Surprising 'The Bachelor' Facts Every Die-Hard Fan Should Know
So, about that "meatball theory..."
Few modern reality shows are as beloved, and as notorious, as ABC's The Bachelor franchise. The 18-year-old show—so, older than Billie Eilish, to put that in perspective—began as one ordinary man trying to find love, and has evolved into a cacophony of tears, spin-off shows, alcohol-fueled contestants accusing one another of not being there for the "right reasons," and 1,000 Instagrams ads for Sugar Bear Hair. Whether you're there to witness the birth of true love or you're invested only in the drama, there's a lot that goes on behind the scenes to make The Bachelor franchise the gloriously insane performance art that it is.
Only the Bachelor or Bachelorette gets paid.
Most contestants break down at some point about "giving up everything to be here," and now you know why. It's rumored that the highest-paid Bachelorette star was Emily Maynard, who was believed to have received a whopping $250,000 for starring on the show.
Contestants find out they'll be on the show weeks before filming starts.
After all is said and done, the contestants usually find out that they've been accepted onto the show about two to three weeks before filming begins.
The lead only has to remember a couple of names during the rose ceremonies.
According to former Bachelorette Ali Fedotowsky, the person giving out the roses "goes into the rose ceremony room and says a few names at a time and then leaves to get the next few names." Totally understandable when you're dating, like...30 people.
There's a reason why you always hear the word "journey."
The word "journey" is famous in The Bachelor world. If contestants talk about how the show was a "process," the producers will make them start the interview over to use the word "journey" instead, according to 2013 Bachelor Sean Lowe.
Contestants have to get dressed and put on their makeup by themselves.
A stylist and makeup artist is provided for contestants only during the premiere episode and for the final two contestants in the finale. In between all of that, contestants are on their own when it comes to their glam.
During Sean Lowe's season, contestants were only allowed to bring one kind of book.
In previous seasons, the contestants were able to bring whatever kind of printed materials they wanted, just not magazines. That rule changed for the filming of season 17 of The Bachelor, which starred devout Christian Sean Lowe. Contestant AshLee Frazier claims that "the only book allowed on set was the Bible."
There are certain items of clothing contestants aren't allowed to bring.
Sean Lowe revealed that clothing items with "stripes, small checkered patterns, big patterns, and solid white" aren't allowed.
A lot of women bring vibrators to Paradise.
According to Lacy Faddoul from season 18 of The Bachelor, some girls would bring more than just bathing suits and sunscreen to Paradise. "On Bachelor In Paradise, there were a lot of lonely nights. Luckily, most of us had brought vibrators," she said. "Some of the girls would name their sex toys and sing songs about them when we were going to bed."
The front pavement doesn't always look shiny.
In order to give off the appearance that the driveway is shiny, it was revealed to Entertainment Weekly, producers wet the pavement with a hose before each contestant arrives at the mansion.
Contestants can only find privacy in a limited amount of places.
Courtney Robertson from season 16 of The Bachelor shared that girls would go to the bathroom to cry so they wouldn't be caught on camera.
The roses are stored in an unexpected place.
The iconic roses that are handed out every episode are actually stored in a trash can...with ice...according to Entertainment Weekly.
There's a drink limit on the show.
Following outrage over the question of consent between Corinne Olympios and DeMario Jackson on Bachelor in Paradise, the guests are now only allowed to have two alcoholic drinks per hour.
There's a thing called the "Meatball Theory" among producers.
If a contestant hangs out by the meatballs in the kitchen most of the first night, they are more likely to be sent home. Executive producer Bennett Graebner told Entertainment Weekly, "If they're afraid to talk to the Bachelor, they stand next to the meatballs."
If an engaged couple calls it quits before two years, they have to return the ring.
The production company owns the diamond from Neil Lane for two years. If the couple wants to sell it after that, they have to let the show know, according to Radar Online.
The last couple doesn't spend that much time together before the final rose ceremony.
"I would say you probably spend about 72 hours tops with the person you wind up choosing, and 12 of that is spent 'sleeping' in the fantasy suite," said Ali Fedotowsky from The Bachelorette season six.
The final four contestants are decided very early.
According to Jesse Csincsak from the fourth season of The Bachelorette, the final four contestants are picked on the first night. "I mean, come on, if you were in a room with 25 guys for 10 hours; you could totally pick four guys to travel with for the next two months to get to know better, he said. "So, out of the final 13, nine of them will actually be sent home by producers, and the actual real eliminations start at the final four."
Production didn't think that Arie and Becca would break up like they did.
"Obviously, that does happen. It happens in real life too. People go out with someone, and they sometimes, you know, change their minds," former director Ken Fuchs told Elite Daily. "I'm always surprised when people think that something has been construed when, in fact, this is what's really happening, and we're just sort of figuring out how to deal with it."
There's a producer hired to help more tears flow.
For every season to be the most dramatic yet, there needs to be a lot of tears. Former Bachelor producer Sarah Gertrude Shapiro told The New Yorker that her job was to get contestants to open up to her, give them terrible advice, and spend most of the night doing just that so that they were deprived of sleep. Harsh.
