The Bachelor (U.S. TV series)

For the current season, see The Bachelor (season 16).

The Bachelor
The Bachelor Logo for On The Wings Love
Format	Competitive reality show Drama
Created by	Mike Fleiss
Starring	Chris Harrison (host) List of Bachelors section
Narrated by	Chris Harrison
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	16
No. of episodes	114 (approx) (As of February 20, 2011)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Mike Fleiss Lisa Levenson
Running time	60 minutes (2002–2005) 90 minutes (2006-2008) 120 minutes (2009–present)
Production company(s)	Next Entertainment Telepictures Productions
Broadcast
Original channel	ABC
Picture format	480i (SDTV) (2002–2009) 720i (HDTV) (2010–present)
Original run	March 25, 2002 (2002-03-25) – present
Chronology
Related shows	The Bachelorette Bachelor Pad The Bachelor (UK version) The Bachelor (Canadian version)
External links
Website

The Bachelor is an American reality television dating game show debuting in 2002 on ABC. For all seasons, the show is hosted by veteran television personality, one-time game show host and news anchor Chris Harrison. There are two related series, The Bachelorette and Bachelor Pad.

Production

The Bachelor is produced and directed by Mike Fleiss and is shot by camera operator Jesse Fleiss.

Plot

The series revolves around a single bachelor (deemed eligible) and a pool of romantic interests (typically 25; 30 in season 15), which could include a potential wife for the bachelor. The conflicts in the series, both internal and external, stem from the elimination-style format of the show. Early in the season, the bachelor goes on large group dates with the women, with the majority of women eliminated during rose ceremonies. As the season progresses, women are also eliminated on one-on-one dates and on elimination two-on-one dates. The process culminates with hometown visits to the families of the final four women, overnight dates at exotic locations with the final three women, and interaction with the bachelor's family and the final two women. In many cases, the bachelor proposes to his final selection.

During most seasons, the majority of the show takes place, and the contestants reside, in "Villa De La Vina," a 7,590-square-foot (705 m²), six-bedroom, nine-bath home in Agoura Hills, California. The custom home, built in 2005, is located on 10 acres at a confidential location. As of October 10, 2008, the home was listed for sale at a price of US$8.75 million. In the seventh season, the show was temporarily moved to New York City, where Charlie O'Connell, who had appeared in Sliders with his brother Jerry O'Connell, lived.

The show is known for its twists, both structurally and contextually. In some cases, the bachelor may or may not follow the show's standard rose ceremony guidelines. Numerous bachelors, for instance, have conferred fewer roses than allotted as per standard rose ceremony procedure; others have eliminated both women on a two-on-one date. One bachelor, Brad Womack, selected neither of his final two women. Another, Jason Mesnick, proposed to one woman, and then changed his mind during the "After the Final Rose" show to the other finalist; Mesnick is now married to her. Other twists include a woman leaving the show for work-related reasons and the dismissal of one candidate for an alleged affair with an ex-producer of the show.

The show's success has led Producer Mike Fleiss to create multiple spin-offs, including The Bachelorette, in which the format is gender-reversed. Many bachelorettes are runner-ups or eliminated contestants from The Bachelor, including Trista Rehn, whose wedding to Ryan Sutter – the show's winner – was televised on ABC. On August 9, 2010, Bachelor Pad premiered, giving previous contestants of both The Bachelor and The Bachelorette the opportunity to compete in dating-themed eliminations for $250,000.

The elimination process

According to the summary on ABC.com, each new Bachelor episode contains a rose ceremony during which one or more contestants is eliminated. Eliminations are based upon date performance (i.e., how the women relate to the bachelor on the dates). The bachelor must follow a process of elimination wherein his pool of bachelorettes is narrowed down week by week by presenting a rose to each of the women he wishes to keep.

At any point during the process, if a woman decides she is no longer interested in the bachelor, she may leave. A few have actually done so over the course of the show.

In the end, the bachelor may select only one woman for the final rose. Several of the bachelors have proposed, and one bachelor selected no one.

