Who Is 'Bachelor' Contestant Sydney Hightower, Hannah Brown's Classmate?
As we learn more about Peter Weber's Bachelor season, a few important contestants have begun to emerge. One of them is Sydney Hightower, who has very little spoilery drama attached to her name so far.

Spoilers for The Bachelor ahead. The names of a few important contestants have begun to emerge from Peter Weber's Bachelor season—and one of those contestants is Sydney Hightower, who has very little drama attached to her name thus far, but has quietly advanced through the season.
Could she be this season's dark horse—like Katie Morton on Colton Underwood's season, who ended up having a particularly strong appearance on Bachelor in Paradise? Here's what we know so far about the contestant.
She recently set her Instagram to public.
Unlike a lot of other Bachelor contestants who set their Instagram profiles to public after the show finishes filming, Hightower was set to private (opens in new tab) until recently. She's quickly amassed more than 20,000 followers, and it seems she had a good experience on the show, based on one of her posts: (opens in new tab) "Feeling extremely nostalgic and thankful. Tonight is the start of this incredible journey I was so blessed to be a part of."
She went to high school with Hannah Brown.
We do know one cool thing about Hightower. Even though she isn't actually the only contestant who's from Alabama this season—Madison Prewett, who's also rumored to do well, is also a 'Bama girl—but Hightower was classmates with Brown at Tuscaloosa County High School. They actually were there at the same time, too. So I wondered if that'll make things awkward when Brown shows up (twice!) this season:
But they didn't seem to interact at all, which was...interesting? Warning: Spoilers ahead.
She gets sent home in Chile.
The Bachelor jammed two episodes into the first week of February—one Monday, one Wednesday—and it'll be the last week we see Hightower.
Though she makes it through Cleveland, Costa Rica, and most of Chile, not to mention the infamous 2-on-1 date that tends to happen at the apex of the season, Hightower is ultimately sent home in a rose ceremony that airs during the Wednesday episode.
She had a run-in with pageant queen Alayah Benavidez.
In one of the only instances I've seen on this show of one contestant critiquing another to the Bachelor or Bachelorette winning them a rose, Hightower was open with Weber about her concerns about Benavidez—namely, that she didn't think that Benavidez was being genuine with Weber, and (you guessed it) wasn't here for the right reasons. Weber gave Hightower a rose on their group date for being honest with him, and went on to eliminate Benavidez.
But then! Benavidez comes back, and previews show Weber declaring that he's being lied to by someone, which may suggest that he's having second thoughts about Hightower. But in spite of that...
She does fairly well on the show.
No spoilers about who won here, but Hightower at the very least cracks the top 12. She'll be one to watch—contestants from the top echelons (as well as the occasional funny contestant from night one) can show up on other Bachelor shows like Bachelor in Paradise. If you remember, Connor Saeli (opens in new tab), who ended up being a fan fave and dated Whitney Fransway for a brief period after appearing on BiP, was a top 12 contestant before he self-eliminated. So if Hightower doesn't win Weber's heart, we still might see her again.
Here's everything we know (opens in new tab) about what happens this season.
For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for the Marie Claire newsletter.
subscribe here (opens in new tab)
RELATED STORIES
Katherine’s a Boston-based contributor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle—from “Clueless” to Everlane to news about Lizzo. She’s been a freelancer for 11 years and has had roles with Cosmopolitan and Bustle, with bylines in Parents, Seventeen, and elsewhere. It’s “I go to dinner,” not “Her huge ego,” but she responds to both.
-
Our Editor's Favorite Curl-Defining Leave-In Conditioner Doubles As A Moisturizer For Skin
Stay hydrated, stay happy.
By Gabrielle Ulubay
-
Lucy Liu Opened Up About Her Decision to Have a Child Via Surrogate in Her Late 40s: "I Didn't Have a Plan"
It felt like the right time for her.
By Iris Goldsztajn
-
Alicia Silverstone Would Totally Do a Sequel to The '90s Rom-Com She Starred In Opposite Brendan Fraser
Did you guys know about this movie??
By Iris Goldsztajn
-
The 75 Best K-Dramas You'll Be Completely Hooked On
Wait, how is it already 2 a.m.?
By Quinci LeGardye
-
Selena Gomez Revealed Meryl Streep Is Joining 'Only Murders in the Building' Season 3
Fans are losing it.
By Iris Goldsztajn
-
The 56 Best Musical Movies of All Time: Iconic Movie Musicals
All the dance numbers! All the show tunes!
By Amanda Mitchell
-
Sophia Brown on Joining the World of ‘The Witcher: Blood Origin’
The actress opens up about the “surreal process” of playing the Lark in the Netflix fantasy prequel.
By Quinci LeGardye
-
'Ginny & Georgia' Season 2: Everything We Know
Netflix owes us answers after that ending.
By Zoe Guy
-
The Unstoppable Alia Bhatt
Bollywood’s silver-screen darling is both at the top of her game and just getting started.
By Neha Prakash
-
29 Nude Movies With Porn-Level Nudity
All the nudity of porn, but with the plot and storylines of mainstream film.
By Kayleigh Roberts
-
The Cast of 'The Crown' Season 5: Your Guide
The Mountbatten-Windsors have been recast—again.
By Andrea Park