'Bachelor in Paradise Canada': Host Sharleen Joynt couldn't keep up with thrilling twists and turns

The highly anticipated Bachelor in Paradise Canada Season 2 premieres May 8 (8:00p.m. ET/PT on Citytv, Citytv.com, and Citytv+) and the show's host, Canadian Bachelor alum Sharleen Joynt, promises fans will be "thrilled by the twists and turns."

“Canadians are polite and nice and all the positive things that you can imagine, but I think that people might be surprised by how many twists and turns there are in this season,” Joynt teased to Yahoo Canada. “I think that you could imagine or assume that Bachelor in Paradise Canada might be more subdued, or just more polite than the American version.”

“But it's actually extremely eventful and there are so many surprises that you do not see coming. It was honestly very exciting to be there during filming. ... It’s almost like I couldn't keep up with all the action that was happening every single day.”

'I was not going to get engaged to this person'

Joynt became a legendary and iconic member of the Bachelor franchise when, in Season 18 of the U.S. series, she famously decided to leave the show, expressing that she couldn't see herself with bachelor Juan Pablo long term.

The opera singer and podcast host, originally from Ottawa, ended up meeting her now husband Andy Levine shortly after leaving the show.

“In that moment where I left the show, there was a line being drawn in the sand of, I'm going along with this. I like this guy. I'm attracted to him. ... Versus the next step now is to introduce him to your family as a potential husband, or fiancé,” Joynt said. “I knew that was the point where I would be faking it.”

“This is a guy I could see myself dating casually in real life, but I was not going to get engaged to this person. I think that is really important. When you're on TV and there's pressure, there's rose ceremonies, there's a lot on the line, it feels very high-stakes. But you want to look back and recognize yourself, and stand by your actions and know that you're with someone because you really feel connected with them. Not because they were the best candidate there for you out of the bunch.”

Having had such an epic experience on the Bachelor franchise, Joynt is clearly a great choice to host Bachelor in Paradise Canada.

“It felt like the natural next step for me, honestly, having been a former contestant, ... and then I recapped the show for Flare magazine in writing for six-and-a-half years,” Joynt said. “Then I started recapping for my podcast with my husband, 'Dear Shandy.'”

“Then to get the role of host where you're more on the inside, but you're not. … It just sort of felt like the natural next step. ... You sort of see that there's two sides to every coin and everyone has their reasons. I felt more like I was just overseeing everything, instead of having a strong opinion one way or the other. It was interesting. I surprised myself.”

'Bachelor in Paradise' has 'true Canadian charm'

Having come from from U.S. side of the franchise, Joynt is particularly excited that it's found a home in Canada.

“I think that we need it in Canada. We want to see our own on TV," Joynt stressed. “There are some American contestants on the season, but they just really add another dimension and it doesn't in any way take away from that true Canadian charm."

"I think that's priceless, to be able to see if there are subtle cultural differences. I live in the States now and I see it every day and so it felt like I was home to be surrounded by all these Canadians. Canadian production, Canadian cast, in Canada, in a gorgeous location. It was good for the soul.”

Reflecting on the Bachelor phenomenon, which has spilled out into other reality dating shows over several years, Joynt believes the popularity of the genre comes down to wanting to "come as close to bottling those initial sparks as humanly possible."

“If I could go back and bottle the night I met my husband or have that on camera in some capacity, or be able to watch on TV, oh my god that would be amazing,” Joynt said. “There's a bit of a romantic in all of us, even the people who are skeptics who watch the show.”

“I'm sorry, if you watch more than one season of the Bachelor franchise you may claim to be a skeptic, but there's a part of you that is a bit of a believer. A romantic. I think that's what we're looking for, capturing those early moments.”

Ranging in ages from 22 to 34, here is the full list of the Bachelor in Paradise Canada Season 2 romantic hopefuls:

Canadian Bachelor Alumni

• Ana Cruz, 27, Bachelor in Paradise Canada 1, Montreal

• Joey Kirchner, 32, Bachelor in Paradise Canada 1, Redcliff, Alta.

• Josh Guvi, 29, Bachelor in Paradise Canada 1, Vancouver, B.C.

• Lisa Mancini, 29, The Bachelor Canada 3 (Chris Leroux), St. Catherines, Ont.

• Maria Garcia-Sanchez, 30, Bachelor in Paradise Canada 1, Toronto/Cartagena, Columbia

U.S. Bachelor Alumni

• Austin Tinsley, 26, The Bachelorette 17 U.S. (Katie Thurston), Orange Country, California

• Chelsea Vaughn, 29, The Bachelor 25 U.S. (Matt James), Brooklyn, New York

• Connor Brennan, 30, The Bachelorette 17 U.S. (Katie Thurston), Nashville

• Edward Naranjo, 28, The Bachelorette 18 U.S. (Michelle Young), Los Angeles, California

• Garrett Aida, 34, The Bachelorette 18 U.S. (Michelle Young), Salt Lake City

• Rianna Hockaday, 27, The Bachelor 26 U.S. (Clayton Echard), Mount Pleasant, Texas

• Tessa Tookes, 26, The Bachelor 26 U.S. (Clayton Echard), Brooklyn, New York

• Quartney Mixon, 27, The Bachelorette 17 U.S. (Katie Thurston), Dallas, Texas

Bachelor Nation

• Céline Paquette, 25, Winnipeg

• Cole Medders, 29, Los Angeles, California (appeared on Survivor 35)

• Godfrey Mangwiza, 29, Toronto (appeared on Big Brother Canada 3)

• Jake Ondrus, 22, Toronto

• Juan Pablo Osorio, 32, Toronto

• Krissy Kennedy, 27, Vancouver

• Linda Charlie, 22, Yellowknife

• Matia Marcantuoni, 28, Toronto

• Marilyn Smith, 26, Toronto

• Meagan Morris, 28, Vancouver

• Nithisha Ketheeswaran, 26, Stouffville, Ont.

• Paige Allen, 31, Toronto

• Samantha Picco, 33, St. John’s (appeared on Big Brother Canada 7)

• Shazeeda Gafoor, 24, Toronto