Last year, The Ashley wanted to know what it was really like to be a contestant on The Bachelor/ Bachelorette so she interviewed a few former contestants and did some research to get the inside scoop. (Click here to read the first “Bachelor FAQ” article!)
That article proved to be a big hit with you Roundupers, so The Ashley decided to dive even further into what happens behind the scenes of this show! Every time The Ashley watches this show, she writes down all of her burning questions. Below are the answers to a few of the questions that have popped into The Ashley’s head over the last few seasons.
Got a question you want an answer to? Leave it below in a comment and maybe The Ashley will answer it for you!
Q: Do the producers make the girls do crazy things to get the Bachelor’s attention?
A: “Some of the girls were really over the top. [The producers] encourage that, but the girls also do that on their own because they want to get noticed by the cameras or Bachelor,” former contestant Erica Rose told The Ashley during a ‘Bachelor’ event in January.
“I was in the first limo, and I was really nervous and I hadn’t really come up with anything funny to say or anything creative to do when I first met Ben,” added Casey Shteamer, another former contestant. I always thought it was kind of weird when people did that so I didn’t want to do it. It just feels a little forced.”
Q: Do the girls seriously just sit around the house and drink and talk about the Bachelor all day?
A: “A lot of people drink. If you are smart you don’t drink that much! I was in the middle,” Ali Fedotowsky revealed in an interview with A Drink With Chicago. “I remember there were times we’d start talking about something that wasn’t related to the bachelor, like where we worked and the producer would come in and say, ‘Come on guys, wouldn’t you rather talk about how hot Jake is?’ And we’d be like, ‘Really?!’ You’re always encouraged to talk about the bachelor. It almost felt like we were rewarded if we did. It’s a very strange situation.”
Q: What don’t we get to see on camera?
A: “You don’t get to see a lot!” former contestant Molly Mesnick told The Ashley at a ‘Bachelor’ event in January. “There’s no workout room here, but there’s a hill in the back that girls would run up to exercise. You can’t watch TV, there’s no Internet, there are no magazines, none of that. You can’t talk to your families, you are totally cut off from the real world.
“To transition from being totally cut off from the real world and putting totally immersed in the show, and then to go back to work and sitting at a cubicle at a computer a week later, that was hard.”
Q: Do the producers have a say in who the Bachelor/Bachelorette sends home?
A: Sometimes, according to Ali Fedotowsky, who revealed on her E! Online blog that producers would sometimes ask her to bring certain guys on her two-on-one dates.
“My guess is that the producers asked Sean to bring both girls on this date,” Ali wrote in regards to current ‘Bachelor’ Sean Lowe’s two-on-one with Tierra and Jackie. “I’m not so sure he cared who went home. At least that’s how it worked on the two-on-one date on my season. I brought Kasey and Justin and I knew neither was right for me, so I asked the producers to pick. Justin was the one chosen to stay. I didn’t know at the time, but I think it’s because he had a girlfriend at home and the producers knew that was going to play out in the next episode. Let me be clear that producers don’t always choose, but when it didn’t matter either way to me, I was happy to let them decide.”
Q: Do the girls have to participate in all of the activities on the dates?
A: The girls are required to participate in all of the activities, per the eligibility rules they agree to before going on the show. If they get hurt, they aren’t allowed to sue the show, its producers, or the network. However, there are exceptions to this rule, as we saw when Selma declined to do the dangerous Polar Plunge activity.
“Applicants must be willing and able to participate in physical activities such as: skydiving, snow skiing, ice skating, parasailing, water skiing, rollerblading, and the like,” the eligibility rules state. “Applicants must sign a release attesting to the fact that the applicant understands and knowingly and willingly agrees to assume such risks.”
Q: What really happens in those fantasy suites?!
A: “I will say this much, I only got physical with one person,” Ali Fedotowsky told A Drink With Chicago. “I think it’s pretty obvious who that was! For me, it was a little bit different. I had one guy I was really into, one guy I knew was just a friend and then the third guy left me. So would I have gotten physical with more than one guy if he would have stuck around? Probably. Are you going to get engaged with someone not knowing what they are like in bed? No!”
