In 2003, ABC premiered The Bachelorette, a reality dating show filled with lovelorn hopefuls
and a fantastic serving of drama each and every week.
So, what secrets, truths, and controversies lurk behind the camera?
Here's the complete breakdown of the Bachelorette world.
The show's track record so far reveals that more Bachelorette stars have successfully
found their long-lasting main squeeze compared to Bachelor stars.
According to People, six Bachelorettes are still with their original first-picks as of
June 2019.
Only one Bachelor - Sean Lowe - married his number-one pick, and Colton Underwood is still
dating his.
However, two Bachelors did end up flip-flopping after proposing and ended up marrying their
runner-up - we're looking at you, Jason and Arie!
Also, according to Bustle, Bachelorettes are more accurate in picking their significant
others from the get-go.
Five out of the first 12 Bachelorettes gave their first impression rose to the season's
winner.
Not a single Bachelor has given that rose to a contestant who won.
Skeletons in contestants' closets were exposed in Becca's Bachelorette season - all thanks
to social media sleuths who brought their histories to light.
Her batch of men included a convicted sex offender and a contestant who, according to
Vulture, liked memes on Instagram that criticized trans kids, liberal women, immigrants, Colin
Kaepernick, David Hogg, and the state of California.
Oh, and the guy who liked the memes was Becca's final pick and now-fiancé, Garrett.
Since Becca's season, casting producers have tightened their vetting process.
Chris Harrison told The Hollywood Reporter,
Bachelor Nation is notorious for its lack of diversity across all seasons.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Bachelor creator Mike Fleiss said in a 2011 interview,
The show finally dipped its feet in inclusivity with Rachel Lindsay's 2017 Bachelorette season.
Lindsay was the first African-American lead in all of franchise history, alongside the
most diverse group ever with almost half of her 31 suitors being people of color.
Prior to Lindsay's season, her predecessor Nick Viall had the most diverse cast, with
eight non-white contestants.
Host Chris Harrison told The Hollywood Reporter,
According to Rachel Lindsay, discrepancies in her finale went unnoticed by viewers.
She compared her finale episode to fellow Bachelorette Becca's finale, telling Hollywood
Life,
Lindsay also shared how past Bachelorette leads watched their finale before its airdate.
But producers made Lindsay watch her three-hour finale on stage in front of a live audience
- a first for the franchise.
According to Lindsay, after a tense on-screen reunion with fan-favorite Peter, social media
took Peter’s side.
She shared how viewers labeled her as a, quote, "angry black female [who] only wanted a ring."
There are a few ways you can apply to be on The Bachelorette, including filling out and
mailing a six-page questionnaire that includes the following question:
"Are you genuinely looking to get married and why?"
Applicants can also submit a tape, apply online, or trek to a hotel and wait for hours at a
casting call with hundreds of other people, as one Bustle reporter did.
According to an excerpt from Los Angeles Times reporter Amy Kaufman's book Bachelor Nation:
Inside the World of America's Favorite Guilty Pleasure, if you make it to the semi-final
rounds, producers will fly you to Los Angeles.
There you'll endure a 150-question personality test with baiting questions like,
"Have you ever wanted to kill someone?"
"Oh my gosh totally guilty."
Then, after "rapid-fire" questions from about two dozen producers, potential contestants
meet with the show's psychologist and a private investigator, and they finally undergo a thorough
medical examination that includes getting tested for STDs.
One former producer told Kaufman,
Dating nearly 30 guys at once isn't as glamorous and wonderful as some may think.
When the leading ladies weren't falling head-over-heels in love, they were probably just falling over
from the show's long production days.
During the 2019 Bachelorette reunion, JoJo Fletcher revealed just how drained she was
her first night on set.
"I'm going up the stairs and I just start projectile vomiting because of pure exhaustion.
I'm just vomiting over this ledge.
Everyone thinks I'm just hammered."
Night one is especially tough, with production lasting more than 12 hours.
Bachelorette Hannah Brown told radio host Ryan Seacrest that her first night started
taping around 7 or 8 p.m.
