Roses full of thorns: ‘Bachelor’ shows don’t often produce marriages

Shows are heavy on ratings, but light on actual weddings

The Bachelor Mansion in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Greg Doherty/Getty Images) (Getty)

There are two big facts regarding “The Bachelor,” “The Bachelorette” and “Bachelor In Paradise.”

One, the shows are popular, as evidenced by the millions of people who tune in and watch the reality TV programs in which people try to find love.

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Two, contestants who appear rarely get married to others they meet on the shows, despite all the time spent making out, the proclamations of falling in love, all the promises and proposals with expensive rings.

Since “The Bachelor” first aired in 2002, only three times out of 23 seasons has the featured contestant gotten married to his winner.

The stats are little better for “The Bachelorette,” but not by much, given four of the 15 bachelorettes on the show ended up at the altar.

As for “Bachelor in Paradise" -- a different concept because instead of one contestant choosing between 20 or so other men or women, a selected group of men and women come to an island in hopes of finding their mate -- 21 couples have reached the final stage of the show since it first aired in 2014.

Of those 21 couples, three have gone on to get married.

Here’s a breakdown of the success stories from each show.

‘The Bachelor’

Married contestants

  • Jason Mesnick and Molly Malaney, season No. 13, 2009. Originally, Mesnick chose Melissa Rycroft and proposed to her. But on the season finale, Mesnick had a change of heart, breaking off the engagement with Rycroft and proposing to Malaney. The two got married on ABC in 2010 and had a daughter in 2013.
  • Sean Lowe and Catherine Giudici, season No. 17, 2013. Lowe proposed to Giudici on the show and the couple got married less than a year later in January 2014. The couple now has three children.
  • Arie Luyendyk Jr. and Lauren Burnham, season No. 22, 2018. Originally, Luyendyk proposed to Becca Kufrin and she accepted. But on the season finale, viewers watched as Luyendyk essentially called off the engagement with Kufrin and started dating Burnham, the original runner-up. Luyendyk and Burnham got engaged on the “After the Final Rose” special, were married in January 2019, according to an article in People, and Burnham gave birth to their daughter in May 2019.

Still together

  • Colton Underwood and Cassie Randolph, season No. 23, 2019. - There was no proposal after the season finale, but the two did start a relationship, and as of November, were still dating, according to E! News. Currently they appear to be dating as well, based on their social media accounts.

‘The Bachelorette’

Married contestants

  • Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter, season No. 1, 2003. The premiere of the show ended in a marriage, as Rehn and Sutter wed in December 2003 on national TV and have since had two children, according to People.
  • Ashley Hebert and J.P. Rosenbaum, season No. 7, 2011. The couple’s wedding aired as a TV special on Dec. 16, 2012, and they have since had two children, according to People.
  • Desiree Hartsock and Chris Siegfried, season No. 9, 2013. Initially, Hartsock professed her love for another contestant, Brooks Forester, saying she hoped he would propose to her. But Forester didn’t have the same feelings for Hartsock and he left the show. Hartsock eventually accepted a proposal from Siegfried, and the couple were married in 2015. They have since had two sons.
  • Rachel Lindsay and Bryan Abasolo, season No. 13, 2017. Lindsay, a 32-year-old attorney from Dallas, married Abasolo, a 37-year-old chiropractor from Miami, in August 2019.

Still together

  • JoJo Fletcher and Jordan Rogers, season No. 12, 2016. The two got engaged on the show and then got re-engaged in August 2019, according to People. The couple stars in a series on CNBC in which they flip houses. It’s called “Cash Pad.”
  • Becca Kufrin and Garrett Yrigoyen, season No. 14, 2018. The couple got engaged on the show, but Kufrin said they have “zero wedding plans right now” in an article on E! News in December.

‘Bachelor in Paradise’

Married contestants

  • Jade Roper and Tanner Tolbert, season No. 2, 2015. Roper and Tolbert’s 2016 wedding aired on a special edition of “The Bachelor: A Celebration of Love.” They now have two children, according to E! News.
  • Carly Waddell and Evan Bass, season No. 3, 2016. The couple married in 2017 and announced last May they were expecting their second child.
  • Krystal Nielson and Chris Randone, season No. 5, 2018. The two were married during an episode on the sixth season of the show.

Still together

  • Raven Gates and Adam Gottschalk, season No. 4, 2017. The couple got engaged in May, according to E! News.
  • Astrid Loch and Kevin Wendt, season No. 5, 2018. They got engaged in August, according to People.
  • Hannah Godwin and Dylan Barbour, episode No. 6, 2019. The couple got engaged on the show, but when talking about wedding plans, Godwin told People in November that “we’re not in the planning stages yet.”
  • Caelynn Miller-Keyes and Dean Unglert, episode No. 6, 2019. The couple are reportedly dating after meeting on the show.

About the Author:

Keith is a member of Graham Media Group's Digital Content Team, which produces content for all the company's news websites.