Bachelor in Paradise is winding down and, with it, the possibility of making decent connections in Mexico. Fans saw how tough it can be for late-comers this week when both Blake E. and Fred from Rachel Lindsay's season went home the same day they arrived. But Jaimi King is poised to enter the mix and stir things up. The alum from Nick Viall's season of The Bachelor was a super popular fan favorite at the time, but who is Jaimi on Bachelor in Paradise? She was a groundbreaking figure to Bachelor Nation.
Aside from being effortlessly chill and sporting an adorable septum piercing, Jaimi won Bachelor Nation hearts and minds due largely to the fact that she was the franchise's first not-straight contestant. Although she never labeled her sexual orientation on the show, she did mention to Nick having been in a relationship with a woman, which he took in stride and appreciatively thanked her for sharing. She didn't make it very far on his season, but she came across as super authentic and grounded, which translates to insta-likability on The Bachelor. And although she never made a personal crusade out of being the first queer contestant on The Bachelor, the fanbase still appreciated the representation.
Unsurprisingly, it looks like Bachelor in Paradise is teasing tired bisexual drama tropes already in its promos of Jaimi's arrival. Much is made of the fact that Jaimi is allowed to give her rose to a man or a woman on the show, which might be interesting if there was another woman interested in women in the mix. But it seems unlikely that any of the women Jaimi "steals away" in the preview are actual romantic prospects; same-gender conspiring has been happening all season long amongst friends for the purposes of getting dirt on the existing couples. Viewers already know from Jaimi's Instagram, for example, that she and Jasmine are just friends, regardless of what the promo teases.
When she isn't lending much needed visibility to the Bachelor franchise, Jaimi works as a chef at New Orleans' Ace Hotel, although she has an affinity for pastry and is hoping to break into cake decorating. She also landed on GO Magazine's 100 Women We Love: Class of 2017 list, telling them of coming out:
Me being out doesn’t really have any effect on my success. I see myself [as] successful in many aspects of my life. As far as relationship success, I would say that I have more possibility of being successful in that area because I can allow myself to fall for anyone, no matter his or her sexual orientation or race.
You can see how Jaimi fares in Paradise when she arrives on Tuesday, Sept. 5. I can't wait to see her join the fold.
