'The Bachelor' is shattering its own fairy tale

Just three years ago, the Bachelor franchise was in serious need of a revival. The longtime host, Chris Harrison, had left the show and ratings sagged. Instead of 10 million viewers, premieres now brought in closer to 2 million or 3 million.

In 2023, ABC pumped new life into the franchise with The Golden Bachelor, a version of the dating contest that followed Gerry Turner, a 72-year-old widower who proudly wore a hearing aid and spoke of finding love after the death of his wife. The premiere brought in more than 4 million live viewers (and totaled more than 7 million including streaming), making it the franchise's most-watched debut since 2020.

But the show's honeymoon has not lasted. The Bachelor and its various iterations have long promised viewers some semblance of a fairy-tale romance, providing charmed but closed environments where the leads can suss out the suitors' intentions through extravagant dates, like hot air balloon rides and castle visits. Recent revelations about the show have punctured this fantasy.

Just before Turner handed out his final rose, The Hollywood Reporter published details about his past (a spotty work resume, a trail of scorned lovers) that challenged his image as a sympathetic figure, as put forth on the show. (Turner declined to comment for the article.) His subsequent marriage to Theresa Nist, the season's "winner," ended after three months.

The most recent season of The Bachelorette, which debuted in summer 2024, cast Jenn Tran as the series's first Asian American lead, a role she hoped would bring positive visibility. "Anytime Asians were in the media, it was to fill a supporting character role, to fulfill some sort of stereotype," Tran said in an interview with The New York Times before the show's premiere. "I always felt boxed in by that, because I was like, I don't see myself onscreen. I don't see myself as a main character."

But her quest for love ended in public humiliation. On the live special "After the Final Rose," she revealed through tears that Devin Strader -- the contestant she proposed to in the series finale -- had broken off their engagement over the phone. Seeing him for the first time since the breakup, Tran sobbed uncontrollably on the show as producers made her watch the proposal in front of a national audience.

"That was just hard to watch, and I feel like it was unlike anything that they've ever done," Emily Bernay, a fan of the franchise, told the Times a few days after the finale aired, adding, "They obviously play on people's emotions, but that was to an extreme that I hadn't seen before."

On Reddit's biggest Bachelor thread, fans were similarly dismayed. "I don't think I can continue watching this show anymore," one user wrote. "I have been disturbed all day ... all I can think of is her big heart wrenching sobs."

"Some people are tuning in to snark, right? But like at the end of the day, you kind of want to believe in that love story," said Danielle J Lindemann, a professor of sociology at Lehigh University and the author of True Story: What Reality TV Says About Us. "There becomes a tipping point where it becomes too dark, and like exploitative and it really starts to turn people off."

Viewers' disappointment in the franchise didn't end there, though. In September, Steve Carbone, a blogger who focuses on information and spoilers about the Bachelor franchise, shared in a video an affidavit that detailed Strader's arrest on a felony burglary charge in 2017. Strader was accused of breaking into the home of a former girlfriend, who filed a restraining order against him. According to Entertainment Weekly, Strader pleaded guilty to charges of criminal trespass and simple criminal damage to property of less than $500, and received one year of unsupervised probation.

(Strader said in a statement: "Most recently, there have been challenges from a low point in my past that have been brought up and severely misconstrued.")

"The Golden Bachelorette" debuted days later, and drew just 2.8 million live viewers, making it one of the lowest watched premieres in the franchise's history. Though Joan Vassos, 61, has drawn positive reviews for striking an authentic note with audiences, unearthed information has continued to fracture the franchise's premise.

The day after the premiere, People magazine reported that Gil Ramirez, a contestant vying for Vassos' affection, had been accused of stalking by an ex-girlfriend who sought a temporary restraining order against him just before production began. The magazine reported that his scenes would be edited down throughout the season, but in the third episode, Ramirez had a lengthy one-on-one chat with Vassos, and received the group date rose.

Ramirez has not responded to the allegations made against him.

The network's vetting of potential paramours has previously come under fire. In 2018, a contestant on "The Bachelorette" was cast despite having a pending sexual assault case against him. The network said it corrected a loophole in its background check to avoid future missteps.

Other reality shows have dealt with legal issues surrounding their stars, but these scandals have happened after the shows aired -- with the "Bachelor," the incidents predate filming, so they could have been noticed in advance. Other shows also prioritize drama or plotlines, but this franchise strives to play matchmaker, making rigorous vetting essential if the show wants its viewers and stars to think each contestant could be the perfect partner.

ABC declined to comment; the Bachelor's website states that contestants are subject to a background check and cannot have been convicted of a felony or have a restraining order entered against them.

After Strader's legal issues emerged, Wells Adams, a contestant on Season 12 of "The Bachelorette," recalled that when he went through the casting process, "they had a private eye go through literally everything."

"I remember I had something that I had to get resolved, like a parking ticket or something, that's how in-depth they were," he said on an episode of his podcast.

But as of late, viewers' internet dives seem to have outmatched the production's vetting processes.

"There is, like, an element of the fandom that forms parasocial relationships with the people on the show and starts to care about the people on the show," Lindemann said. "And so they don't want to see them mistreated."