Serene Russell sitting next to Brandon Jones during the 'Bachelor in Paradise' 2022 reunion showing her engagement ring to Jesse Palmer

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‘Bachelor in Paradise’ 2023 Cast: Will Serene Russell Join?

Will fans see Serene Russell join the 'Bachelor in Paradise' 2023 cast? Here's what we know about the cast so far, plus more about Serene's breakup with Brandon Jones.

by Lauren Weiler

Published on June 9, 2023

3 min read

Will Serene Russell join the ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ 2023 cast?

Serene Russell seems unlikely to join the Bachelor in Paradise 2023 cast. While fans would love to see her find true love again while in Mexico, she might not be ready to find love so quickly after her breakup with Brandon Jones. Serene and Brandon announced their breakup in early May 2023, and Bachelor in Paradise Season 9 began filming in early June 2023.

“After many months, today we have ultimately decided to end our engagement,” Serene posted to Instagram on May 8, 2023. “We have tried to work privately on our relationship which has been incredibly challenging in the public eye. This has been immensely hard to accept and painful, as there is a lot of love between the two of us. We are deeply hurting and can only ask that there be no hate. The best path for us at this time is to try and move forward and heal from this as individuals.”

Additionally, Reality Steve posted who he knows joined the new cast, and Serene wasn’t part of that list. Most of the women this season will be from Zach Shallcross’s season of The Bachelor. Kat Izzo, Jess Girod, Mercedes Northup, and Cat Carter have already been spotted. Rachel Recchia will also reportedly hit the beach.

If Serene were to join the cast, it would likely happen very late in the season, which wouldn’t give her the best chance at finding love. Producers know many of the men would want to get to know her, thus likely not giving her this bad positioning.

Cheating rumors surround Serene Russell and Brandon Jones’ breakup

When Serene Russell and Brandon Jones first announced their breakup, many Bachelor Nation fans didn’t suspect a cheating scandal to erupt. But ahead of any concrete Bachelor in Paradise 2023 news, Reality Steve posted an exclusive clip showing Brandon dancing closely with a woman who isn’t Serene.

“(EXCLUSIVE): Brandon Jones at the club Superstition in Austin, Texas, on May 5th with another woman,” Reality Steve wrote on Twitter. “Three days later on May 8, Brandon and Serene gave a joint statement on IG announcing their break up and ending their engagement.”

“I was told that Serene was made aware of this video and has seen it,” Reality Steve continued on his website. “That’s what took me a few days to find out.”

Serene posted to Instagram on June 8, 2023 — the first time since the breakup. “Planted to bloom,” she captioned her post showing two photos of herself as well as additional text. The text reads, “The light will trickle back in. You’ve been planted to bloom.”

‘Bachelor in Paradise’ 2023 officially began filming

Fans will find out the official Bachelor in Paradise 2023 cast soon enough, as filming has begun. ABC has not yet released any information about the new season’s premiere. But it’s likely that Bachelor in Paradise Season 9 will premiere in September 2023.

For now, fans can look forward to Charity Lawson’s season of The Bachelorette. The new season premieres on Monday, June 26, 2023. Rumors suggest several men from Charity’s season make it on to the new season of Paradise, too.

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