ABC’s reality franchise dedicated to match-making relationships and finding love, The Bachelor is so popular since beginning in 2002 that it’s branched off into spin-off series like The Bachelorette, The Bachelor Canada, Bachelor Pad, and Bachelor in Paradise. However, similar to most reality shows there’s a lot going on behind the scenes that viewers don’t see, and sometimes it conflicts with the ‘authenticity’ of the show. It’s true, some things must be staged and meticulously edited in order to create a beginning to end story for the show, but in addition to that there are tons of little nitty gritty details that go into creating a show like this — from big things like choosing the cast to the little things like what to wear at a rose ceremony — here are 10 behind-the-scenes facts from the show:
15. Dates
The contestants always get so excited when they are chosen to go on a one-on-one date because it means more time without the pressure of competing with other women. They are almost always blown away at the thought put into each romantic date. In reality, the bachelor has nothing to do with planning the date. In fact, they usually have no idea what activities they will be doing until the day of. The only choice they have is who to pick for each date, but even for that, the producers will suggest certain people.
©ABC / courtesy Everett Collection