For a while, fans were uncertain if recent Bachelor Clayton Echard and contestant Susie Evans would ever rekindle their complicated on-screen romance. According to their social media, the couple is still together and Evans revealed on her TikTok that she and Echard are living together.
Unfortunately, not all the female participants on The Bachelor were able to preserve their reality TV romance with their season’s lead. No matter if they made it to the finale or were cut loose too early, these women can testify that the path to finding true love can feel like a rollercoaster. Some were lucky to find love off the show, while others are still waiting for their soul mate. In the meantime, these ex-Bachelor cast members are trying to live their best lives after competing for men who didn’t deserve them.
Melissa Rycroft
Though this former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader eventually received her happily ever after with Tye Strickland, loyal fans of the series will never forget how Jason Mesnick dumped Melissa Rycroft, his fiancé for runner-up, Molly Malaney.
Letting the world judge his ex’s humiliation on live television was callous of Mesnick. Though she reunited with her ex-boyfriend after the show, The Bachelorette was supposed to offer Rycroft a season (via E! Online). Instead, semi-finalist Jillina Harris was chosen for the helm. As Rycroft was the first “jilted” contestant, her season would have made for a fairytale-esque proposal.
Nikki Ferrell
Juan Pablo Galavis technically picked Nikki Ferrell at the show’s finale, but he didn’t propose and muddled up even more when he claimed, “I like you a lot ... a lot.” His confession was awkward to watch and Ferrell seemed just as confused.
To make matters worse, on After the Final Rose, Galavis still refused to divulge his feelings for Ferrell at Chris Harrison’s prompting. Former Bachelor, Sean Lowe, and his wife found his reticence unnerving (via YouTube), and audience members agreed with their applause. All in all, fans seem glad Ferrell ditched Galavis for long-time best friend, Tyler VanLoo (via Bustle).
Clare Crawley
Of all the Bachelors, Juan Pablo Galavis was one of the fans’ least favorite. Clare Crawley parted ways with some scathing remarks, while he was dismissive of her. Though her own season of Bachelorette was muddied with controversy, at least Crawley cut her season short when she felt she was sure who she wanted.
It’s a shame that despite two tries, Crawley didn’t find her forever partner. Fans believe that the casting department should have sought out male contestants closer to her age (late 30s) instead of mostly 20-30 year-olds, to give her more options. This limited age bracket has been a recurring issue with the series and fans would like to explore older leading bachelor/ettes.
Kaitlyn Bristowe
Originally Kaitlyn Bristowe appeared on season 19 of The Bachelor, where she vied for Iowan farmer, Chris Soules. Producers selected her to star in season 11 of Bachelorette, and six years later, Bristowe announced her engagement to Jason Tartick – a contestant from season 14 – via Life and Style.
Mid-season, Bristowe allowed Nick Viall (the controversial runner-up in the previous season) to compete for her affection. That decision rubbed viewers the wrong way, as many believed he joined as a publicity stunt. Some fans believe Viall should never have been allowed on the show, as he missed several weeks of production and eliminations. Bristowe and her contestants deserved a season unencumbered by his intrusion.
Becca Kufrin
Becca Kufrin is well known because her Bachelor fiancé, Ari Luyendyk, “Mesnick’ed” (aka broke their engagement) for his runner-up, Lauren Burnham. Unlike Jason Mesnick, Luyendyk did not receive much public sympathy; fans vilified him for breaking up with Kufrin after soon after his proposal.
Kufrin received the lead in the next season’s Bachelorette. Despite their chemistry, her relationship with fiancé Garret Yrigoyen didn’t last long term. Fans despaired her lack of luck. In an odd turn of events, the former Bachelorette tried her luck on Bachelor in Paradise where she fell in love with contentious Bachelor, Thomas Jacobs. On May 29th, she publicly announced their engagement (via People).
Kendall Long
Her time on the main reality show wasn’t that memorable, but during BIP, Kendall Long became a fan favorite. In 2018, she met “Grocery Store” Joe Amabile, but the couple separated in January 2020 (via US Weekly).
Unlike most contestants and the show’s format, Long never brought much drama (by Bachelor standards). However, she was consistently left with broken relationships. Fans wondered how the “taxidermy enthusiast” (Long’s words) left BIP single, as she is intelligent, sweet, and fun-loving. According to Bachelor Nation, Long has a found a new boyfriend, Mitchell Sage. Fans hope that a relationship off-camera will prove more successful.
Cassie Randolph
While it’s fantastic that Colton Underwood was able to be his true self after the show, some fans are frustrated because they believe he never should have accepted the lead on The Bachelor and led all the women on in season 23.
Fans aren’t entirely disputing Underwood’s sincerity for his contestants, but some muse that another Bachelor should have been chosen instead. To Cassie Randolph’s credit, it doesn’t appear that she holds animosity toward her ex, but Underwood should have revealed his sexuality. In the end, musician Brighton Reinhardt captured this sweetheart’s heart (via People).
Hannah Brown
Initially, fans weren’t entirely sure how Hannah Brown would do on The Bachelorette, but her season turned out to be a fan favorite for its drama and her “Jesus still loves me” rebuke to her season’s villain, Luke Parker.
The real shock happened right after Jed Wyatt's proposal. People revealed he had been corresponding with another woman and Brown immediately broke off their relationship. Fans felt enraged that he didn’t disclose this information because she likely would have chosen her runner-up instead. Though Tyler Cameron and Brown tried to restore their relationship, he wasn’t satisfied settling as her “second.” After breaking off for good, Brown began dating Adam Woolard in 2021 (via Us Weekly).
Hannah Ann Sluss
In After the Final Rose, Hannah Anne Sluss sat next to Peter Weber and opened up about how she felt betrayed by his omissions. She implied that she never would have accepted his proposal if he had been honest about not being “ready for commitment” with her.
Most fans took her side and felt yet another Bachelor season had gone to waste. Sluss was not offered The Bachelorette, and that left fans confused since the franchise had made a habit of alternating former contestants. Some wondered if Sluss was already invested in a relationship and their predictions were correct. She confirmed her relationship with her COVID “mystery man,” NFL running back, Jake Funk (via People).
Kelley Flanagan
During Pilot Pete’s season, fan-favorite Kelley Flanagan was booted from the running when in the hometown dates. After the show, the exes reconnected and had an on-and-off-again relationship before officially splitting in 2020.
Fans speculated that Barbara Weber, Peter’s mother, had a large influence on their breakup. Flanagan had planned to move to New York with Peter and fans believed that the Webers have boundary issues and that Barbara is too involved and Peter just lets her be that way (via ET Live). Flanagan revealed in an interview with Bachelor Nation that things “just got uncomfortable” with Barbara. It’s probably for the best that Peter and Kelley are happily separated, but fans believe she deserves someone mature and admirable.