The Bachelor and its many spin-offs have been around for years and have been a major source of drama in the reality TV genre, with some of the scandals in the past proving the franchise doesn’t care about its cast members. Throughout Bachelor Nation history, there have been scandals that make the edit and give viewers an inside look at the inner workings of the franchise. While Bachelor producers are happy to see some scandals come to light, others aren’t, and the cast members involved in the drama aren’t always given the benefit of the doubt by viewers or production.
While there have been cast members who have gone through serious scandals during and after their time on the show, many of the problems Bachelor Nation has seen on the series have proven the series cares more about spectacle than its participants. Throughout the run of the series, the overdramatic angle that the franchise tends to take has been seen as fun, but in recent years it feels like it’s gone too far. From the After The Final Rose experiences on The Bachelorette season 21 to the problematic casting that has come up, it appears Bachelor producers need to regroup.
As The Bachelor season 29 gets ready to air, many have been revisiting old Bachelor drama to compare it to the current issues of the franchise. Despite knowing that things have escalated in recent years, the issues that have been prevalent in The Bachelor franchise have been long-standing problems, not things that have come up in recent seasons. From the earliest days of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette to the issues that have cropped up within Bachelor In Paradise and The Golden Bachelor and Bachelorette, the series has always had a slightly problematic undertone that desperately needs to be explored.
10The Bachelor Season 25’s Casting Controversy
Matt James Unknowingly Chose Someone With A Racially Insensitive Past
As one of the only Bachelor leads to not have appeared on a previous season of the show in the modern era, Matt James also had the unique distinction of being the first Bachelor of color. Prior to Matt’s time as The Bachelor, only white men had been in the leading role, so his season was a major shift for the franchise with a much-needed change. Matt, who many were excited to watch on screen, was a charismatic, humble guy who was hopeful he’d find someone on the seires.
During The Bachelor season 25, Matt’s group of women was more diverse than Bachelor Nation’s usual cast of singles, and many were hopeful that the season would denote a change moving forward for the franchise as a whole. Unfortunately, one of Matt’s finalists Rachael Kirkconnell was revealed to have posted some racially insensitive things online before The Bachelor. When viewers saw Matt and Rachael wind up together at the end of the show, they were appalled. Though she was apologetic, her actions caused Matt to call off their relationship for a time, though they’ve since gotten back together.
9Bachelorette Contestant Chad Johnson’s Paradise Behavior
He Was Violent And Impossible To Handle
A contestant on JoJo Fletcher’s season of The Bachelorette, Chad Johnson was the major villain of the season, even getting dubbed with the nickname “Bad Chad” by Bachelor Nation. While he was only part of The Bachelorette season 12 for half of its run, Chad had a reputation quickly after being introduced on the series, and it was unsurprising when JoJo chose to send him home. He was prime for Bachelor In Paradise, however, which was casting for its third season at the time of his elimination.
Chad joined Bachelor In Paradise season 3 in hopes that he’d be able to intermingle with other Bachelor and Bachelorette alumni, and hopefully find love. Though it seemed clear that Chad was a part of the Bachelor franchise for clout more than anything else, he was still excited to be part of the upcoming season. Unfortunately, Chad was ejected from Bachelor In Paradise season 3 for belligerent actions within the first few hours, as he became violent toward other cast members and then-host Chris Harrison.
8The Bachelorette Season 11’s Treatment Of Kaitlyn Bristowe
She Was Demonized For Daring To Be Herself
Although she was pitted against another Bachelorette in the first episode of the season, Bachelor Nation was excited to see Kaitlyn Bristowe as the lead of The Bachelorette season 11. A Canadian with moxie, Kaitlyn quickly became a Bachelor Nation darling during her time on The Bachelor season 19. Known for her sense of humor and inability to be anyone but herself, Kaitlyn made an impression and got the opportunity to lead her own season.
While Kaitlyn continued the trend of being wholeheartedly authentic on The Bachelorette, the rules had changed for her as the lead and it was quick for viewers to notice when things shifted. While Kaitlyn had been celebrated at first, it felt like production was punishing her for being herself throughout the run of the season. Rather than taking exotic trips all over the world like the show usually did, after discovering that Kaitlyn had gotten intimate with one of her contestants, the show filmed throughout Ireland for several episodes, and Kaitlyn had to publicly apologize for her actions.
7The Bachelor Season 22’s Arie Luyendyk Jr & Becca Kurfrin’s Traumatizing Breakup
The Show Was Uncaring & Unfeeling Toward Becca
As a Bachelor viewers had been begging to see on screen for years, Arie Luyendyk Jr. came back to the series as the lead of his season after nearly winning Emily Maynard’s heart on The Bachelorette season 8. While Arie took years to return to the franchise, when he did, he was set on finding a love to last his lifetime. From early on in the season, Arie and Becca Kurfin had hit it off, and it wasn’t a shock when he proposed to the Minnesota native during the finale.
Unfortunately, things had turned around for Arie after he rejected his runner-up, Lauren Burnham. While he wasn’t entirely certain about his choice, he went through with his relationship with Becca for months before deciding it wasn’t right. Rather than keeping their breakup private, however, Arie chose to break up with Becca during a weekend where they were being filmed for The Bachelor finale. The difficult split was shown during The Bachelor season 22’s After The Final Rose, and caused Bachelor Nation to turn on the once-beloved Arie.