“Mike Fleiss, the creator of the show, said Bob Giuney had sex with like 16 girls or something on the show! I heard he went in the bathroom during dates to have sex with the girls,” she added.
Q: Why did the Bachelor suddenly decide to add minorities after having none for years?
A: “It was definitely done on purpose for our Bachelor. Sean has dated across the spectrum; that’s something that very much doesn’t matter to him and, in fact, he likes being diverse,” Chris Harrison told TV Guide.
Of course, this little, um, hiccup may have had something to do with it too.
Q: How does the Bachelor/Bachelorette remember all of the contestants’ names at the rose ceremonies?
A: According to Ali Fedotowsky, the Bachelor or Bachelorette gets some help from the production team when it comes to making sure they say the right name.
“Throughout the night a producer is never far from your side and constantly reminds you about everyone’s name. She (the producer) has flash cards with the pictures and names of every contestant. It is hard to remember everyone, even with the flash cards. It’s all so overwhelming. the Bachelor/ette goes into the rose ceremony room and says a few names at a time and then leaves to get the next few names,” she wrote on her E! Online blog.
“Everyone’s nervous at their first rose ceremony, so we make it real easy for them, and we break [shooting] up into three to five people at a time,” Chris Harrison said in a 2009 interview with E! Online. Then we’ll stop, just to make sure we don’t run into any mistakes. We don’t want a [microphone] in his ear, we don’t want cue cards, we want it as natural as possible.”
In the early seasons, the Bachelors/Bachelorettes didn’t have this helping hand. Every ‘Bachelor’ fan remembers the shocking rose ceremony in which ‘Bachelor’ Jesse Palmer accidentally said the wrong name of a girl. (I looked for the clip of that, but it’s strangely nowhere to be found!)
Q: Do the girls/guys on the show have any say over what gets put on the air?
A: None whatsoever, which is standard with almost all reality shows and their stars. In fact, any contestant that goes on the show has to agree to allow the producers to reveal information about them that, “may be embarrassing, unfavorable, humiliating, and/or derogatory and/or may portray him or her in a false light,” according to the show’s official eligibility rules.
Q: Why doesn’t the Bachelor or the girl he’s on a date with ever eat the dinner?!
A: Apparently, the contestants are so focused on getting their romance on, there isn’t much time for stuffing their face, according to Ali Fedotowsky.
“There is food on camera, people just usually don’t eat that much on camera because you are so focused on the date. I remember food always getting cold on my dates because we were mostly focused on getting to know each other. Your time with the Bachelor is limited. You don’t want to waste it eating. You want to get to know him and let him get to know you! But as soon as the date is over, you stuff your face! At least I did.”
Q: Is anyone allowed to try out for the show or do they restricted it to certain kinds of people?
A: According to the show’s official eligibility rules, all women (or men) trying out for the show must be:
- At least 21 years old
- Single (and, so there’s no confusion, they provide a definition of the word for contestants right there in the application. According to ‘The Bachelor’ the word ‘single’ means: not currently involved in a committed intimate relationship, which includes any marital relationship–whether or not the parties are separated or currently in the process of divorcing or annulling a marriage. They also can’t be in living with someone they’re having a physically intimate or monogamous relationship with for more than two months. I guess that makes the occasional booty call OK?)
- Free of any felony convictions or restraining orders against them
- Willing to submit to the required physical and psychological examinations and testing
They must also allow producers to do extensive background checks on them (including criminal, background, credit, etc.) Producers are also allowed to seek out the contestant’s former neighbors, teachers, employers, etc. and interview them for dirt on the applicant. Contestants must also fill out a complete medical history, and producers have the right to use any of that information (in addition to other things such as sexual history) on the show.
Got a question about ‘The Bachelor’ or ‘The Bachelorette’ you want answered? Leave it in a comment below!
65 Responses
Hi! I have a Question!
When the candidates start to travel to international countries do they get to explore as a group.. if someone is on a one on one date. Does the bachelor/bachelorette get to explore when all the candidates are in a hotel.
