The Bachelorette
 | |
| Genre | Dating game show |
| Presented by | Chris Harrison |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 12 |
| No. of episodes | 130 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Elan Gale |
| Running time | 120 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Next Entertainment Warner Horizon Television Telepictures Productions |
| Distributor | Warner Bros. Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | January 8, 2003 – February 28, 2005 Revived series: May 19, 2008 – present |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | The Bachelor Bachelor Pad Bachelor in Paradise |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Plot
Main article: Rules of The Bachelor
All of the rules are adopted from its parent show, The Bachelor. The series revolves around a single bachelorette (deemed eligible), who is usually a reject from the previous Bachelor season, and a pool of romantic interests (typically 25; 30 in season 5), which could include a potential husband for the bachelorette. The format is the same as the parent show. Unlike The Bachelor, one of two male suitors proposes to the bachelorette for the final selection. The Bachelor does not, however, always propose at the end of the show. At the end of Juan Pablo's season, he decided to "choose" a girl to keep spending time with, but evidently was not ready for a proposal. A proposal at the end of the show is not always guaranteed. It is up to the bachelor/bachelorette to decide that.
Season 11 was the first season to feature a twist in casting. Since producers could not decide between The Bachelor Season 19 contenders Kaitlyn Bristowe and Britt Nilsson. The 25 men participating had to decide which bachelorette would make the best wife. In the end, more men voted for Kaitlyn and Britt was sent home on the first night.[2]
Unlike The Bachelor, all eleven seasons of The Bachelorette have ended with a proposal whether or not the Bachelorette decided to accept or decline. Trista Rehn's marriage to Ryan Sutter, Ashley Hebert's marriage to JP Rosenbaum, and Desiree Hartsock's marriage to Chris Siegfried have been the only marriages to result. The weddings of the former two were broadcast on ABC.
Questions of authenticity
The Bachelorette Season 4 winner, Jesse Csincsak, commented that contestants must follow producers' orders and that a storyline was fabricated in the editing room.[3]
On March 15, 2010, The Bachelorette creator Mike Fleiss appeared on 20/20 to confess that he developed the show's contestants into characters that catered to his audience's tastes, and that they "need [their] fair share of villains every season."[4] Fleiss has come under fire for admitting that The Bachelor has less to do with reality than it does making good television.[5]
By Season 7 of The Bachelorette, some believe that actors were being hired by ABC to play specific roles on the show. Some viewers were becoming tired of the show's scripted nature and speaking out.[6] By Season 8 there were numerous complaints when the entire cast of The Bachelorette overtly acted out the show's written script with the cast of The Muppets.[7]
Setting
Much like the parent show, the first two seasons were filmed in a luxurious house in Los Angeles County, California, and "Villa De La Vina," in Agoura Hills, California for later seasons. Since the fifth season, the third and remaining episodes filmed around the world. Episodes have been filmed throughout the United States, Canada, Spain, Iceland, Turkey, Portugal, Thailand, China, Bermuda, England, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, France, Italy, Belgium and Ireland. The California estate was not used during some seasons including season 3 that was filmed in New York City;[8] Charlotte, North Carolina for season 8, where Emily Maynard lived so that she could stay with her daughter Ricki during production.[9][10] In addition to Villa De La Vina mansion, the contestants in season 4 lived in a bunkhouse close to the mansion.
