The Bachelor

Melissa Rycroft's mysterious illness in the Dominican Republic is triggering an investigation from the Nickelodeon Hotel & Resort in Punta Cana ... where the 'Bachelor' alum was vacationing with her family.

The Nickelodeon Resort tells us they've been in touch with Melissa ... and our sources say the hotel hired an outside firm to review the resort's cleaning and sanitary practices, to see if there's any link to Melissa's strange illness.

Sources close to Melissa tell TMZ ... the former "Dancing With The Stars" contestant NEVER left the resort the ENTIRE time she was on the island. It's uncertain what's caused her sickness.

Several Americans have been falling ill and dying in the D.R. recently, but Melissa is the first to get sick at the Nickelodeon Resort.

We're told Melissa was taking extra precautions by staying clear of the mini bar in her hotel room and staying away from tap water ... though she DID have a few drinks from the bar cart and imbibed at various bars on the property.

It's interesting ... Melissa is the ONLY one in her family feeling ill, and her husband was only drinking beer, so her camp thinks it's plausible tainted alcohol could be the culprit.

Melissa got slimed at the hotel but has since deleted a picture she shared on her social media. She got sick on her second day of vacay, started feeling better, but then experienced other symptoms, including cramps.

Other sources tell us ... the Nickelodeon Resort is FREAKING OUT and lots of people are canceling their reservations, though it's unclear if news of Melissa's mysterious illness is the reason for the cancellations, or simply the general hysteria involving tourist deaths on the island.

The Nickelodeon Resort says they're still treating this as an isolated incident. The hotel adds it's taking "all possible measures to ensure a safe and healthy vacation environment, exceeding preventative measures and enforcing strict sanitation protocols."

12:37 PM PT -- The 2-plus year legal drama will continue as Soules' sentencing has been delayed. It'll be rescheduled for a later date. Defense attorney Robert Montgomery made a last-ditch effort to get the court to throw out the victim impact statements ... and the judge agreed to grant the motion.

Because the victim impact statements were thrown out, the judge also granted a motion to draft a new pre-sentence investigation report ... requested by both the defense and prosecutors.

Former 'Bachelor' Chris Soules will finally learn his fate in his fatal car crash case when he arrives to court for his sentencing at 11:30 AM PT ... and TMZ will be streaming live.

Soules is expected to arrive in Buchanan County, Iowa court any moment now and finally put the 2-year-old case behind him when a judge hands down his sentencing. As we reported ... Soules struck a plea deal back in November 2018 ... pleading guilty to 1 count of leaving the scene of a personal injury accident, which is an aggravated misdemeanor.

It was a HUGE plea deal considering he initially pled not guilty to a felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death. As we first reported ... Soules was behind the wheel of a Chevy pickup when it rear-ended a John Deere tractor, sending it into a ditch.

The driver was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he died. Chris was the one who called 911 to report the accident but prosecutors said he fled the scene before cops got there. Soules was later arrested at his house, but not before refusing to come out at first.

Soules, who was "The Bachelor" for season 19 in 2015, could get up to 2 years in jail.

Stay tuned ...

Colton Underwood thinks Kelly Ripa is too far removed from modern-day dating to understand "The Bachelor" ... and her criticism proves just how out of touch she really is.

We got this year's Bachelor couple, Colton and Cassie Randolph, Thursday at LAX and got their response to Kelly's comments from earlier this week, when she ripped the show as creepy and insisted the idea of dozens of women fighting over one guy is disgusting.

As 2 people with a unique perspective, Colton and Cassie tell us Kelly's critique is way off ... and they feel she just doesn't understand how dating works for younger generations growing up with Tinder and other dating apps.

Colton says the 'Bachelor' is just like Tinder, only it's on national TV ... and he thinks Kelly just doesn't know what it's like to have countless dating options.

Kelly's been married to Mark Consuelos since 1996 ... so she ain't swiping left or right.

Kelly Ripa has no idea what the hell she's talking about when it comes to "The Bachelor" and her take on it is downright rude -- at least it was to Hannah Godwin, who was a finalist just last season.

We got Hannah Wednesday night at Craig's in WeHo and got her take on what Kelly said earlier this week -- that the show is creepy and the idea of 25 exceptional women fighting for 1 "ordinary" guy is disgusting.

As one of those exceptional women, Hannah G thinks it sucks that Kelly's dissing all of Bach Nation. Yes, you can tell Hannah's a bit conflicted because she loves her some Ripa ... but ultimately, she wants Kelly to know the show worked out just fine for her.

Of course, 'Bachelor' creator Mike Fleiss and 'Bachelor' host Chris Harrison have also gone on the offensive, saying, "Easy, @KellyRipa ... #TheBachelor franchise pays your salary!"

Harrison tweeted, "Look out #BachelorNation @KellyRipa is coming after you and your 'disgusting' Monday night habit." Goes without saying ... it's gotten ugly.