Contestants are provided a packing list of what to bring.
While being on the show basically guarantees you a brand partnership on Instagram, you still have to pack some clothes for the Journey to Find Love. You're typically told to pack for all seasons, to bring a selection of cocktail dresses or suits, and include anything else the producers deem fit. The catch: It has to fit into two suitcases.
The contestants do talk about likes and dislikes.
Like any relationship, it helps if you both have things in common, so the couples do talk about important topics like religion and money. Lauren B. and Ben Higgins admitted they talked about that stuff before he got down on one knee, but it wasn't shown to viewers.
Contestants go through multiple tests to get on the show.
Before they officially shack up at The Bachelor mansion, contestants have to get through some major screenings first, according to Insider. These screenings can include psychological evaluations, STD tests, and questions about their past from information the producers find online.
The Fantasy Suites aren't all filmed at once.
Before they officially shack up at The Bachelor mansion, contestants have to get through some major screenings first, according to Insider. These screenings can include psychological evaluations, STD tests, and questions about their past from information the producers find online.
The producers can track women's cycles.
Ever watch an episode and wonder why it feels like everyone is super emotional? Apparently, some producers will track some of the women's menstrual cycles to know who to film for more teary content.
Most hometown dates don't happen at the contestants' actual house.
While some contestants film in their parents' real homes, others borrow a relative's or even have production rent out a place.
Chris Harrison used to sleep on the floor of the mansion between takes.
"I'd sleep in the closet in the master bedroom—we'd get pillows and put a makeshift bed together," the Bachelor host shared with Entertainment Weekly. Only in the past couple of seasons did Harrison finally get his own trailer, where he's only a text away from being summoned to defuse all of the drama that goes down.
The order the contestants come out of the limo does matter.
"I remember one of the producers said to me, 'You are going to be the first one out of the limo.' I didn't think much of it," Sean Lowe told Glamour. The producer then said to Lowe, "'Because you are first, everyone here thinks you are going to do well.' They want to get the show started off on the right foot."
Contestants can film an interview weeks after the actual event.
Courtney Robertson from the 16th season of The Bachelor told Parade that she was once asked to put on clothes from a previous date that had happened the week before to make it look like they filmed her interview that same day.
Despite how fit everyone is, you can't work out at the mansion.
Okay, so everyone is super hot on the show, but how do they stay that way? There's no gym in the mansion, so it's rumored that some contestants run up and down a hill behind the mansion to stay fit. They've also admitted to using household items as weights during filming.
The lead has a crazy budget when it comes to clothes.
Cary Fetman, a longtime stylist on the show, told The Hollywood Reporter that for Emily Maynard's season she was given a budget of $350,000...and they still went over!
Yes, sometimes the villain stays because the producers want them to.
Viewers of the show always speculate on this one. Emily Maynard said that she kept her season's villain, Kalon McMahon, around for ratings. She wrote in her book: "Can you imagine how boring the show would be if I only kept the nice guys around the whole time?"
When she was on season 17 of The Bachelor, Desiree Hartsock told producers that she would not be able to continue the season if they did not pay her rent.
A proposal almost turned deadly.
In season one of The Bachelorette, Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter’s proposal scene almost caused a fire when a candle floating in the pool lit a plant on fire.
The contestants really have to plan ahead.
Before they move into their new digs, all of the singles looking to find love have to ask family members or friends to pay their rent, bills, and whatever else they need since they could be gone for up to six weeks. "It’s pretty crazy to have your phone off for that amount of time and not have access to your email," said Bekah Martinez from Arie's season. "You have to be like, Welp, I hope everything’s taken care of!"
Some contestants spend a lot of money on clothes.
Before she became The Bachelorette, Jillian Harris admitted that to prepare for being on The Bachelor, she spent "something like $8,000 on clothing."
The mansion is actually someone's home.
Real estate developer Marshall Haraden and his family live in one of the most notable Bachelor attractions. When the family moves out, ABC paints the walls a new color, so the house looks like it's in tip-top shape by the time the new season starts.
No food is eaten on one-on-one dates.
"Nobody eats, and that's primarily because nobody wants to watch you eat, and the mics will pick up the chewing," admitted Sean Lowe. "So between the two-date portions, they would bring us to a hotel, where you can shower and change and get ready—and it's during that time that you can eat."
'Bachelor In Paradise' isn't everything it seems.
While the villa where all of the contestants stay looks heavenly, the rooms where they sleep purposely don't have air conditioning so the singles have to go out and mingle more.
Female contestants have to get creative when it comes to beauty maintenance.
“I couldn’t cover up all the gray hairs I have, so I started pulling them,” Robertson revealed to Allure. Some contestants have also asked producers to get them over-the-counter hair dye from a CVS or Walgreens.
The number one reason why most people don't get on the show?
Often, people have STDs, which are discovered during a standard pre-season screening. "Sometimes you'd be the first person to tell a contestant they had herpes," said former producer Ben Hatt. I'm sure that conversation went well!
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