Who determines where they go on dates and what they do? Also where they travel to.
Always wondered how they remembered names and faces at rose ceremonies. Especially the 1st one. Thanks !
why in the hell is hanah back on the show? thats not fair to the other girls who have put their lifes on hold to do the show. hanna is such a phoney, i have always watched but now i am not going too after all this crap. she just wants attension, she didnt pick him so why is she back on the show? all my friends feel same way sne needs to leave and get a life. she always crys when she ewants something so let her go back where she comes from
Does the show get into your mom or dads personal information? Like try and get dirt on your mom or dad?
Do the girls so straight home after not receiving a rose or do they go somewhere designated so people don’t know the results of the show before It is aired?
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Do the contestents bring their own clothes?
If provided, do they get to keep them?
Why do they always have skinny people on the shows. The bachelor and bachelorette? Why don’t they ever do the show for just fat people. ? Can you get my message to the right person who does the show.?
wow i loved the article thx so much for sharing your amazing ideas with the world you brightened up my day love!!!!
How long does it take to pin all those roses on?
So who pays for the dates and all the travel? What about food at the mansion?
The way the bachelor looks into each rose before saying a name makes me wonder if names are written on petals to help him out or the order in which they are called.
What does the selected girl or guy do while the show is on the air?
Do the contestants have a set time they HAVE a “light out” time or a set time to wake up? I’m suprized they never show someone in bed all day with a hangover.do they let you go to a store to buy food,clothing or anything you may need?
Have any Bachelor or Bachelorette ever dated any of the runners-up after their original engagement is broken?
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Have any of the producers accidentally taken the wrong luggage on two-on-one dates?
On the first episode, certain contestants are featured. Are the top 3 contestants always featured during this time along with the season “villan”?
Do you know who the bachelor will be before you apply to be on show
How many dates per week does the Bachelor go on? There’s usually some sort of group date and a one on one date? Are there two group dates and two one on one dates, or just one of each, or two group and one of the one on one dates?
Why do producers keep bringing the SAME people back every season??? Bring new, fresh people in!! Leave the drama queens and roid guys out of it for once! There are thousands of potential contestants who apply….we’re tired of these same people…..seriously.
How long does it take to film the show? And how long can’t the bachelor an the winner communicate after filming is done?
When a bachelor/ette couple break up are they allowed to get in touch with any guy/gal from their season that they sent home?
Is the bachelor allowed to bring back a contestant they sent home?
I have always wondered if the Bachelor/ette is allowed to contact people they sent home. So many couples don’t last, and they might have wished they chose someone else, or the runner up. Do they sign something that says they can’t contact them?
So what I don’t understand is who is paying for them to go everywhere and dress that nice or do they just have their own clothes to make them look that good
The contestants have to pay for their own clothes/do their own makeup/etc. The Bachelor/Bachelorette had a wardrobe and makeup team.
How much time is between the air date and the actual date you do the show?
All of the family homes look so well put together. Are they the real family homes or does the show rent/lease places as the family homes? They all look so rich!
I was going to ask the exact same question as Natalie!
On the Summer show, BACHELOR IN PARADISE, they use the song ALMOST PARADISE, which was featured in the 1984 film FOOTLOOSE, by Reno & Wilson, as the show’s theme song. However, it is not Reno & Wilson’s version. Who are the singers that do it for the TV show? They do a great job and it is better than the original. Is a recording of those two singers available anywhere? Please respond in and Email.
Why have we watched Lace Morris from Bens season drinking and getting drunk and now talking about it on the live show afterwards when she is only 20 years old? Do all of your contests drink under age? I’m pretty that its illegal to give minors alcohol. How many have you had on here waisted from you providing alcohol to improve your ratings? Does anyone take responsibility for contributing to a minor, or does all of that get over looked because your bringing in cash flow? Does none of those kinds of laws apply where your filming or what? Would like to know.
