Bachelor Nation Stars Who Were Never The Same After The Show

ABC Network's famous "Bachelor" and "Bachelorette" franchises have been drawing millions of viewers around the world since the show premiered in 2002. The premise of taking an attractive man or woman and having them date around 30 suitors each season at the same time was an instant hit. Add in the chaos of filming the entire thing in just weeks, its speed dating on steroids — along with the cattiness of doing it at the same time as dozens of other people. 

The network has seen many "Bachelors" and "Bachelorettes" find love over two decades, though very few of these matches still remain together. Despite the unlikely odds, viewers across the globe tune in year after year to hear the line, "Will you accept this rose?" The network struck television gold with Bachelor Nation, evolving the show into several different spinoffs, including "Bachelor Pad" and "Bachelor in Paradise."

Not many people have to cope with adjusting to life after being vulnerable on national television. While some Bachelor Nation stars have gone on to lead normal lives, have careers, start families, and move on from their days vying for a rose — others have gone on to continue living in the spotlight. While they may have not found their life partner, they have the network to thank for their successful careers. We're taking a look at all the former Bachelor Nation stars who were never the same after the show.

Colton Underwood made his debut on the "Bachelor" franchise on Season 14 when he was vying for Becca Kufrin on her season of "The Bachelorette." The 6'3 hunk caught plenty of attention, and his background playing in the NFL didn't hurt either.  As per Us Weekly, he didn't end up with the final rose on Kufrin's season, but he did try his hand at Season 5 of "Bachelor in Paradise." 

It was on the spinoff series that Underwood met his future girlfriend Cassie Randolph. Though everything was better far from reality while filming in a tropical paradise, things quickly turned messy after returning home. The pair dated following their show, but ultimately split up in 2020. Us Weekly reported that Randolph then got a restraining order against her former lover for stalking and harassing her. They eventually worked it out outside of court, and Randolph dismissed the suit.

The drama doesn't end there, however. Underwood shocked the world when he came out as gay in a Good Morning America interview in 2021. "I've ran from myself for a long time, I've hated myself for a long time," he revealed in the interview. "I'm gay. I came to terms with that earlier this year, and the next step in all of this was sort of letting people know. I'm the happiest and healthiest I've ever been in my life. That means the world to me." Fast forward to 2023 and Underwood is happily engaged to his fiancé Jordan C. Brown.

Andy Baldwin took his chance at love on Season 10 of "The Bachelor" with winning contestant Tessa Hort. According to Us Weekly, the television stars were engaged following filming but called off their engagement about a month after their season's finale debuted. "With the possibility of reassignment to a new location, we decided it was not the ideal time for Tessa to uproot herself and move out [to Hawaii] right now," Baldwin told People at the time. The pair ultimately decided to go their separate ways shortly after.

As for what the former "Bachelor" is up to these days, he's traded being a heartthrob for serving his country. As per his Twitter bio, Baldwin works as a family physician for the U.S. Navy. He told Us Weekly in 2019, "I'm a commander in the U.S. Navy, a family physician and Director of Medical Readiness for the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Life has been great since the show ended. I've been focused on my medical career, and service to country," he revealed. "I earned my MPH from Johns Hopkins, deployed to Persian Gulf, and am delivering babies, climbing mountains, and learning to fly planes."

Though his television days are behind him, it doesn't mean the former ABC hunk doesn't get recognized. The Navy Commander admitted to Us Weekly that he still gets spotted by viewers, but instead of it being on the street it's happening when he's delivering their newborns. 

Jason Tartick first debuted on Season 14 of "The Bachelorette" vying for his chance to be with Becca Kufrin. As reported by Us Weekly, the television star was eliminated from the show but found love with a Bachelor Nation connection after filming. Tartick met Kaitlyn Bristowe, who was the Bachelorette during Season 11 when he appeared on her "Off The Vine" podcast, and the two began dating in 2019. The former Bachelor popped the question in 2021 during an episode of "Off The Vine", in a tribute to their first meeting two years prior. 

Though Tartick may have found his partner in life, it wasn't always smooth sailing. Page Six reported that the television star was forced to leave his corporate job after his fiancé opened up about their sex life on her podcast. "Kaitlyn made a funny confession on her podcast about the first time we hooked up, which was this fully clothed, intimate moment," Tartick told Page Six. "It put me in this position where I either had to restart my entire career outside of the bank, or restart my brand within the bank. My boss said, 'No more social media, no more podcasts, no more side hustle, nothing.' And so as a result of that, I [left]." 

Victoria Larson made quite the splash during her time on Season 25 of "The Bachelor." She was notoriously dubbed the villain during her season, and viewers even speculated that she was put on the show for pure entertainment by production. Though she literally entered the competition on a throne, her time on the show was full of ups and downs, including getting an eye infection that left viewers in shock. "Victoria's eye is swelling more and more with every lie, it's like the Bachelor Pinocchio," one user tweeted. 

