The scandals behind the dating show The Bachelor

Recently, the reality TV show The Bachelor has suffered a serious loss of reputation because the audience discovered troubles surrounding the candidates’ private lives.

Recent revelations about the troubled backgrounds of contestants on the reality show The Bachelor have shattered the illusion viewers and players had about the series that reality TV was a safe place to find love.
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Efforts to attract audiences

Three years ago, the dating reality show The Bachelor was in dire need of a revival. Longtime host Chris Harrison had left and ratings were in decline. Premieres were drawing in between 2 and 3 million viewers instead of 10 million.

In 2023, ABC breathed new life into the show with a new version called The Golden Bachelor, which follows Gerry Turner, a 72-year-old man who wears hearing aids and talks proudly about finding love after the death of his wife.

The premiere drew more than 7 million total viewers, including streaming, making it the most-watched premiere of the dating reality show since 2020.

But the show’s “honeymoon” didn’t last. The Bachelor and its other spin-offs have long promised viewers some aspects of a romance, offering glamorous but closed-off environments where the leads can reveal their suitors’ intentions through lavish dates like hot air balloon rides and castle visits. But recent revelations about the show have shattered that fantasy.
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Gerry’s sweet proposal in The Golden Bachelor

Candidates with many “blemishes”

Just before Turner handed out his final rose, The Hollywood Reporter detailed his past with a murky work history and a trail of scorned lovers. Then his subsequent marriage to Theresa Nist, the season’s winner, ended after three months.

The most recent season of The Bachelorette , which premiered this summer, cast Jenn Tran as the series’ first Asian-American lead. But her journey to find love ended in public humiliation.

During the After the Final Rose live special, she tearfully revealed that Devin Strader, the contestant she proposed to in the series finale, had broken off their engagement over the phone. Seeing him for the first time since their breakup, Tran broke down in tears on the show as producers made her watch the proposal in front of the audience.

One fan said it was difficult to watch: “They were clearly playing with people’s emotions. It was the most extreme I’ve ever seen on a TV show.” Many fans expressed their disappointment with the production team as they were haunted by Jenn Tran’s heartbreaking sobs.

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Candidates for The Bachelor 2023

But viewers’ frustration with the series didn’t stop there. This past September, blogger Steve Carbone shared details of Strader’s 2017 felony arrest.

Strader was charged with breaking into the home of his ex-girlfriend, who had filed a restraining order against him.

Strader pleaded guilty to criminal trespass and simple criminal damage to property under $500, and received one year of unsupervised probation, according to Entertainment Weekly.

The Golden Bachelorette premiered a few days later and drew just 2.8 million live viewers, making it one of the lowest-rated episodes in the show’s history.

Although Joan Vassos, 61, received positive reviews for her genuine impression of the audience, subsequent revelations continued to tarnish the show’s credibility.

The day after the premiere, People magazine reported that Gil Ramirez, a contestant vying for Vassos’ affection, had been accused of stalking by his ex-girlfriend and had filed a temporary restraining order against him just before production began.

The show’s vetting of potential candidates has come under fire in the past. In 2018, a contestant on The Bachelorette was cast despite having an outstanding sexual assault case.

Producers later said they had fixed a loophole in the background check process to avoid future mistakes.

Other reality shows have dealt with legal issues surrounding their stars, but those scandals happened after the show aired.

With The Bachelor , the incident happened before filming. While reality TV shows often prioritize drama or plot, when they try to play matchmaker, rigorous vetting becomes necessary if the show wants viewers and stars to think each contestant could be the perfect match.