"And we didn't finish 'til like 7:00 or 8:00 in the morning.”
“Oh my gosh it's an all nighter with all the guys the first night!”
“Oh yeah.”
And the amount of stress?
It definitely takes a toll.
"It's unlike any other situation you'll ever be in in your life.
I lost hair during it, like chunks.
I had a bald spot in the back of my head from stress."
While Bachelorette contestants don't get paid, the show's lead may get a pretty paycheck.
According to Reality Steve, the lead could get paid over $100k.
However, that differs from what Bachelor Ben Higgins told BuzzFeed.
He explained,
Regardless of what they actually make from the show, Bachelor Nation stars likely earn
a substantial amount through endorsements and their influencer status.
Influencer marketing agency Mediakix shared that popular reality stars can make almost
$1 million a year off sponsored Instagram content.
According to Refinery29, stars can receive serious cash per post - around $5,000 to $15,000.
How are they making so much cash?
According to Racked,
When you combine that with a great body and nice hair, contestants can become popular
on the show - and on Instagram.
It's no surprise that Bachelorette producers reportedly manipulate storylines to enhance
and escalate drama.
But how far do producers really go to spark discord?
For starters, according to the book Bachelor Nation, producers tracked female contestants'
menstrual cycles to get emotional interviews.
One former producer explained in the book,
Producers will also allegedly wear down contestants to get them to talk.
According to former Bachelor Sean Lowe's book For the Right Reasons, after his elimination
on Bachelorette Emily Maynard's season, they turned the ten-minute car ride back to the
hotel into a never-ending trip until he finally spoke about the breakup.
"It hurts a lot."
Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe told Entertainment Tonight,
The public's reaction to the announcement of Bachelorette Season 15's lead, Hannah Brown,
can be summed up in one word: polarizing.
However, ABC exec Rob Mills shared with The Hollywood Reporter that, before he signed
Brown on, he met with Hannah G., Tayshia, Caelyn, and Demi from Bachelor Colton Underwood's
season.
Mills explained,
The surprise announcement that Brown was the show's next leading lady echoed that of Season
12's, when JoJo Fletcher was announced as the next Bachelorette.
According to E! News, most of Bachelor Nation originally thought Caila Quinn would be the
lead.
Entertainment Tonight reported that both women initially filmed intro packages in their hometowns
prior to ABC's official Bachelorette casting announcement.
When you're on the show, producers want you on the show.
You have no distractions - other than the drama brewing between you and the contestants.
JoJo Fletcher said in an interview with PopSugar,
Television, music, and movies were also heavily restricted during production.
Daniel Maguire, a contestant on Fletcher's season, said in an interview with The Verge,
Maguire also said in the same interview that producers are hush-hush for the most part
on national news.
Blogger Reality Steve told The Verge,
So how does one occupy their time when they're not on ridiculous group dates or steamy one-on-ones?
The answer: booze on top of booze.
Even on The Bachelorette's contestant application, it asks if the applicant drinks alcohol and
what their favorite drink is.
Former Bachelor contestant Leslie Hughes told The Daily Beast,
However, in 2017, the producers placed tighter restrictions on alcohol consumption after
allegations of sexual misconduct rocked Bachelor in Paradise.
TMZ reported that contestants are now supposed to follow a two-drink limit per hour.
Still, Bachelorette alum Robby Hayes told People magazine,
The picturesque Bachelorette mansion may boast a whopping six bedrooms and ten bathrooms,
but, according to Refinery29, only four of the bathrooms have actual showers.
There are two bathrooms upstairs and two bathrooms downstairs.
However, in an interview with E! News, ABC executive Rob Mills said the two upstairs
near the bedrooms are the ones contestants use to get ready.
Mills also said the lead typically stays outside of the mansion in a nearby residence.
Good thing, because the mansion reportedly doesn't have central air.
Ashley Spivey, a former Bachelor contestant, told Refinery29,
Adding to the packed house and overall uncomfortable dwellings, contestants may have also endured
unwanted flying nuisances in the mansion.
"There were bats in the mansion when I was there and killer bees.”
“Oh, that's not good either."
“Yeah.”
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