SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched the Season 15 premiere of “The Bachelorette” with Hannah B.
Fear not, Bachelor Nation. You have not seen the last of the Box King.
“The Bachelorette” contestant Joe Barsano, otherwise known as the Box King, will be joining the cast of “Bachelor in Paradise,” Variety has learned exclusively.
Sources familiar with casting tell Variety that Barsano will appear on Season 6 of “Bachelor in Paradise” this summer. Both ABC and Warner Bros. Television, the studio behind the series, declined to comment.
Barsano became an early fan-favorite on Monday night’s “Bachelorette” premiere, but he was sent home on night one by leading lady Hannah Brown, shocking millions of viewers who voiced their concern on social media, turning the contestant into a trending topic on Twitter.
Barsano, a 30-year-old from Chicago, dubbed himself “The Box King” because he works for his family business as a representative for a cardboard box manufacturing company. His introductory video package, which aired on “The Bachelorette’s” Season 15 premiere, showed him at a giant box warehouse, making jokes about boxes. He even went so far as to jump out of a giant box to first meet Brown during the episode’s limousine introductions.
Related
ABC seemed to know that the charming contestant’s early upset would be buzzed-about among viewers because the network capitalized off of the Box King right from the start, airing a spoof of host Chris Harrison cleaning up the messy box packaging on the “Bachelor” mansion’s driveway that was left from Barsano’s introduction during the bloopers that roll with the credits at the end of each episode. Harrison later tweeted, “I”m still cleaning up that damn driveway.”
The high-energy, big personality suitor quickly drew comparisons across social media to another “Bachelor” fan-favorite — who also happens to be named Joe and is from Chicago too — Grocery Store Joe a.k.a. Joe Amabile, who was also sent home on the first night of his season with “Bachelorette” Becca Kufrin.
Though Grocery Store Joe was sent home on night one, just like the Box King, he extended his 15 minutes of fame, also joining the cast of “Bachelor in Paradise” and even going onto compete on ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars.” His journey for love also worked out, as he’s currently dating former “Bachelor” contestant Kendall Long, who he starting dating while on last summer’s “Bachelor in Paradise.”
Only time will tell, but it looks like getting sent home could end up being the best thing to ever happen to the Box King.