Though Larson was eliminated from the show, her stint on television had fans diving into her past. The television star ran into trouble with the law before she made her way to Bachelor Nation. As per The Sun, Larson was arrested for stealing over $250 worth of groceries from a Florida supermarket in 2012. Viewers were quick to hate on the California native, who has openly condemned the show and producers for giving her what she feels was an unfair edit.

"I anticipated being well-received, so to get, like, the bullying messages and the hate mail and the death threats, [I] wasn't really prepared for that at all. 100 percent, it was shocking. I don't think my kindness really got to show through and I really do have a good heart," she said on Good Morning America (via Us Weekly.)

Matt James made history on Bachelor Nation when he became the first black Bachelor to appear on the franchise in Season 25. James came on the show following a year of tense race issues that gripped the country, including the death of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. The former Bachelor opened up to the Los Angeles Times about his experience, criticizing a missed opportunity by the production team to highlight some important race-related issues. 

"There was nothing to lay the framework — my background, who I was or why I'm here," James said. "The show went straight into seeing these women doing crazy things. It was very frustrating to watch." James isn't the first one to condemn the show for not doing enough to combat racism. In 2021, Chris Harrison was fired from his long-standing role hosting the show after he was criticized for his comments. The controversy erupted after the host made a comment in an attempt to defend a former "Bachelor" contestant, saying he wasn't the "woke police."

Though the "Bachelor" franchise released a statement (via Deadline) addressing their mistakes and acknowledging the lack of diversity in their show, James isn't convinced. "If they're not willing to have that conversation, they should strongly consider not going there in the first place. There are things about being Black that people who aren't Black can never understand. It's too much for them to handle. But it's my life," he told the LA Times.

Chris Soules was eliminated from Andi Dorfman's "Bachelorette" run on Season 10, but he went on to become the Bachelor himself on Season 19. The Iowa native found love at the end of his season, popping the question to Whitney Bischoff. As per People, the pair went on to be engaged for six months before deciding to go their separate ways. Following his "Bachelor" days, Soules has faced some serious obstacles — including being involved in a deadly car crash.

As per E! Online, the farmer was charged for leaving the scene of a collision that left one man dead in 2017. Soules was driving the pickup truck that hit the tractor before both vehicles ended up in a ditch. People obtained the court documents that reported Soules pleaded guilty to leaving the scene. As reported by Des Moines Register, the former Bachelor was ordered to serve two years of probation following the case. Soules and his parents previously paid $2.5 million to settle a wrongful death suit filed by Kenneth Mosher's family, who was killed when Soules rear-ended him.

"There is not a day that goes by that I don't wish I could have done more or change the outcome of what happened," Soules said in an interview with People. He went on to reveal he administered CPR to Mosher until the paramedics arrived. "I'll live with [what happened] forever," says Soules. "But I will carry on, and as a result of the tragedy, do something bigger and better with my life."

Viewers were first introduced to DeMario Jackson when he appeared on Season 13 of "The Bachelorette" and later went on to star in Season 4 of "Bachelor in Paradise." Things got complicated for the television personality when he was investigated for sexual misconduct while filming the spinoff. As per Entertainment Online, Warner Bros. looked into a claim between Jackson sexually and Corinne Olympios while on the show, but announced they found no evidence. 

Following the misconduct case, Jackson ran into more problems in 2022 when two women accused him of sexual assault. As per the complaint, one woman claims Jackson exposed himself to her following their date in Los Angeles. Jane Doe went on to claim Jackson had sex with her without her consent. Another unidentified woman also accused the former Bachelor Nation star of forcibly having sex with her.

Jackson went on to defend himself, saying (per Entertainment Tonight), "Four years ago, I, DeMario Jackson, walked directly into the Los Angeles police station after being falsely accused of raping two white women without a lawyer present and the police let me freely leave," adding, "Here is why: My arriving and departing Uber receipts proved when, where and the time I was with these women and the truth is my receipts proved I was completely out of the vicinity," he continues. "In addition to that, I provided screenshots of text message communication the day after they filed police reports." 

Meredith Phillips was the object of dozens of guys' attention when she took on the role of Bachelorette on Season 2. She found love with Ian McKee at the end of filming, but the two split up in 2005. Following her Bachelor Nation days, Phillip went on to make serious accusations about her time being the network's leading lady. On a podcast episode of Reality Steve, the ex-Bachelorette said that a female masseuse hired by the production team gave her a pill that Phillips assumed was a generic painkiller. "Evidently that was not the case," Phillips confessed (via The Hollywood Reporter). "I couldn't move my body. When she drew me a bath and got in with me naked, I couldn't do anything."

Phillips stayed quiet about the incident for over a decade, admitting she was fearful to go against the franchise. Her signed contract and desire to follow through hindered her judgment, and she didn't know the right way to talk to producers about what happened to her. "I felt violated, so I didn't know what to say or how to say it. I mean, how do you bring that up?" she continued. ABC and Warner Bros. have remained silent regarding Phillips' claims.