Before there was Bachelor in Paradise, there was Bachelor Pad—which featured former Bachelorette and Bachelor contestants competing on a game show for money. It also featured some extremely problematic moments (especially by 2021 standards).
Erica Rose— who appeared on two of the show’s three seasons— recently revealed that she was diagnosed with PTSD after appearing on Season 2 in 2011. In an interview with Jacques Peterson’s Unpopular podcast, Erica recounted a particularly “abusive” and “traumatic” game she and the other female contestants were forced to play.
The women were blindfolded and dressed in skimpy bikinis, then lined up with targets painted on their backs. The male contestants were then instructed to throw paint-filled eggs at the woman they felt was least-attractive.
No….really.
(For the record, the men were forced to endure the same charade, with the ladies throwing eggs at the man they were least-attracted to.)
During the show, some of the men even commented about how uncomfortable they were throwing eggs at the woman they were least-attracted to.
“Most of the questions were pretty obnoxious, but who’s the most unattractive? That’s very personal. Like, that’s not joking around at all,” contestant Michael Stagliano told the cameras during the scene. “That’s like, ‘You’re ugly.’ And there’s an egg at your back to prove it.”
(For the record, Michael threw his egg at Erica, as did most of the men.)
“It really hurt, so that’s when I was like, ‘Ow, I don’t want this anymore. Emotionally it was traumatic. Physically, it f**king hurt,” Erica said on the podcast, later adding, “The point of the game was not to injure people. It was to humiliate them, I guess.”
Erica mentioned that, while appearing on the show, her mental health was suffering, though the show’s producers “didn’t try to do anything about it.”
She claims that appearing on the show resulted in her being diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
“I was diagnosed with having PTSD a year after ‘Bachelor Pad’ by a mental health professional. That’s not an exaggeration,” Erica said during an interview with Page Six on Wednesday.
During the episode, Erica told the cameras she didn’t mind playing the game. However, in her new interview, she revealed that a producer “encouraged” her to say that.
“Now that I’m an attorney, licensed in Texas, I can analyze the situation properly and see that they were having me say that to cover [themselves],” Erica told the site.
Erica said that when she tried to get out of playing the “game,” then-host Chris Harrison told her she had to or she might be eliminated from the show.
“I just finally feel for me personally it’s the appropriate time to speak out about the atrocities of this especially with Chris Harrison leaving the show since he was involved in this situation by telling me I [couldn’t] leave without facing elimination,” she told Page Six.
“It wasn’t entirely a fair show even though it was a game show,” she said on the podcast. “I just thought it was unfair they said you’ll be eliminated if you don’t sit here and let yourself be humiliated.”
Erica said she reached out to ‘Bachelor’ Franchise creator Mike Fleiss last year about the problematic egg challenge, and he acknowledged that it was “tasteless and wrong” and offered his “sincere apologies.”
She claims her mental health issues stemming from the show appeared after filming wrapped.
“It took me a long time to overcome that including a lot of money I spent on therapy as well as holistic treatment,” she told Page Six. “Of course, in the moment, when I was asked to be doing an interview I did not have time to process it. With PTSD it actually takes time to manifest and diagnose.”
On Instagram, Erica– who is now married with two daughters— posted about the hurtful incident.
“The least attractive woman in the house. Whether or not that was any of these men’s opinions that did not warrant being pelted with eggs in an abusive manner,” she wrote. “Physically it was just as painful as it was mentally. I tried to take the highroad.”
View this post on Instagram
Erica stated that she emailed the Franchise’s in-house attorney and asked that the egg episode of ‘Bachelor Pad’ be removed from On Demand.
“She was very condescending to me and replied that just because I had a lifestyle change and I’m now a very successful attorney and mother that doesn’t warrant removing the episode,” Erica wrote. “I think they completely missed the point. That episode never should have been aired and especially now that they are claiming to be evolved it should not be available streaming or elsewhere.
“However, I have come to accept that the franchise and network are just more powerful than me. I do not believe that their attorney is better than me but I also do not wish to go into a legal battle.”
She went on to write that she was “brainwashed,” which explains why she went on to appear on ‘Bachelor Pad’ Season 3 in 2012, one year after the traumatic egg-throwing challenge.
“I suffered major PTSD. That is not a term I use lightly Before this experience I had never suffered any type of mental health issues or even been to a therapist,” she wrote. “The mental and physical pain of the egg challenge haunted me. I was so brainwashed that I thought the only way to fix it was by going back on ‘Bachelor Pad’ Season 3.
“Of course that did not solve my problems. So the year after that was really hard for me. Some days actually a lot of days I didn’t even wanna get out of bed. I graduated law school but I couldn’t even focus enough to take my bar exam, so I had to start intensive therapy as well as holistic treatments such a yoga. Now I’m an attorney awaiting apology.”
In the comment section of Erica’s post, some of the other women who participated in the challenge, spoke out about their memories of that day.
