St. Catharines woman ready for romantic success on another season of ‘Bachelor in Paradise Canada’

The St. Catharines woman who lasted the entire run on last year’s Bachelor in Paradise Canada is back for more and this time, she’s jumping off the dock and into the gents feet-first.

Lisa Mancini, 29, now in her third run with Canadian Reality TV (she also did The Bachelor Canada, Season 3), had a rough go of it early last season, at one point needing an ex-beau’s rose just to stay alive.

This season, which started with Episode 1 on May 8, Mancini has rebranded herself “Lisa 2.0” and where she struggling up until the middle of last season, has now come out of the gate flying, connecting with several of the men right off the bat.

Outside of the show, Mancini is best-known as a talented cosplayer who creates her own costumes from scratch, as well as the lady who has four squirrels as pets. However, on last year’s show, she quickly became a fan favourite, despite the fact she was spinning her wheels in the sand early on.

As the first contestant to arrive on the Bachelor in Paradise Canada Season 2 set, Mancini had some alone time with fan-favourite bartender Kevin Wendt, a firefighter.

While Mancini has clearly changed her mindset, so too has the setting. The first season of Bachelor in Paradise Canada was filmed at Camp Wahanowin in Orillia, Ont., a stage that was rustic and full of summer camp vibes, right down to those little wood cabins you camped in as a kid.

This season’s location is “more glitzy,” according to host Sharleen Joynt as the show is set at Christie’s Mill Inn and Spa in Port Severn, Ont., an actual resort that’s a considerable step-up for all involved.

Now three episodes in, Mancini has connected with several of the other contestants – meaning simply some light and fairly innocent make-out sessions – that has now drawn a target on her back from one or two of the other women, one calling her toxic. She is anything but. In fact, she is pretty much the most honest, upfront person there.

However, before this season even started (it was filmed last summer so contestants really have to keep a lid on how it plays out), Mancini took to social media to deal with some misconceptions, number one being, “Reality TV is so fake, it’s scripted.”

Not at all, she said. “It’s very real, no one has ever made me say or do anything.”

Another common one? “You didn’t go on that show to find a man.”

Again, untrue, she noted. “I’ve always went in completely open and hopeful actually. Why wouldn’t I potentially meet someone there if I haven’t met them in my area?”

As for accusations of her going on the show to promote her brand or get fame points, Mancini laughed, “It’s Canadian Reality TV. It’s my third time. If it hasn’t done a single thing for me either other time, why would I still think that? Girl can’t even get a blue check in Canada out here after lasting far on three TV shows.”

Again, Mancini, with the connections she has made thus far, looks like she’s settled in for the full 10-episode run. Should you not have cable, Citytv replays every Monday night episode 24 hours later on their website.

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.

Spoiler Alert: If you haven’t seen Episode 3 of Bachelor in Paradise Canada Season 2, there’s a rodeo derby. With oversized hats. As the late comedian Norm Macdonald said, “It’s funny. Because it’s bigger than a normal hat.”