As of the end of season 15, none of the bachelors has married the woman to whom he presented the final rose. The season 13 bachelor (Jason) ended up marrying his season's runner-up in February 2010; to this point, it is the only Bachelor season to result directly in marriage.

Seasons

Season	Premiered	Bachelor	Profile	Winner	Runner(s)-Up	Proposal	Aftermath
1	March 25, 2002	Alex Michel	Management consultant	Amanda Marsh	Trista Rehn	No	Michel did not propose to Marsh, but instead they took a chance at a relationship. Marsh and Michel broke up after several months, and runner-up Rehn was featured on the first season of The Bachelorette.
2	September 25, 2002	Aaron Buerge	Vice President of a chain of family-owned banks	Helene Eksterowicz	Brooke Smith	Yes	They broke up after several months. Buerge became engaged to Angye McIntosh and married in 2009. Finalist Gwen Gioia became a contestant on the first season of Bachelor Pad.
3	March 24, 2003	Andrew Firestone	Sales manager of Firestone Family estates	Jen Schefft	Kirsten Buschbacher	Yes	Schefft and Firestone broke up after several months but remained friends. He is now married to actress Ivana Bozilovic. Schefft was featured on the third season of The Bachelorette.
4	September 24, 2003	Bob Guiney	Creator of a mortgage company and former suitor on The Bachelorette	Estella Gardinier	Kelly Jo Kuharski	No	Guiney did not propose to Gardinier but she accepted a promise ring indicating that they would still date. They broke up shortly after the show aired. Guiney later married soap opera star Rebecca Budig, but they split after five years of marriage. Meredith Phillips, who came in fourth, was featured on the second season of The Bachelorette.
5	April 7, 2004	Jesse Palmer	Canadian American college football player	Jessica Bowlin	Tara Huckeby	No	Palmer did not propose to Bowlin. They continued to date but broke up several months later.
6	September 22, 2004	Byron Velvick	Pro bass fisherman and divorced father	Mary Delgado	Tanya Michel	Yes	Velvick and Delgado split after five years.
7	March 28, 2005	Charlie O'Connell	Actor	Sarah Brice	Krisily Kennedy	No	O'Connell chose Brice to be the winner but he did not propose to her. Instead they took a chance at a relationship. They broke up in September 2007, but got back together in 2008. However, they called it quits again in 2010. Runner-up Kennedy became a contestant on the first season of Bachelor Pad.
8	January 9, 2006	Travis Lane Stork	Medical doctor	Sarah Stone	Moana Dixon	No	Stork did not propose to Stone. Instead, they decided to take a chance at just a relationship. They broke up shortly after the show aired. Stork is now featured on The Doctors and is now engaged to pediatrician Charlotte Brown.
9	October 3, 2006	Prince Lorenzo Borghese	Cosmetics entrepreneur	Jennifer Wilson	Sadie Murray	No	Borghese did not propose to Wilson. They took a chance at a relationship, and they broke up in January 2007. Finalist Tara Durr is now married to John Presser, who was a contestant on the fifth season of The Bachelorette. Another finalist, Erica Rose, became a contestant on the second season of Bachelor Pad.
10	April 2, 2007	Andrew Baldwin	US Naval Officer	Tessa Horst	Bevin Nicole Powers	Yes	Horst and Baldwin called off their engagement one month after the finale, but continued their relationship. They broke off the relationship in September 2007. Finalist Peyton Wright became a contestant on the first season of Bachelor Pad.
11	September 24, 2007	Brad Womack	Bar owner	None	DeAnna Pappas and Jenni Croft	No	Womack chose Croft and Pappas as the two finalists, but they were both rejected in the season's finale. Pappas was featured on the fourth season of The Bachelorette. Womack returned to the show for its 15th season (see below).
12	March 17, 2008	Matt Grant	Global financier	Shayne Lamas	Chelsea Wanstrath	Yes	Grant and Lamas broke up in July 2008 as they felt their lives were going in different directions, but stated they would remain close friends. Finalist Holly Durst became a contestant on the second season of Bachelor Pad, which she later co-won along with her ex-fiance and former Bachelorette contestant Michael Stagliano. Durst is currently engaged to The Bachelorette 7 contestant and dentist Blake Julian whom she met on the second season of Bachelor Pad.
13	January 5, 2009	Jason Mesnick	Account executive, single father, and former suitor on The Bachelorette	Melissa Rycroft	Molly Malaney	Yes	On the season's finale, Mesnick had called off the engagement with Rycroft, and resumed a relationship with runner-up Malaney. Rycroft later appeared on the eighth season of Dancing with the Stars and is now married to Tye Strickland and has one daughter. On October 20, 2009, Mesnick proposed to Malaney in New Zealand, which she accepted. They were married on February 27, 2010, in California. Mesnick and Malaney's wedding aired on national television on March 8, 2010. Third-place finalist Jillian Harris was featured on the fifth season of The Bachelorette. Finalists Natalie Getz and Nikki Kaapke became contestants on the first season of Bachelor Pad while Rycroft co-hosted the program. Getz went on to co-win the first season of Bachelor Pad. Another finalist, Ann Lueders, is now married to The Bachelorette winner Jesse Csincsak and has one son.
14	January 4, 2010	Jake Pavelka	Commercial pilot and former suitor on The Bachelorette	Vienna Girardi	Tenley Molzahn	Yes	They ended their relationship in June 2010. Pavelka appeared as a celebrity contestant on the tenth season of Dancing with the Stars. Fourth-place finalist Ali Fedotowsky was featured on the sixth season of The Bachelorette. Runner-up Tenley Molzahn along with other finalists Gia Allemand, Ashley Elmore, Elizabeth Kitt, Michelle Kujawa and Jessie Sulidis became contestants on the first season of Bachelor Pad. On the Bachelor Pad, Tenley Molzahn got together with Kiptyn Locke from the Bachelorette season 5. Allemand would return for the second season of Bachelor Pad along with finalist Ella Nolan, winner Girardi, and Pavelka himself.
15	January 3, 2011	Brad Womack	Returning Bachelor (see above)	Emily Maynard	Chantal O'Brien	Yes	Womack and Maynard broke up in May 2011 but remained friends. Third-place finalist Ashley Hebert was featured on the seventh season of The Bachelorette. Finalists Alli Travis, Michelle Money, Jackie Gordon and Melissa Schreiber became contestants on the second season of Bachelor Pad. Maynard will be featured on the eighth season of The Bachelorette.
16	January 2, 2012	Ben Flajnik	Winemaker and former suitor on The Bachelorette

