The Bachelor may not have aged too well, and it’s only just coming to terms with its problems with diversity and sexism. But instead of dismantling its entire structure, the franchise is simply trying to do better. In the last two decades, the show has seen almost everything - impromptu break-ups, last-minute bait-and-switches, and even some really nasty fights. But drama is not the only thing that determines the success of a Bachelor season.
"You need different types of seasons… It's like having an NFL team. Whether it’s a Super Bowl-winning season or a season where you just miss the playoffs, whatever it is, you say, "Here’s what we really liked. Here’s what didn’t work. Here’s what people responded to," and you make adjustments for the next season,” ABC senior vice president of alternative series, specials, and late-night programming, Robert Mills, had said in an interview. Here are the 10 best seasons of the show ranked:
Season 24
Peter Weber’s season of The Bachelor had plenty of drama but also a lot of messy situations which made for great TV. In spite of being perhaps one of the least popular bachelors in the franchise’s history, viewers clearly wanted to keep watching Weber. He was not a great conversationalist, he didn’t just create tensions but also made some feuds worse, he was indecisive, and not to mention he failed to sell the obviously scripted Hannah B storyline with his bad acting. But the clumsiness of it all was what hooked the audience and made the show so tweet-worthy. Of course, his much-publicized last-minute shocker which saw him dumping Hannah Ann for Madison was also unexpected.
Season 21
Fans had simply seen too much of Nick Viall already in The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise, so there was an element of predictability in this season which actually carried through till the final rose was given out, as most viewers could already guess that Viall was about to pick Vanessa Grimaldi.
To be fair, the season had plenty of surprise elements and Viall was charismatic and entertaining enough, and in spite of not being a fresh face in the franchise, he was able to acquire quite a bit of a fan base.
Season 14
This was the first season of The Bachelor to be aired in high definition which was lucky because this was also one of the most explosive seasons of the show. A contestant named Ali had to leave the show midway for work-related reasons, another contestant named Rozlyn was asked to leave for having inappropriate relations with one of the show’s producers, and of course bachelor Jake Pavelka and Season 14’s winner Vienna Girardi reunited for a special post-split segment soon after the show ended where things got heated and a teary-eyed Vienna had to leave the segment midway.
Season 4
Broker Bob Guiney was considered an ‘odd’ choice for a Bachelor in 2003 because the show had typically only considered very wealthy, eligible tycoons so far and Bob came across as a regular Joe. But his affable, boy-next-door quality soon charmed the viewers and the contestants and also opened up the show to many possibilities.
Bob had also been rejected by Trista Sutter in her season of The Bachelorette and the trope of the nice, heartbroken guy trying to find love worked in his favor and helped him get a steady base of fans.
Season 23
Colton Underwood just came out as gay, and received a lot of love from his fans. But fans had a lot of opinions about Underwood’s The Bachelor season which was as dramatic as it was entertaining. Underwood was the first virgin bachelor in the franchise history, and after he proposed to finalist Cassie Randolph during a tour to Portugal, Cassie rejected him as she wasn’t sure about getting engaged. After this a heartbroken Colton punched a camera and jumped a fence and disappeared into Portugal countryside. Cassie and Colton did reunite that season and though they did not get engaged, they embarked on a long relationship.
Season 12
The twelfth season of the show featured British financier Matt Grant and though Grant seemed pretty charming and likable, he didn’t exactly leave a mark and was somewhat forgettable. His choice of fiancee was also a bit predictable as he picked frontrunner Shayne Lamas, who he shared an obvious connection with and had even nicknamed ‘Monkey.’
But the season did have its highlights, as the women did go an extra mile to impress the first British bachelor, like a contestant named Stacie who got called out for being creepy for stuffing her underwear in his pockets.
Season 5
Bachelor Jesse Palmer was a big reason why season 5 is one of the most rewatchable and engaging seasons of the series. The former football player did get himself into a number of hysterical situations, and famously gave a rose to the wrong woman at the first rose ceremony as he mixed up the names. Palmer unintentionally made for really good TV because fans always tuned in for his next goof-up, plus the drama on this season was also pretty high stakes.
Season 15
After he couldn’t find love on the show’s 11th season, Brad Womack came back as the bachelor in the 15th season; this was obviously an intriguing premise as viewers were really interested to see how things pan out for him. Even the contestants on the show were somewhat skeptical about the indecisive Brad and this made things really interesting because this is not what usually happens on the show. Womack also got slapped by contestant Chantal O’Brien at the first rose ceremony of the season.
Season 9
The ninth season of the show was filmed entirely in Rome and featured Prince Lorenzo Borghese. Though royal titles are unrecognized in Italy, Lorenzo’s father is the representative of the titles of Duke of Bomarzo, Prince of Sant’Angelo e San Polo, Marquess of Monticelli, Count of Chia, Lord of Attigliano e Mugnano and his grandmother is Princess Marcella, but Lorenzo isn’t entitled to use the titles since he is a second son. Nevertheless, the season did offer a nice change of scenery and Lorenzo himself was widely liked by the viewers and he chose Florida teacher Jennifer Wilson in the finale. However, they did not get engaged and broke up shortly after the finale
Season 22
Racecar driver Arie Luyendyk Jr. may have been a great bachelor on paper, but things took quite a turn following his proposal to Becca Kufrin in Peru, as Arie realized he was in love with another finalist Lauren Burnham. When Arie ran into Becca as cameras were rolling, things got very awkward between the two of them and led Becca to tears. The season itself was quite well-paced and entertaining, and Arie and Lauren got their happy ending and are now happily married and parents to a daughter.