St. Catharines woman hitting jackpot after jackpot on ‘Bachelor in Paradise Canada’

While we have little doubt that St. Catharines woman Lisa Mancini will have some great accomplishments ahead in her life, there’s one that can never be taken away from her.

She is the first – and thus far only – winner of the High Roller Cup on the second season of Bachelor in Paradise Canada.

So what’s that? Good question, thanks for asking. It’s the cup she received by betting all her chips on her Alberta cowboy buddy Joey Kirchner in the first-ever Northern Ontario Beachfront Horse Derby. Granted, the horses were actually oversized inflatable pool toys and participants didn’t gallop but rather bounce from start to finish.

In the end, Cowboy Joey and his saddle partner Celine Paquette won their first heat by at least 10 feet and while the championship race was close, Jockey Joey won that too, saying that if he had lost, as the lone Albertan there, he’d be too embarrassed to go home. To be clear, this is the man who unabashedly strips down to a Speedo every chance he gets.

Long story short, while others were being judicious with their betting chips, Mancini, 29, slapped her entire stack down on the Albertan twice and easily won the first-ever High Roller Cup. Oddly, while the episode was airing, she was, in fact, at the three-day music festival in Las Vegas, the gambling mecca of the universe. There’s either symmetry or irony in there but we’re not sure which.

Okay, down to Bachelor in Paradise Canada brass tacks – who kissed whom. When Season 1 was admittedly a bit of a dumpster fire for Mancini, Season 2 has been a free-wheeling roller coaster ride, a veritable carnival of flirting and fun for the Garden City lady.

Mancini modelling what fashionable women are wearing to the Bachelor in Paradise Canada beach derby.

Initially, she was paired up with American contestant Quartney Mixon, who is now in a huff because she’s kissed other guys. Apparently, someone didn’t read the brochure on his way into this little adventure. The thing is she’s perfectly honest with him and at one point basically said to him, hey, go make some connections with the other ladies.

Okay, there’s hints and then there’s getting swatted in the face with a reality sandwich because that’s basically Bachelor-Speak for “It’s not me, it’s you. Run along now.” Honestly, expect Mixon to walk before the next rose ceremony, which is good because he’s so basically clueless, strict and possessive, it’s become hard to watch. Also, no women is going to give him a rose so there’s that.

Next up we have Connor Brennan, 30, who appeared on the American versions of The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise. He, too, has played some tonsil hockey with Mancini and seems like a decent enough guy. Perhaps not one of the jacked beach hunks like, well, pretty much all the other guys but unlike Mixon, he’s no stranger to how the show works.

Whether that pairing has any staying power remains to be seen (but seems doubtful). Which brings us to Kissing Contestant #3, much-in-demand California rock climber and ex-Survivor contestant Cole Medders, who had originally connected with Newfoundland player Samantha “Sam” Picco.

The problem is Mancini and Picco are roommates at Christie’s Mill Inn and Spa in Port Severn, where the show’s set. Turns out Picco had been bragging that Medders was this fantastic kisser. That said, naturally, for scientific reasons, Mancini would want to test that hypothesis.

So she delved into the experiment with much aplomb. That sent Picco into a tail-spin, despite the fact she had just finished making out with newbie Jake Ondrus, a 22-year-old Toronto personal trainer late to the game. Somehow, she managed to completely ignore her own behaviour and labelled Mancini as “toxic” for daring to kiss Medders.

The hypocrisy wasn’t lost on the others in this little game show, who were all too eager to point out, “no, you’re toxic, she’s fine.” Soon the others will likely be issued Haz-Mat suits just to sit near the whiny Picco at the bar.

However, Mancini is already saying May 29th episode is a wild one and if she’s proven anything so far, it’s that she’s a woman of her word. She even said she “trying to live Paradise as it should be lived,” which means connecting with others and having a blast. Stay tuned.

Bachelor in Paradise Canada is aired every Monday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Citytv, Citytv+ and Citytv.com, and through the Citytv app.

Show us what awkward and comfortable looks like? Okay. Samantha “Sam” Picco, right, joins Lisa Mancini and Cole Medders on the couch, seconds after some serious lip-locking between Mancini and Medders.