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Every season, The Bachelor and The Bachelorette sell us on a fairytale ending, the connecting of 2 souls, and the perfect proposal complete with a sparkly Neil Lane ring. Oh, and this is just the beginning of their happily ever after. But just how “happily” does it actually get?
After a genuine shitshow of a year for the Bachelor franchise, including the end of Nick and Vanessa’s brief engagement, we got to crunching some numbers. Which of these shows is actually producing marriages? How many couples are really still together? And did those Neil Lane sparklers even get a chance to make their appearance via proposal at the end of each season?
As you can see in the form of a beautiful bar graph, The Bachelor actually has the lowest rate of proposal, with just 12 out of 21 seasons ending in a knee on the ground. The Bachelorette does not disappoint, with every one of the 13 seasons ending in a proposal, no matter how controversial it may or may not be. But if you’re really looking to get wifed up, Paradise is the place for you. Four seasons of the show have produced 5 engagements, including Derek putting a ring on Taylor at the end of this season.
When it comes to lasting marriages, the trend stays the same: The Bachelor can only count Jason Mesnick & Molly Malaney and Sean Lowe & Catherine Giudici as the only couples in the show’s history to take a trip down the aisle. The Bachelorette fares a bit better, with Trista & Ryan Sutter, Ashley Hebert & J.P. Rosenbaum and Desiree Hartsock & Chris Siegfried still going strong. But there must be something in the water in Mexico that adds up to loving marriage, as the summer series can take credit for Jade & Tanner (who recently welcomed their first child!) and Evan & Carly, who displayed their nuptials on the show this season (they’re also expecting a child early next year). Out of only 4 seasons, that’s a pretty impressive record, especially considering Paradise is mostly just a way to fill up summer hours on ABC with contestants hooking up at the beach.
While everyone might not make it down the aisle, the shows do know how to make very attractive couples, many of which are still together and happily milking their appearances on the shows for all the Instagram sponsored ads they can rack up. The Bachelor…is not one of those shows though. No couples besides the married ones are still together. The Bachelorette, however, in addition to its married couples, has 3 couples that are still engaged: Kaitlyn Bristowe & Shawn Booth, JoJo Fletcher & Jordan Rodgers (surprisingly!) and Rachel Lindsay & Bryan Abasolo (for now). Even Paradise can count Raven Gates & Adam Gottschalk amongst their successful couple ranks, although they are not engaged just yet. Plan accordingly, couples: if the production schedule matches up, you can get your wedding to be broadcast on ABC!
Also, we must give a shoutout to Holly Durst & Blake Julian for being Bachelor Pad’s sole successful relationship (and they’re still married!). Will the new Bachelor Arie Jr. help boost the numbers when his season premieres in 2018? It remains to be seen. But if any of the women are truly lucky, they’ll find real love in Paradise next summer.
