The Golden Bachelorette: Pascal's Sharing Dirty Secrets With His Producer Interference Claims (Is He Slinging Mud To Stay Relevant?)

The Golden Bachelorette alum Pascal Ibgui is now a polarizing figure in the Bachelor franchise, after calling Chock Chapple a "stalker" and accusing producers of encouraging him to dump Joan Vassos, and he may be slinging mud just to stay on people's radars. Describing another suitor as a "stalker" was a new low - it was out of line and uncool. Yes, Chock was attentive to Joan onscreen, but he didn't descend to stalking her. Sitting next to a woman during a bowling date does not make him a stalker.

With regard to producer interference, Pascal may have a point. He felt pressured to end things with The Golden Bachelorette's Joan Vassos, and then felt guilty for hurting her. He seems to have a lot of regrets about the way that everything unfolded. If there was a master plan by The Golden Bachelorette producers, it didn't go off without a hitch. Pascal would have been expected to go away quietly. He would have been a disposable element in a storyline. Now that he's speaking out, he's probably a thorn in the side of the production team.

Is Pascal Ibgui A Clout Chaser?

He's Getting A Lot Of Attention

As a member of Bachelor Nation, Pascal's remarkably rebellious. Usually, people toe the line because they want to be recast. They don't want to offend the powers-that-be. Pascal doesn't have this kind of diplomatic vibe. He is "out there" in terms of expressing his feelings. His comments are bold. In fact, he seems to really enjoy causing trouble.

He has a right to his opinion - maybe the producers did push him a bit, wanting him to initiate a high-drama breakup onscreen. Perhaps he would have detached from Joan in a gentler way if he'd had more freedom. As it stands, he has to look back, remembering the way she felt after he tapped out of the relationship. She was sad. She felt like she wasn't worth loving. His sorrow over all of that could be seeping out as he talks about his experiences on the show. Men have feelings too.

Pascal's issues with producer interference (and it hasn't been proven that anyone interfered) are not that offensive, but they could easily be interpreted as clout chasing. He's making headlines because of these comments - he's actually stealing Joan and Chock's thunder. On Google's carousel for the show, Pascal has been a strong presence lately. He's confident enough to say how he feels, he seems to enjoy making a spectacle, and he never holds back.

He appears to be angling for another gig, maybe as The Golden Bachelor. However, he's outspoken about that show too. He's said that he doesn't want to date "super-old" - he wants the age threshold lowered. This really isn't that shocking. Men preferring to date younger women isn't some kind of news bulletin. It is, for the most part, human nature.

Pascal made it to Joan's final three, alongside Guy Gansert and Chock. Now, with the finale looming, he's claiming his place in the spotlight. As he carves out a strong identity online, he may be gathering clout that he can leverage to stay famous. He might not get cast as The Golden Bachelor after criticizing producers, but that doesn't mean he can't get other reality gigs. The ruckus he's causing could really pay off, and that may actually be his end game. When he's really famous, he'll have so many options.