The Shortest Engagements In Bachelor History

The Bachelor is one of the most iconic reality shows of the century. The ABC show and other series of the franchise have been around for years, having premiered in 2002, and — much like the show's host, Chris Harrison — it's only gotten better with time. However, while The Bachelor and The Bachelorette specialize in helping people find true love, that doesn't mean the relationships always last. Sure, there are a few Bachelor success stories, but there are also more than a few failed affairs. In addition to all the drama on the show, once the relationships come out, there's even more drama in real life after filming ends. 

Though The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, and Bachelor in Paradise are all entertaining, they don't always result in healthy, happy, and lasting relationships. Even when a couple gets engaged at the end of a season, that doesn't always mean they get married... or even stay engaged for very long. After all, in most instances, they've only known each other for about six weeks (via PopSugar), depending on the season, so it's understandable that they wouldn't be 100 percent prepared to spend the rest of their lives together. Still, there are some shockingly short engagements in Bachelor history, and they're pretty interesting to look back on.

One of the most controversial seasons of The Bachelor was definitely Season 22 in 2018, as it featured one of the most devastating Bachelor breakups in the show's history. The season followed Arie Luynedyk in his quest for love, and there was controversy from the get-go. First of all, Lyynedyk was not who fans thought the show was going to have as the Bachelor, and, with his mature age (he was 36 when the show premiered) and the fact that he wasn't a top 3 winner of the previous season of The Bachelorette, it was kind of awkward. But what was more awkward was what happened after the show ended.

On the finale, Luyendyk proposed to contestant Becca Kufrin, and the two seemed super happy and in love. However, during a now-infamous scene which aired on national television, Luyendyk broke up with Kufrin after two months of being engaged and then proposed to his runner-up, Lauren Burnham, as reported by People. It was pretty uncomfortable, but, as the two were only engaged for two months, it definitely could have been worse.

On Season 2 of The Bachelor, history was made. For the first time, the season ended with a proposal when Aaron Buerge popped the question to Helene Eksterowicz, according to Entertainment Tonight. The whole thing seemed like a fairytale ending at first, but that was far from the truth, and their happy ending didn't last long at all. In fact, it ended sooner than anyone had originally thought.

Just four months after the season finale, the pair appeared on a special, The Bachelor: Aaron and Helene Tell All, to explain what had happened between them. While it had appeared as though the two broke up four months after the engagement, on the special, Eksterowicz alleged that Buerge dumped her at a Starbucks only five weeks after they got engaged. "It felt like a bomb dropped," she said, according to Entertainment Weekly. "I said, 'I feel very deceived by you. You've told me every single day that you love me, and now this is it?"' 

Emily Maynard definitely had her fair share of drama during her time with The Bachelor franchise. But when she became the Bachelorette in 2012, fans thought she had found her prince charming in Jef Holm. The two got engaged at the end of Maynard's season, but their engagement lasted only five months.

"As you know, at first I wasn't sure that I should even be The Bachelorette, but I am a hopeless romantic and I do believe in the show," Maynard said in a statement to People. "I have no regrets because I did find love and shared an incredible journey with a really special person — and you know what, we tried our best because the love between us was so real." While Maynard and Holm weren't meant to be, the Bachelor alum did end up finding her happily ever after, as she later married and expanded her family.

On Season 3 of Bachelor in Paradise, there were a lot of butterflies and quite a few happy endings. Or so it seemed. Though Amanda Stanton and Josh Murray got engaged at the end of the season, they ended things just six months later, according to Entertainment Tonight.

Then, in 2019, over two years after the split, Stanton opened up about why she called it quits on her relationship. On The Viall Files podcast with Nick Viall, who has an interesting past himself, Stanton revealed Murray was a little controlling. "If he doesn't turn into your prince, stop kissing him. Josh's behavior was very frog like. There were control issues, more than a few untruths told, plus other red flags along the way." He continued reading, "Not to mention Andi Dorfman even wrote a book about his jealous, self-serving ways. And what did I do? I kept kissing him hoping he'd turn into a prince." It appears as though Stanton did what was best for her, and that's what matters.

On Season 4 of The Bachelorette, Bachelorette DeAnna Pappas thought she had found the one when she got engaged to contestant Jesse Csincsak at the end of the season in 2008. The pair were even planning a wedding for May 2009, according to Entertainment Tonight. However, that didn't happen as they called things off after they'd been together for six months.

According to People, Csincsak posted a video in which he explained what had happened between him and Pappas. "It's our responsibility to tell you we're not together anymore," he reportedly said. Csincsak added that Pappas had ended things, and it just wasn't going to work out. "She's a great person but she wasn't willing to try anymore ... That's a lot to swallow no matter who you are when you're in love and you put yourself out there."

On most seasons of The Bachelor or The Bachelorette, there is a fairly obvious "villain" among the contestants. While the villain might not exactly be evil, they usually stir up quite a bit of drama with the other contestants and usually never end up winning. However, that wasn't the case with Jake Pavelka and Vienna Girardi from Season 14 of The Bachelor. The two got engaged at the end of the season, but soon things got ugly and they ended their engagement after six months.

Their relationship was so fraught with tension that when Pavelka accused Girardi of cheating, it made headlines. An inside source told Us Weekly that Girardi's alleged infidelity was the reason the relationship ultimately ended. "He has no tolerance for infidelity," the source said. "At first he gave her the benefit of the doubt, but soon realized it was true. He realized he couldn't be blinded by love anymore." Those two were definitely not meant to be.

During Season 6 of the always-dramatic Bachelor in Paradise, history was made when contestant Demi Burnett revealed that she had been in a relationship with a woman prior to appearing on the show. Viewers were shocked when Burnett's past girlfriend, Kristian Haggerty, showed up to Paradise and the two rekindled their relationship (via People). Then, on the season finale of BiP, the two got engaged, and it seemed that they were super happy and in love. However, after the season ended and real life set in, the two stopped posting so much about each other on social media. In October 2019, they announced their split, just three months after they got engaged. 

In their social media posts announcing their breakup, both Burnett and Haggerty made it clear that their relationship was over. "With a heavy heart full of love for one another we have decided it is best for us to take a step back from our relationship," they wrote on Instagram. "We ultimately want what is best for us in the long run and for us right now, that means being apart and growing individually." Sadly, their engagement wasn't meant to be.