6Bachelor In Paradise Season 4’s Alleged Misconduct Controversy
There Were Rumors Of Sexual Misconduct
Although Bachelor In Paradise has always been a far looser show than others in the franchise, the series had some major issues during its early seasons due to heavy alcohol consumption and lack of hydration. Throughout the first few seasons of the series, there were clear moments where the cast members had been going through drama that was less related to their emotions, and more related to the conditions they were dealing with on the show. Though Bachelor In Paradise was meant to be idyllic, it could get difficult for the cast to care for themselves.
During Bachelor In Paradise season 4, it was alleged that there was some major sexual misconduct involving DeMario Jackson and Corinne Olympios. On one of the early nights of filming, Corinne and DeMario were drinking with the rest of the cast, but it became unclear if Corinne was too intoxicated to give proper consent when things began to heat up with DeMario. Because of the incident, production of Bachelor In Paradise season 4 was shut down in order to investigate, and the series adopted more stringent policies around alcohol consumption moving forward.
5The Golden Bachelor Season 1’s Gerry Turner & Theresa Nist’s Quick Divorce
The Couple Didn’t Last Long After Their Wedding
After years of anticipation, The Golden Bachelor season 1 made its long-awaited debut during the fall 2024 season. ABC, making use of the writers’ strike to test out new a Bachelor spin-off, chose to produce the Golden series, focusing on The Bachelor concept with a mature lead. Gerry Turner was cast as the lead of the show, and 22 women were cast to see if any would win his heart.
Gerry got to know the majority of the women of The Golden Bachelor season 1 well, but his connection with Theresa Nist was undeniable. The couple got engaged during the show’s finale, and announced that they’d be getting married in a live TV wedding special a month later. While Bachelor Nation was excited, it seemed like things could be too good to be true. Bachelor Nation was sad, but vindicated, when Gerry and Theresa announced their divorce just three months later.
4The Bachelor Season 11’s Brad Womack’s Unprecedented Decision
He Was One Of The Worst Bachelors Of All Time
As one of the few leads who weren’t contestants before their season, Brad Womack seemed like the ideal candidate for the leading man of The Bachelor season 11. A successful career man, Brad hadn’t been lucky in love prior to his time on the series, and he was hoping he’d be able to find someone who would fit into his busy lifestyle. While he was excited, it was clear that Brad was a particular person, which could make it difficult to find someone.
By the end of The Bachelor season 11, Brad had a difficult decision to make between DeAnna Pappas and Jenni Croft, but he shocked Bachelor Nation when he decided that he didn’t want to be with either of his final two women. Instead of faking an engagement or relationship, Brad decided he wanted to leave The Bachelor alone because of his lack of connection with his finalists. When he returned to the show as the lead of The Bachelor season 15, Bachelor Nation was floored and appalled.
3The Golden Bachelorette Season 1’s Red Flag Filled Cast
There Are Multiple Accounts Of Restraining Orders
After recent scandals that have broken out about the casting of The Bachelor and its spin-offs, many eyes were on The Golden Bachelorette season 1 cast. Even though Joan Vassos, who had competed for Gerry’s heart on The Golden Bachelor before leaving a few weeks into the experience, was a great lead, the cast of the series was scrutinized after some previous contestants on other shows had brought negative attention. Joan’s cast had a few familiar faces, including The Bachelor season 28 winner Kelsey Anderson’s father, Mark Anderson.
When the cast was looked into, however, it became evident that the casting team had missed some major red flags from some of the guys. One of Joan’s finalists, Guy Gansert, was found to have a restraining order against him from his ex-wife that hadn’t been disclosed in the series. Similarly, another contestant who was eliminated earlier in the season, Gil Ramirez, had a more recent restraining order out against him, making it clear that the safety of the cast wasn’t being prioritized.
2The Bachelor Season 13’s Jason Mesnick’s Flip Flop Between Finalists
The Franchises First Live Breakup Broke Hearts
The Bachelor season 13 was led by Jason Mesnick, who’d been a Bachelor Nation favorite during The Bachelorette season 4, where he was rejected by DeAnna in favor of Jesse Csincsak. Jason, a single father from Seattle, was excited to get to know the women of his season and build connections with them as he moved through The Bachelor experience. Despite having connected with multiple women, the final two had Jason in knots over who he’d choose to propose to at the end of the season.
Melissa Rycroft and Molly Malaney were the two women left standing by the end of The Bachelor season 13, and Jason wasn’t sure about his decision until the day of. When he ended things with Molly and proposed to Melissa, some Bachelor Nation viewers were thrilled, while others felt he made a huge mistake. During the live After The Final Rose, Jason ended his engagement with Melissa on stage before Molly was brought out. The historic moment saw the first breakup live on the series, leading to many other iconic splits happening on live TV.
1The Bachelorette Season 21’s Traumatic Treatment Of Jenn Tran
She Wasn’t Cared For Throughout The Season
Although The Bachelorette season 21 was meant to be a celebration of Jenn Tran, the first Asian American lead in the franchise, things were off from the very beginning. Jenn wasn’t the franchise's first or second choice for Bachelorette, and casting for her season was done with other women in mind for the leading role. This meant that Jenn’s guys weren’t all interested in her, which became a major issue throughout the season.
Despite not knowing if the men of her season wanted to be there, Jenn built a connection with Devin Strader throughout her time on the series, and the pair mutually proposed to one another during the finale. By the time After The Final Rose was airing, Jenn and Devin had broken up, and after a terse announcement, the exes were forced to watch their proposal on screen in front of a live audience while Jenn sobbed. The Bachelorette treated Jenn with such a lack of care that many thought boycotting The Bachelor franchise could be next for fed-up viewers.