Lace is not 20. Under her name it read Bachelor 20 which is the current season of the Bachelor
Why are u telling secret questions to Ben like no Olivia leave him alone and stop interrupting everyone
How do they keep the bachelor/ette and the contestant they choose secret for however many months until the finale? Without anyone ever spotting them or paparazzi taking photos?
can you still go on the show if you live somewhere else or do you have to live in a pacific place? and do u have to go on the bachelor or bachelorette frist before going on bachelor in paradise?
Why aren’t there shows that have over 45 years of age contestants?
How come they have never come up with a program for more mature contestants??
Your show has sunk to a new low with the truly awful Bachelorette. I used to watch the show in the early days – simply for entertainment, which it was. Now you have very dangerous competitions (the boxing match on this current season), you have people who are clearly swearing up a storm, although the sound is deleted and the sexual content has also been ramped up. The current girl is cheap, skanky and I’m sorry to say, a Canadian.
Nothing is left to the imagination anymore and I for one will no longer watch this cheap (although I’m sure its not cheap to produce) show. Have people’s moral compass sunk so low the producers feel the need to encourage the contestants to admit to sexual encounters? Time to shut this show down, because that is what it is a “show”. Just look at the abysmal success rate – no-one can truly fall in love under these circumstances and being the cynic that I am, I suspect many of the people on the show are would-be actors or want to see how it is to be in the limelight.
The Bachelors/Bachelorettes get paid for picking a fiancée; So what happens to the money if they do not get married?
are u aloud to bring your phone? but then when u get there theytake it off u. and i also wanted to know what do they do with photo and video u send them?
Can they date someone they have sent home if the engagement doesn’t last? Is there a time limit?
What are the physical requirements for contestants? It seems like they make sure all the women are super “fit” and ready to model!
Are there ever any average looking women that make it through casting?
Actually I would get engaged and married to a guy without knowing how he is in bed. Sex is a sacred, special, action that should be between man and wife. Not boyfriend and girlfriend. Why would anyone want to give their heart away to multiple men and violate and disrespect themselves like that? It doesn’t make any sense.
I mean that’s what I think. I don’t want to offend anyone but yeah whatever you think is your own opinion.
Does the bachlorette choose the acivities in which the guys are to participate, and if not, can she veto an activity she does not approve of?
When the Bachelor or Bacherloette picks their person, they are told they both have to hide out not to reveal who the bachelor or bacherloette chose. My question is: HAS IT EVER HAPPENED THEY ACCIDENTALLY REVEAL WHO THEY PICKED BEFORE THE EPIDSODE AIRS? (LIKE HAVE THEY EVER GONE OUT IN PUBLIC, AND PEOPLE SEEN THEM AND IT RUINED THE EDNING?)
I would love to know, of all the bachelors/bachelorettes, are there any that did not do the fantasy suite?
@AA Yes! Emily Maynard did not do any fantasy suites. She brought the men over to hang out but sent them home at the end of the night. She did not spend the night with any of them.
What is the time line for the show? How many days go by between dates? Are there days when no filming happens at all?
When do the girls do the behind the camera talking about what is to come and how they’re feeling? Throughout the date do they keep getting pulled to the side and are told to talk?
When will you have a bachelor or bachelorette over the age of 50?
When they are on a remote island or location where do they go to the restroom??
What do they do to make sure all the contestants cry in the limo?
Does the show pay for the engagement ring?
Are the bachelors and bachelorettes allowed to watch their own show? Why do they have to keep it a secret after their initial engagement? How many months later after the engagement is the show aired on tv?
What rules are in place to prevent the bachelor/ette from leaving early if they have chosen who they want?
Whenever the girls are sent home do they have to wait at a secluded house so they don’t spill anything that happens or are they allowed to go back to their hometowns?
Hi Natalie!
Did you ever get a response to your question? I’m dying to know too!
Thnx!
PJ
@Natalie and Patty– I will find out and include that in my next “Bachelor FAQ” post! Thanks for the suggestion! 🙂 =The Ashley
I sooo want to know that. I know on the after the final rose episodes they admit they have to hide not to reveal the winner.
you probably would get sued if you told anyone
just like actors in a popular tv show. you get sued if you tell anyone