Controversies

As of January 2012, The Bachelor and its popular spin-off show The Bachelorette have never featured a non-white contestant in the title role, in their combined 21 seasons. Furthermore, a disproportionate majority of the rest of the contestants featured on the show have been white. When asked about the lack of minority representation on the two shows executive producer, Mike Fleiss, responded, "It's just that for whatever reason, they don't come forward. I wish they would."

Reality Steve

The self-named Reality Steve (aka Steve Carbone) has been accurately leaking spoilers of The Bachelor since the 13th season in 2009. He publishes rumors of the show, including its spin-offs The Bachelorette and Bachelor Pad on his blog. In December 2011, the producer of The Bachelor sued Carbone for leaking information about the show. The suit claims that Carbone encouraged contestants on both The Bachelor and The Bachelorette to break their confidentiality agreements. Reality Steve has denied that the source of the spoilers and rumors are current contestants.

Video game

A video game based on the series has been released on the Wii and Nintendo DS.

International versions

UK version

Main article: The Bachelor (UK TV series)

The UK version premiered on 30 March 2003 on BBC Three, later on BBC Three dropped the show and, in 2011, Channel 5 picked up the show, which is currently airing.

Canadian version

Main article: The Bachelor (Canadian TV series)

The Canadian version is schedule to premiere in Fall 2012, 9 episodes were ordered by the Citytv television network.

See also

• The Bachelorette
• More to Love
• Momma's Boys

External links

• Official website
• The Bachelor at the Internet Movie Database
• The Bachelor at TV.com
• The Bachelor at Yahoo! TV
• The Bachelor at VH1