're probably going to see a different side to their personalities," she said, "which is what we're hoping."

Well, perhaps if the Fiji belly doesn't get them first...

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