America’s favorite reality TV shows, The Bachelor and The Bachelorette have always kept their deep dark secrets under wraps. But as of now, the case has been blown wide open!
Here’s what they haven’t been telling you.
“The Bachelorette” has a higher success rate than “The Bachelor.”
The Bachelor has been running for 21 seasons, and the only couple that is still together is Sean Lowe and Catherine Giudici.
Meaning, The Bachelorette has only been running for 13 seasons, and six of the couples are still together .
Rose ceremonies can last well into the night, and sometimes into the early hours of the morning.
“On TV, what you see is I hand out a rose, the girl comes forward and accepts it, and then I hand out another rose,” Sean Lowe, the bachelor of season 17, told Glamour .
“In reality, there’s about three to five minutes in between each rose because all 15 cameras have to reposition. That first night lasts until about 7 a.m., and then each one after that lasts until about 3 or 4 [a.m.],” he added.
Condoms are not provided in the fantasy suites.
Contestant, Courtney Robertson, revealed in her book, I Didn’t Come Here To Make Friends , that the one thing the fantasy suites were missing, were condoms .
The rules for drinking on the show have changed drastically.
Unfortunately, there’s always that one person that gets too drunk and ruins the fun for everyone else.
So, as of this year, contestants are limited to drinking two drinks per hour, and all hook-ups are filmed to avoid missing any foul play.
But that being said, there is still an unlimited, free supply of wine, champagne, beer, and liquor.
Contestant, Leslie Huges , revealed in an interview that from the moment she got there at 12 in the afternoon, she was being bombarded with booze.
The application process is very thorough.
If you’re ever thinking about trying out for The Bachelor or The Bachelorette , get ready for months of intensive background checks , STD testing, and a psychological evaluation.
They don’t mess around.
Contestants are asked point blank if they are on birth control before they are accepted onto the show.
As part of the application process, the potential female contestants are asked by the screening committee if they are on birth control or not.
Contestants have literally quit their jobs to appear on the show.
The Bachelor season 20 contestant, Olivia Caridi, said that she quit her job to be on the show.
“I did not give up my career. I am confident that I will get another job in broadcast news to continue my career in the television news industry,” she said .
The word “process” is forbidden.
“Any time you call it a process, they will make you re-tape it and say journey.” Sean Lowe told Glamour in 2015.
The reason for this, is because the show finds the word “process” to sound very unromantic, and they don’t want it to take away from the fantasy viewers have of the show.
There is a lot of downtime.
Filming the show takes months, and during that time, contestants have no access to books, magazines, computers, cell phones, tablets, or music.
The only form of entertainment they have to help pass the time is each other, and booze.
Contestants are not paid to be on “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette.”
It’s easy to assume that reality TV contestants are paid, since many of them are leaving their jobs behind .
But in actuality, The Bachelor does not pay any of their contestants. They are solely there to find love, fame, or both.
The producers sometimes plan the limo exits.
Contestant, Ashley Palenkas, said that after the producers saw 50 Shades Of Grey on her nighstand, they forced her to pretend to be obsessed with the series — even though she had never even finished reading the novel.
The food given on dates goes to waste, because everyone has already eaten.
To avoid wasting date footage watching the contestant and the bachelor or bachelorette chew their food, they are instructed to eat before arriving on the date. That way, there is more footage of them talking, and getting to know each other.
So the food you see on the date is just there as decoration.
In order to keep their Neil Lane engagement rings, the couple must stay together for longer than two years.
If the couple is engaged, but break up before being together for two years, they are forced to return the engagement rings that cost upwards of six figures .
Some contestants will spend thousands of dollars on a new wardrobe, preparing for the show.
Contestants are expected to provide all of their own clothes, unless they make it to the final two — in which case thay are provided a gown.
But otherwise, it’s up to them to dress themselves to the nines for every episode.
Contestant, Jillian Harris, from season 13, admitted that she remortgaged her home and spent $8000 on a new wardrobe before going on the show.
When the contestants first arrive, they are given gift bags.
Upon arrival, each contestant is handed a gift bag with sponsored items inside, such as bathing suits, yoga mats, and accessories.
Chris Harrison naps in closets sometimes.
Chris has been hosting the show since 2002, so by now he knows all the best spots to hunker down for a quick power nap.
One of those spots is the closet in the master bedroom of the mansion.
There is something called the “Meatball Theory”.
Producers predict during the first episode of the show, that if a contestant seems shy, or standoffish, she will most likely stand in the most separated quarter of the room — next to the meatballs, and she will likely be the first contestant sent off the show.
Contestants have zero contact with the outside world while filming.
While filming, contestants are not allowed to leave the house on their own accord, under any circumstances.
They are completely alienated, kept away from the outside world, and have no access to media, or communication devices .
Chris Harrison doesn’t always take orders from the producers.
Although the creators of the show and the producers are the masterminds behind the whole operation, and ultimately have the final say on everything, Chris often takes things into his own hands.
Without being asked to, he will ask the contestants probing questions, and later slip it into conversations to stir the pot .
Some producers have went on to have relationships with failed contestants.
Season 16 contestant, Jamie Otis, told Women’s Health :
“There are more of these producer/contestant relationships than viewers realize — they’re always kept hush-hush.”
It is someone’s job to make sure the girls cry as often as possible.
An ABC employee, Sarah Gertrude’s job was to make the girls cry by feeding them misinformation, getting the girls to open up to her, and giving them horrible advice. She described it as “complicated manipulation through friendship.”
Before a final rose ceremony, she said her job was to raise the hopes of the girl that was ultimately going to lose.
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“The night they were going to get dumped, I would go to the hotel room where they were staying and say, ‘I’m going to lose my job for telling you this, but he’s going to pick you — he’s going to propose.'” She said .
It’s difficult for the contestants to stay in shape while filming because they do not have access to a gym.
Although the mansion they get to live in is beautiful, it does not come equipped with a fitness area , so the contestants have to get real creative if they want to maintain their figures.
The mansion is someone’s actual home for the rest of the year.
ABC does not own the mansion where the show is filmed. It actually belongs to a 59-year-old named Marshall Haraden , who lives there with his family most of the time.
He moves out of his home twice a year, when ABC starts filming.