How Golden Contestant Kathy Swarts Fooled Everyone In The Best Way On Bachelor In Paradise

Bachelor in Paradise returned with its tenth season after a year-long hiatus, but this time with some major changes. The show swapped its usual setting on the beaches of Mexico for a new tropical backdrop in Costa Rica.

One of the biggest surprises, however, was the introduction of Golden contestants. Initially, fans were skeptical about how these singles aged 60 and over would mesh with the younger cast. But once they arrived at the beach, it quickly became clear, they were just as ready to find love, and with anyone who's open to it.

Bachelor In Paradise's Kathy Swarts Shocked The Season 10 Cast With Her Juicy Secret

The Golden contestants have finally arrived on the tropical beaches of Costa Rica for a second chance to find love. The arrival of the much older contestants was a huge twist to Bachelor in Paradise, but they quickly found their way around the beach and began to form connections with both the other Golden contestants and the younger cast.

To get everyone acquainted, host Jesse Palmer had the entire group play a game where each person was asked to write a juicy secret while also keeping it anonymous. Jesse, then read each secret out loud and those who wanted to share whether it was them could do so or let it remain a secret. The cast then voted on the juiciest secret with that person getting a prize that consisted of a VIP room at their hotel.

As Jesse read each secret out loud, some were relatively harmless, like cheating on a test, while others were far more scandalous. Most cast members chose to remain anonymous as their secrets were revealed, including one that read," I found $500,000 and kept it," which was later revealed to belong to Golden contestant April Kirkwood. Even more shocking was Ralph "RJ" Johnson's anonymous confession: "I spent a summer as a playmate for a female couple." Interestingly, all the most jaw-dropping secrets came from the Golden contestants.

However, the last secret Jesse read was by far the juiciest and who all the cast believed won. The secret read, "I slept with another person in my home while my partner was in another room."

If the person who wrote the secret chose to reveal themselves, they would receive the prize. If not, they walked away with nothing. So, it was even more shocking when Golden contestant, Kathy Swarts, revealed that it was hers.

Fans Wondered If Kathy's Secret Meant She Had Cheated On Her Husband

Fans remember Kathy as a contestant from Gerry Turner's The Golden Bachelor. A retired educational consultant from Austin, Texas, she lost her husband, Daryl Swarts, to suicide in 2019. So, when fans heard about Kathy's juicy secret, they wondered if she was unfaithful to Daryl.

However, Kathy fooled everyone on the beach with her secret. In an interview with Parade, she shared that her confession wasn't what all the cast really believed it meant. "The truth is, I am a wordsmith, and I worded that very carefully," she shared.

“The someone that I was sleeping with was my two-year-old son, and the partner was my husband. And why was I sleeping with my two-year-old son? Because [at the time] he was sick.

Kathy continued, "He was projectile vomiting, and my husband had to go to work the next day, so I said, ‘Go sleep in the next room. I got this.’ So I didn’t lie. It’s all true. The someone I was sleeping with was my two-year-old son. I did not cheat on my husband."

Kathy also reflected on losing her husband to suicide sharing that "his death gave me a real appreciation for every day of life." She added that it made her "seize every opportunity" like joining The Golden Bachelor and Bachelor in Paradise "because you never know when you last day is here."

The Golden Contestants Appearing On Bachelor In Paradise Season 10

This season of Bachelor in Paradise features 10 Golden contestants, each getting a second shot at finding love. The group includes a memorable runner-up from The Golden Bachelor, as well as a contestant from The Golden Bachelorette who didn't even make it past the first day, proving that everyone, no matter their past, deserves another chance at romance.

Here are the Golden contestants looking for love:

• April Kirkwood, 67, Youngstown, Ohio
• Charles "CK" King, 63, Rancho Palos Verdes, California
• Jack Lencioni, 68, Schererville, Indiana
• Kathy Swarts, 70, Austin, Texas
• Keith Gordon, 63, Columbus, Indiana
• Kim Buike, 70, Seattle, Washington
• Leslie Fhima, 66, Golden Valley, Minnesota
• Natscha Hardee, 62, New York City, New York
• Ralph "RJ" Johnson, 66, Irvine, California
• Gary Levingston, 66, Palm Desert, California

The Golden contestants include fan-favorites like Gary Levingston, who was most remembered for his lovable personality, and being the godson of Tina Turner. Speaking to USA Today, about heading back to reality TV to find love, Gary shared, "I go in allowing myself to be vulnerable. When I do that, I can be the genuine man that I am. I can just be confident in myself, no matter what happens."

And, as fans have learned, the cast are able to all mingle with one another, showcasing that age is nothing but a number. Viewers watched it first-hand as The Bachelorette Season 21 contestant, Jonathan Johnson, wondered if 67-year-old April Kirkwood was an option to get a rose from after he and Alexe Godin remained friends, and he could not connect with Jill Chin.

“Coming up to the rose ceremony, is April an option?” A producer told Jonathan. He replied, "Hmm. In Paradise, there’s no age limit. Why not see what could happen?”

New episodes of Bachelor in Paradise air Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.