'Bachelor' alum Lauren Bushnell and her country star BF are putting their bods on display and, perhaps, sending a message to their fans: skip Taco Tuesday, get your ass ready for summer!

Lauren B. and Chris Lane are soaking up some rays while on vacay in Maui. They played a little corn hole and looked every bit the perfectly fit couple. She wore the hell out of a navy blue bikini ... and laughed it up with the "Take Back Home Girl" singer, who kept it cool with board shorts, shades and a cap.

BTW ... Chris most definitely looks familiar to 'Bachelor' fans. He performed his hit song, "For Her," on Nick Viall's season.

Lauren, of course, was the winner on Ben Higgins' season but they split back in May 2017. A little over a year later, she started dating Chris, whose previous GF was Lauren Barr ... another 'Bachelor' hopeful from Ben's season. Yeah, Chris has a type.

He and Lauren started dating last November and it looks like they're still going strong.

Colton Underwood and Cassie Randolph returned to sunny SoCal over the weekend to spend time with Cassie's family.

The brood hit the sand in Huntington Beach ... this after Colton and Cassie's New York City press tour hyping "The Bachelor."

Colton and Cassie were joined by her parents and two siblings. During the show, Colton had a chit chat with Cassie's dad and asked if he had permission to marry her, but Papa said no ... because he didn't know Colton well enough. At the time ... Dad didn't exactly have high praise for Colton. He asked Cassie how she could even consider getting engaged to Colton while he was "dating 30 other women." He also thought it was ridiculous they were talking marriage after only 3 dates.

As you know, they ended up NOT getting engaged, but they're clearly still dating ... or as clear as anything in "The Bachelor" can be.

We did, however, get the couple Saturday and they said coyly they were going to Vegas and you never know what might happen there.

Colton Underwood and Cassie know how to say a lot and a little at the same time ... so we found out at LAX.

The freshly-minted couple had just landed when our photog -- an avid 'Bachelor' fan -- peppered them with questions, ranging from virginity to marriage.

On the subject of marriage, one's coy and the other's pretty definitive. You never know what's gonna happen in a week or so when they venture to Sin City.

Hannah B -- a front-runner to be the next 'Bachelorette' -- got a rude homecoming when her sorority denied producers a chance to shoot promos with Hannah at her alma mater.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... 'Bachelorette' producers reached out to the University of Alabama's Alpha Chi Omega chapter about shooting interior and exterior shots at the sorority house where Hannah Brown partied before graduating in 2017.

Quick SPOILER ALERT.

Hannah, who placed 7th on the current 'Bachelor' season with Colton Underwood -- is rumored to be the new 'Bachelorette' ... and the fact she's shooting promos is a big hint the rumors are true. However, there's been no official announcement.

Our sources say ΑΧΩ turned down Hannah due to security concerns. We're told there are hundreds of members on campus, and sorority officials felt the show could bring unwanted publicity and attention.

Hannah -- who, BTW, graduated magna cum laude -- was still able to shoot promos in other campus locations Friday ... including the Crimson Tide's Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Worth noting ... just because Hannah's shooting promos doesn't mean she's a lock to hand out roses. Remember what happened to Caila Quinn? She recorded promos, too, in 2016, but producers ultimately went with Jojo Fletcher.

We reached out to Alpha Chi Omega ... so far, no word back.

Colton Underwood's penis and virginity came under fire during his charity event in San Diego, leaving the 'Bachelor' star feeling deeply disturbed and violated.

Eyewitnesses tell TMZ ... during Colton's meet and greet, a female fan approached him and grabbed his crotch in front of everyone, telling him, "I am going to take your virginity."

As we reported ... Colton cut his appearance short and got the hell out of Dodge before apologizing to his fans for his early exit, saying he was touched inappropriately.

Sources close to Colton tell us he needed a moment to compose himself after he was groped, so he stepped away into a VIP area, but then decided he'd had enough and left early. We're told he feels bad about leaving his fans hanging, but he just couldn't go on.

As you know, Colton's virginity has become an endless punchline on "The Bachelor" ... but after Wednesday's encounter, we're told Colton feels the virgin jokes have finally crossed the line.

The good news for Colton fans ... we're told he's not going to let one bad apple stop him from doing meet and greets, and he hopes his social media post will dissuade fan from becoming copycats.

Colton Underwood says somebody touched him inappropriately at his charity event in San Diego and, as a result, he cut his appearance short and got the hell outta there.

The current 'Bachelor' star explained on social media why he left his Legacy Foundation Garden Party early ... saying, "I was grabbed and touched inappropriately while people were throwing cameras in my face." Colton doesn't name the person who got handsy.

We have tons of video and photos from the event, and from all we can see ... Colton seemed to be enjoying mingling with his fans. There is NO evidence in these images of anyone groping him.

