‘Bachelor in Paradise’: David Spade Ends His Run as Guest Host
This season, Bachelor in Paradise welcomed four celebrity guest hosts to replace Chris Harrison. David Spade hosted the season’s first two episodes, welcoming the initial set of cast members to the beach. After a brief stint, his hosting journey on Bachelor in Paradise has come to a close.
Four new hosts joined this season of ‘Bachelor in Paradise’
In June 2021, longtime host Chris Harrison announced that he was permanently leaving The Bachelor franchise after a 19-year run. The decision came after Harrison defended Bachelor contestant Rachael Kirkconnell’s attendance at a plantation-themed party.
ABC hired new hosts of The Bachelorette, Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe, from within Bachelor Nation. For Bachelor in Paradise, however, they looked outside the franchise. One day after Harrison’s departure, the network announced four rotating guest hosts: Spade, Tituss Burgess, Lil Jon, and Lance Bass.
David Spade was the first guest host on ‘Bachelor in Paradise’
Comedian and longtime Bachelor fan Spade was the first guest host to join Bachelor in Paradise. Spade first began watching the show to do a parody for Funny or Die.
“And then I just kept watching. I just kept making fun of it on my Instagram. It’s just fun to watch,” he told Variety.
Years later, the creator of The Bachelor, Mike Fleiss, contacted Spade about hosting the latest season of Bachelor in Paradise.
“They were really in the beginning stages,” Spade said. “I was going to say no. And then I go, ‘Maybe.’ So I went in and I said, ‘Yeah, let’s try ‘Paradise.’ That makes the most sense to me because it’s the least serious.”
After welcoming fans to the show and the first group of contestants to the beach, most of Spade’s work was done. He will only appear in two episodes this season. In his final episode, Spade requested to leave the show in the same car that transports eliminated contestants.
“If I had any advice for the next host, I would say, ‘I thought it was gonna be easy. But you know what? Doing barely anything was a lot harder than I thought.’ I hope they can handle the pressure,” he said on his way out.
David Spade would consider returning to the franchise
Despite the difficulties of hosting, Spade said that he would consider working on The Bachelor franchise in the future, as long as his appearance is well received.
When asked about further involvement with the franchise, he told Variety:
I don’t know if I am in the age limit to be part of this Bachelor Nation, but I do relate to it because I’m so young at heart — I wear shirts that people who are 30 wear, so that’s good. I didn’t mind it. I’ll watch Monday… I’ll make some jokes about it. And then I’ll see. I’ll joke about me joking on the show. That’s tragic. And then I will see how it goes to the other people.
At this point, it is not clear if the franchise is looking for more guest hosts, or someone to take on the job full time.
Ultimately, though, Spade’s more laid-back hosting style was generally enjoyed by fans. Whether he comes back in another guest role or to fill the permanent position remains to be seen.