“It still hurts my heart reliving that day. I’m so sorry that happened to you. I remember how awful it was,” Holly Julian wrote.
“I still cannot believe this happened,” Michelle Money wrote. “I am so sorry that you had to go through this. You are beyond beautiful inside and out and anyone who has the privilege of knowing you can attest to the amazing person you are.
Mike Fleiss and Chris Harrison have yet to address Erica’s claims publicly.
You can watch the scene in question in the video below.
RELATED STORY: Chris Harrison Announces He Won’t Return to the ‘Bachelor’ Franchise; Will Reportedly Receive an Eight-Figure Payout For Silence
(Photos: ABC; Instagram)
13 Responses
She has a butter face, I’d throw my egg at her too.
Go on stupid shows win stupid prizes.
Why don’t we play her entire season of bachelor and bachelor pad where she flaunted how rich and spoiled she was and called herself “tierica” while wearing a princess crown every day. On top of that she made fun of other girls bodies on camera. Yes, this game was terrible and should never have been played, but she needs to take ownership of her actions on that season. PTSD is a very serious disorder and many people who have been diagnosed have been through such traumatic experiences that most people couldn’t even fathom. I would hardly say a spoiled rich girl being called ugly on TV can claim she has PTSD. She chose to go on not one, not two, not three, but four reality tv shows. She was fully aware of the manipulation that goes on, and if she was so humiliated why not let herself get eliminated? Enough already…nobody owes you anything!
I’d like to know the name of the psychiatrist who diagnosed “major PTSD” stemming from a tasteless game of having eggs thrown at you. As opposed to, say, being sexually abused as a child, or watching a friend get his leg blown off by an IED.
Momma here who has been diagnosed with major ptsd and anxiety from 4 years ago. My trauma, let’s see… molestation as a child, raped as a child and adult, abusive relationships. Now as a mother, ohhhh man my anxiety is at a high. I cannot have my daughter alone with anyone, especially men. It’s a struggle every day to trust anyone. While these things happened from The ages of 3-29, the fear and anxiety hit at every age I suffered trauma. THAT is ptsd. When both of my children turned 4 I went in full panic and would not allow my children to stay overnight anywhere with family. I was not having it. My oldest is now 12. That was when I was molested by an uncle, my child is not allowed to go anywhere. It makes me sick. My middle child is now 7, am age when the full molestations from my uncle started, I am always aware of who is in the home before my daughter goes to visit friends or family. I talk to my children about what to look out for.
This lady isn’t going through shit! I wouldn’t wish my experiences on any one. It is a constant struggle. Rape ruins you. You can never really enjoy sex and some nights you just get pulled back to the ugly experience. I shared too much but I hate when people pull this card.
Cry me a river…
I think all the Bachelor shows in the franchise emphasize on humiliation and desperation. I don’t find it entertaining and I don’t watch any of them. I find them repulsive.
Umm… I’m very confused. Her post is extremely sad and the article sufficiently explained what happened, including her request to the Bachelor franchise to pull that episode and no longer make it available for “entertainment” at her expense and further humiliation. Yet you attach the video to your article? That’s pretty disgusting and completely unnecessary. SMDH… way to support this woman and her journey towards healing. I normally enjoy your content but you dropped the ball on this one. I don’t expect you to post this comment but for her sake, can you remove the video?
I never saw Bachelor Pad but there was no strategy to this game on a game show. Isn’t that the point of a game show, to compete with physical and intellectual challenges? I agree that this was purely for humiliation. Wasn’t there money to be won for winning? Erica stayed, but unfortunately had to suffer with mental health issues due to the dumb game.
I see both sides. The “game” played was disgusting and nobody should endure that humiliation.
However, the participants signed up for this sh&t show.
Wouldn’t it have been worth it to say, “screw you, eliminate me then, I’m not putting up with that!”
Yet, every single one of them stayed, both the women & men.
“I just know that, I don’t know, 50 million people threw eggs at women in 2011. That was a type of humiliating egg event that a lot of people went to. And again, I’m not defending it”
– Chris, probably
Poor women. How is this ok and why do awful shows like the Bachelor even exist in the first place?
I agree. I know there are tons of people who love the Bachelor and geek out with each series but I’ve never understood how it’s still on tv and even more, how it became a franchise. It’s always seemed that the Bachelor was about a good looking guy sleeping with the entire cast. Then removing the girls he felt weren’t good looking enough or didn’t show him totally devotion every time he’s around. What a surprise that most of the relationships don’t last when they start this way.
Then the newer shows like this one where it’s truly about hooking up and filming it…why are they still on the air? It was cringe worthy 10 years ago. I guess I just like my trash/train wreck tv in more of a Teen Mom format. 🙂
I’m finishing the second season of TM2 on Netflix. Great show back then!
I think once the first few couples didn’t last on Bachelor, for me, it seemed really pointless. Flavor Flav was way better of a dating show. At least that one looked fun to film.
Real World turned into a hookup show too. It used to be issues and working together but around the Las Vegas season it changed for the worse.