Although he's clearly upset about how the night ended, Colton still apologized to all the fans he didn't get to meet due to his early departure. As he put it, he "had to do what was best for me as a human being. I didn't sign up to be a piece of meat or a zoo animal."

'Bachelor' alums like Becca Kufrin, Garrett Yrigoyen, Blake Horstmann and Tanner Tolbert all showed up for the event.

There's a photo circulating trying to pin Colton Underwood as a non-virgin long before his reign on "The Bachelor" ... but, rest assured, he hadn't swiped his v-card before his reality TV debut.

Sources close to Colton tell TMZ ... the Snapchat photo of a young Colton is legit. We're told Colton admits the person is him from YEARS before he set foot in the 'Bachelor' franchise. But, our Colton sources are making it clear -- the caption is ONE MILLION PERCENT FAKE.

For those who still use Snapchat (clearly not you, Kylie) it's not that hard to grab anyone's picture, make up a caption, screenshot the post and then spread it like wildfire across various social media platforms. That's exactly what our Colton sources say went down.

The fake Snapchat post started circulating earlier this week ... adding fuel to the conspiracy theory shared by a small, but vocal group of dissenters who think Colton's v-card act is total BS.

Our Colton sources are adamant -- the ex-NFL athlete was as pure as Mary (yeah, THAT one) before starting his reality TV run. Emphasis on before.

It's unclear if he went the distance while shooting 'Bachelor.'

Caelynn Miller-Keyes -- one of the remaining contestants on "The Bachelor" vying for Colton Underwood's love -- became the first to ever share her #MeToo story on the show ... and it was extremely emotional.

Caelynn was on a one-on-one date with Colton on Monday night's episode when she decided to open up ... telling him she was sexually assaulted when she was a sophomore in college in 2014, after attending a frat party with 3 girlfriends.

She said ... "They drugged our wine. I woke up the next morning and I was completely naked in my bed and had no memory of the night before. And, I had like a small vision of a guy in my bed, and I just had this pit in my stomach like something really bad happened last night."

The former Miss USA runner-up added that her friend called her the next day and told her all 3 of them were sexually assaulted by various men ... and they all got away with it except for one student who was expelled.

Colton expressed his deep sympathy, calling what happened to Caelynn "devastating."

Caelynn, who was crowned Miss North Carolina 2018, opened up about being a sexual assault survivor last year ... but Monday's convo with Colton was the first time he learned about it.

Miller-Keyes added the aftermath of the assault was horrible, as she was initially denied a rape kit by a hospital and had to go to another one. She said the whole experience was "so painful and it screws up every ounce of you."

Caelynn is one of 13 women remaining on Colton's season.

"The Bachelor" contestant Cristy Caserta died as a result of an enlarged heart and an overactive thyroid ... TMZ has learned.

According to the autopsy report, obtained by TMZ, Caserta's cause of death was cardiomegaly and hyperthyroidism. As we reported ... Caserta was only 38 when she died suddenly back in October after suffering an apparent seizure.

She was attending a class at a school in Sunrise, FL when she just fell forward at the desk where she was sitting. Caserta went into cardiac arrest and was shortly thereafter pronounced dead.

'Bachelor' stars and soon-to-be husband and wife Arie Luyendyk Jr. and Lauren Burnham appear to be real hands-on for their wedding ... as in, not letting anyone else put their hands on her dress.

The couple were spotted a few days ago at the Kahului Airport in Hawaii with their luggage, including a white wedding dress bag. It's clear there are some items just too important to let out of their sight.

Arie and Lauren are set to get married Saturday at Haiku Mill in Maui, nearly a year after he proposed to her on the 'After the Final Rose' episode. Of course, this came after he proposed to Becca on the season finale ... but changed his mind and begged for Lauren back.

The 2 are also expecting their first child together -- a girl -- so they have more than just their nuptials to celebrate.

Colton Underwood is carrying himself like a man who just released a huge weight from his shoulders -- or maybe from somewhere else -- because he says the conversation surrounding his virginity will soon shift.

We got the 'Bachelor' star Wednesday at LAX, and you gotta see his reaction when our camera guy asks if he's fed up with the endless virgin talk surrounding him. Safe to say Colton is an expert in being coy.

It's easy to see why Colton might be tired of getting his sexual purity constantly shoved in his face ... as you know, the virgin jokes quickly became a tired gag during this week's season premiere.

Check out the clip ... Colton doesn't explicitly tell us he's finally swiped his v-card, but you gotta hear his explanation for the spring in his step.

Kinda makes ya wonder, doesn't it?

Colton Underwood admires women who fake it for love.

We got the 'Bachelor' star in WeHo heading into Boa and asked about Bri Barnes, who greeted him on the show with a fake Aussie accent. Colton thinks the move was fantastic ... deceptive, maybe, but deliciously so.

Our photog couldn't help expressing concern for the famed virgin, cautioning that people on the set needed to have his back in case he dove headfirst into the sea of love.