Seasons
International versions
| Season | Original run | Bachelorette | Occupation | Winner | Runner-up | Proposal | Relationship status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | January 8–February 19, 2003 | Trista Rehn | Physical therapist | Ryan Sutter | Charlie Maher | Yes | Rehn and Sutter were married on December 6, 2003 on national television.[11] As of 2016, they are still together and have two children, Max and Blakesley.[12][13] |
| 2 | January 14–February 26, 2004 | Meredith Phillips | Makeup artist | Ian Mckee | Matthew Hickl | Yes | Phillips and McKee were engaged at the end of the show, but ended their relationship in February 2005.[14][15] |
| 3 | January 10–March 21, 2005 | Jennifer "Jen" Schefft | Publicist | Jerry Ferris | John Paul Merritt | Yes | Schefft originally rejected both Ferris and Merritt in the finale. During the first live final rose ceremony, Schefft chose Ferris, an art gallery director, over Meritt. Ferris proposed to Schefft, but she rejected his proposal, stating that the chemistry was not there.[16][17] Schefft ultimately married Chicago public relations executive Joe Waterman in May 2009;[18] they have two children, Mae Elizabeth[19] and Charlotte Grace.[20] |
| 4 | May 19–July 7, 2008 | DeAnna Pappas | Real estate agent | Jesse Csincsak | Jason Mesnick | Yes | Pappas chose Csincsak and their wedding was set for May 9, 2009, but they broke up in November 2008.[21] Pappas eventually made a surprise return in season 13 of The Bachelor. Csincsak is now married to The Bachelor season 13 contestant Ann Lueders.[22] Pappas ultimately married high school teacher Stephen Stagliano in October 2011, whose brother, Michael, would become a contestant on the fifth season of The Bachelorette.[23] The couple have two children, Addison Marie,[24][25] and Austin Michael.[26] |
| 5 | May 18–July 28, 2009 | Jillian Harris | Interior designer | Ed Swiderski | Kiptyn Locke | Yes | Harris, the first Canadian bachelorette chose Ed Swiderski in the finale, but in July 2010, it was announced that Harris and Swiderski had broken up.[27] Swiderski is now married to news reporter Natalie Bomke.[28] Harris is expecting her first child with boyfriend Justin Pasutto.[29] |
| 6 | May 24–August 2, 2010 | Ali Fedotowsky | Advertising account manager | Roberto Martinez | Chris Lambton | Yes | Fedotowsky and Martinez got engaged in the season finale, but the couple broke up in November 2011.[30] However, they remained friends.[31] Fedotowsky is now engaged to Kevin Manno and expecting their first child, a girl, together.[32] |
| 7 | May 23–August 1, 2011 | Ashley Hebert | Dental student | J.P. Rosenbaum | Ben Flajnik | Yes | Hebert and Rosenbaum married on December 1, 2012, and their wedding aired as a TV special on December 16 of that year.[33][34][35] The couple have a son named Fordham Rhys born on September 30, 2014.[36] On May 23, 2016, they announced that they're expecting their second child, a girl.[37] |
| 8 | May 14–July 23, 2012 | Emily Maynard[38] | Children's hospital event planner | Jef Holm | Arie Luyendyk Jr. | Yes | Maynard and Holm ended their relationship in October 2012.[39] In June 2014, Maynard married Tyler Johnson, whom she met at church.[40][41] The couple have a son, Jennings Tyler, born in July 2015,[42][43] and are expecting their third child.[44] |
| 9 | May 27–August 5, 2013[45] | Desiree Hartsock[46] | Bridal stylist | Chris Siegfried | Drew Kenney | Yes | Hartsock and Siegfried were married on January 18, 2015 and currently live in Seattle, Washington.[47] On April 27, 2016, they announced that they are expecting their first child.[48] |
| 10 | May 19–July 28, 2014[49] | Andi Dorfman[50] | Assistant District Attorney | Josh Murray | Nick Viall | Yes | Murray proposed to Dorfman in the season finale. However, the two announced their breakup on January 8, 2015.[51] |
| 11 | May 18–July 27, 2015[52] | Kaitlyn Bristowe[53] | Dance Instructor | Shawn Booth | Yes | Bristowe and her fellow The Bachelor season 19 contestant Britt Nilsson were selected as candidates. In the second episode, the men chose Bristowe to be the Bachelorette. Bristowe picked Shawn Booth, and the two are still engaged as of June 2016. | |
| 12 | May 23, 2016[54] | Joelle "JoJo" Fletcher[55] | Real Estate Developer | TBA | TBA | TBA | To be announced |
| Country | Name | Host | Network | Date premiered | |||
 Sweden | Bachelorette Sverige | TV3 | March 27, 2011[56] | ||||
 Slovenia | Sanjska ženska | POP TV | 1st season: 2005 2nd season: 2006 | ||||
 Romania [57] | Burlăcița | Cătălin Botezatu (Season 1) Bogdan Vlădău (Season 2) Radu Vălcan (Season 3) | Antena 1 | July 7, 2011 | |||
 India | The Bachelorette India | Life OK | |||||
 Germany | Die Bachelorette | RTL | November 24, 2004 | ||||
 Switzerland [58] | Die Bachelorette | 3+ | April 27, 2015 | ||||
 Australia [59] | The Bachelorette Australia | Osher Günsberg[60] | Network Ten | September 23, 2015[60] | |||
 Canada [61] | The Bachelorette Canada | W Network | TBA | ||||
 New Zealand [62] | The Bachelorette New Zealand | TV3 | TBA | ||||
 Denmark [63] | Drømmekvinden | TV Danmark | September 12, 2004 |