The Bachelor – About the show
The series revolves around a single bachelor (deemed eligible) and a pool of romantic interests (typically 25), which possibly includes a potential wife for the bachelor. The conflicts in the series, both internal and external, stem from the elimination-style format of the show. Early in the season, the bachelor goes on large group dates with the women, with the majority of women eliminated during rose ceremonies. As the season progresses, women are also eliminated on one-on-one dates and on elimination two-on-one dates. The process culminates with hometown visits to the families of the final four women, overnight dates at exotic locations with the final three women, and interaction with the bachelor’s family and the final two women. In many cases, the bachelor proposes to his final selection.
The show is known for its twists, both structurally and contextually. In some cases, the bachelor may or may not follow the show’s standard rose ceremony guidelines. Numerous bachelors, for instance, have conferred fewer roses than allotted as per standard rose ceremony procedure; others have eliminated both women on a two-on-one date. One bachelor, Brad Womack selected neither of his final two women. Another, Jason Mesnick proposed to one woman, and then changed his mind during the “After the Final Rose” show to the other finalist; Mesnick is now married to her. Other twists include a woman leaving the show for work-related reasons and the dismissal of one candidate for an alleged affair with an ex-producer of the show.
The show’s success has led Producer Mike Fleiss to create multiple spin-offs, including The Bachelorette, in which the format is gender-reversed, and Bachelor Pad, where previous contestants compete in dating-themed eliminations for $250,000. Many bachelorettes are runner-ups or eliminated contestants from the Bachelor, including Trista Rehn, whose wedding to Ryan, the show’s winner, was televised on ABC. The first season of Bachelor Pad airs in August of 2010, with the show including a number of Bachelor and Bachelorette cast-offs.
The elimination process
According to the summary on ABC.com, each new Bachelor episode contains a rose ceremony during which one or more contestants is eliminated. Eliminations are based upon date performance (i.e., how the women relate to the bachelor on the dates). The bachelor must follow a process of elimination wherein his pool of bachelorettes is narrowed down week by week by presenting a rose to each of the women he wishes to keep.
At any point during the process, if a woman decides she is no longer interested in the bachelor, she may leave. A few have actually done so over the course of the show.
In the end, the bachelor may select only one woman for the final rose. Several of the bachelors have proposed, and one bachelor selected no one.
As of the end of season 14, none of the bachelors has married the woman to whom he presented the final rose. The season 13 bachelor (Jason) ended up marrying his season’s runner-up in February 2010; to this point, it is the only Bachelor season to result directly in marriage.
Seasons
| Season Year | Bachelor | Profile | Winner | Runner-Up | Proposal | Aftermath |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 2002 | Alex Michel | Management consultant | Amanda Marsh | Trista Rehn | No | Michel did not propose to Marsh, but instead they took a chance at a relationship. Marsh and Michel broke up after several months, and Rehn was featured on the first season of The Bachelorette. |
| 2 2002 | Aaron Buerge | Vice President of a chain of family-owned banks | Helene Eksterowicz | Brooke Smith | Yes | They broke up after several months.[2] Buerge became engaged to Angye McIntosh and married in 2009.[3] . Finalist Gwen Gioia became a contestant on the first season of Bachelor Pad. |
| 3 2003 | Andrew Firestone | Sales manager of Firestone Family estates | Jen Schefft | Kristen Baschbucher | Yes | Schefft and Firestone broke up after several months but remained friends.[4] He is now married to actress Ivana Bozilovic.[5] Schefft was featured on the third season of The Bachelorette. |
| 4 2003 | Bob Guiney | Creator of a mortgage company and former suitor on The Bachelorette | Estella Gardinier | Kelly Jo Kuharski | No | Guiney did not propose to Gardinier but she accepted a promise ring indicating that they would still date. They broke up shortly after the show aired.[6] Guiney later married soap opera star Rebecca Budig, but they split after five years of marriage.[7] Meredith Phillips, who came fourth, was featured on the second season of The Bachelorette. |
| 5 2004 | Jesse Palmer | Canadian American college football player | Jessica Bowlin | Tara Huckeby[8] | No | Palmer did not propose to Bowlin. They continued to date but broke up several months later.[9] |
| 6 2004 | Byron Velvick | Pro bass fisherman and divorced father | Mary Delgado | Tanya Michel | Yes | Velvick and Delgado split after five years.[10] |
| 7 2005 | Charlie O’Connell | Actor | Sarah Brice | Krisily Kennedy | No | O’Connell chose Sarah Brice to be the winner but he did not propose to her. Instead they took a chance at a relationship. They broke up in September 2007,[11] but got back together in 2008.[12] However, they called it quits again in 2010.[13]. Runner-up Kennedy became a contestant on the first season of Bachelor Pad. |
| Paris 2006 | Travis Lane Stork | Medical doctor | Sarah Stone | Moana Dixon | No | Stork did not propose to Stone. They decided to take a chance at just a relationship. They broke up shortly after the show aired.[14] Stork is now featured on The Doctors. |
| Rome 2006 | Prince Lorenzo Borghese | Cosmetics entrepreneur | Jennifer Wilson | Sadie Murray | No | Borghese did not propose to Wilson. They took a chance at a relationship, and they broke up in January 2007.[15] |
| Officer and a Gentleman 2007 | Andrew Baldwin | US Naval Officer | Tessa Horst | Bevin Nicole Powers | Yes | Horst and Baldwin called off their engagement one month after the finale,[16] but continued their relationship. They broke off the relationship in September 2007.[17] Finalist Peyton Wright became a contestant on the first season of Bachelor Pad. |
| 11 2007 | Brad Womack | Bar owner | None | Deanna Pappas and Jenni Croft | No | Womack chose Jenni Croft and DeAnna Pappas as the two finalists, but they were both rejected in the season’s finale.[18] Pappas was featured on the fourth season of The Bachelorette. |
| London Calling 2008 | Matt Grant | Global financier | Shayne Lamas | Chelsea Wanstrath | Yes | Grant and Lamas broke up in July 2008.[19] |
| 13 2009 | Jason Mesnick | Account executive, single father, and former suitor on The Bachelorette | Melissa Rycroft | Molly Malaney | Yes | On the season’s finale, Mesnick had called off the engagement with Rycroft, and resumed a relationship with runner-up Malaney. Rycroft later appeared on Dancing with the Stars and is now married to Tye Strickland. They are expecting their first child in February 2011.[20][21] On October 20, 2009, Mesnick proposed to Malaney in New Zealand, which she accepted. They were married on February 27, 2010, in California.[22] Mesnick and Malaney’s wedding aired on national television on March 8, 2010.[23] Third-place finalist Jillian Harris was featured on the fifth season of The Bachelorette. Finalists Nikki Kaapke and Natalie Getz became contestants on the first season of Bachelor Pad. |
| On the Wings of Love 2010 | Jake Pavelka | Commercial pilot and former suitor on The Bachelorette | Vienna Girardi | Tenley Molzahn | Yes | They ended their relationship in June 2010.[24] Pavelka appeared as a celebrity contestant on the tenth season of Dancing With the Stars. Fourth-place Finalist Ali Fedotowsky was featured on the sixth season of The Bachelorette. Runner-up Molzahn, along with finalists Elizabeth Kitt, Gia Allemand, Michelle Kujawa, Jessie Sulidis and Ashley Elmore, became contestants on the first season of Bachelor Pad. |