7 Best And 7 Worst Contestants In Bachelorette History
The Bachelorette has given its viewers some stand-out contestants. Whether the show features the gorgeous beauty queen looking for love or the too-good-to-be-true lawyer, the series has brought some great options for the leading man or lady. But every upside has its downside, and Bachelor Nation has also had some awful contestants who have stood out from the crowd.
It should come as no surprise that The Bachelorette has seen some of the best and worst male contenders. Some of the men have seemed to be downright perfect, while others have been jealous and egotistical. Of course, a lot of them were a perfect fit for the dramatic show, but some viewers have been left feeling sorry for the leading lady just looking to find love.
We went through the seasons to figure out who the best and the worst men vying for love on The Bachelorette have been. Some have been like Tyler Cameron, the internet's boyfriend and everyone's favorite contractor-turned-model. Others have been like Juan Pablo Galavis, who went from fan favorite to trainwreck. So whether you're a fan of the franchise or not, get ready for the drama because here are the best and worst contestants in Bachelorette history.
Worst: Luke Parker was super judgmental of Bachelorette Hannah Brown
The worst Bachelorette contestant list wouldn't be complete without Luke Parker, the villain of Hannah Brown's season. Luke came to the show with an undeniable charm, and the attraction between him and Hannah seemed to develop overnight. But things escalated quickly and not in a good way, and many of the men vying for Hannah's heart told her about Luke's violent and immature behavior. She didn't realize the extent of Luke's toxic ways until he questioned her about her intimate life choices, and things got ugly fast.
"If you told me you're going to have sex or you had sex with one or multiple of these guys, I would be wanting to go home, 100 percent," Luke said to Hannah, as reported by People. And she reacted just as you'd suspect — he was swiftly sent home, and Hannah proclaimed that her sex life was not his to judge.
Since the show, Luke has been in some hot water, as he violated his Bachelorette contract. As noted by People, he has been "ordered to pay $100,000 for breaching his The Bachelorette contract." All in all, he was one of the worst contestants in history.
Best: Peter Kraus was a favorite on Rachel Lindsay's Bachelorette season
Honestly, we were all a little shocked when Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay didn't choose Peter Kraus at the end of her season. He was such a good guy, their chemistry was amazing, and he had a tooth gap just like she did. Peter was such a fan favorite that so many viewers were stunned that Rachel chose Bryan Abasolo as her one and only, leaving Peter and Bachelor Nation with broken hearts. And sadly for fans of the franchise, Peter hasn't made his way back to the reality show.
As noted by E! News, Peter was "a total shoo-in for the job" of the Bachelor, and many were hoping that he would return as a contestant on Bachelor in Paradise. But he made his intentions clear when he spoke to the publication about the franchise and his role in it. "I won't do Bachelor in Paradise personally, especially knowing that the group of girls that were just on the show were really young," he said. "I'd like to date 30 and above if possible ... I just don't see myself being successful on there." We love a man who knows what he wants.
Worst: Bachelorette contestant Juan Pablo Galavis proved to be awful as Bachelor
We all had such hope for Juan Pablo, and really, we shouldn't have. Yes, he was a fan favorite during Season 9 of The Bachelorette, so choosing him to become the Bachelor didn't seem like that much of a stretch. But he quickly showed his true colors and, as such, has become one of the most hated figures in Bachelor Nation.
As noted by The Cut, Juan Pablo first came under fire for saying that there should never be a gay bachelor. Just wait, things get worse. He completely shamed one of his contestants on his season of The Bachelor, Clare Crawley (who went on to become the Bachelorette), after they'd gotten intimate, and then he went on to "[mock] the mentally disabled in a tweet." Nice.
It should really come as no surprise that Bachelor Nation was not down for his behavior, and things got so bad that ABC had to release a statement about him, saying sorry for his "careless, thoughtless and insensitive" comments. His behavior lost him his spot as a contestant on Dancing With the Stars and pretty much solidified his place in Bachelor infamy.
Best: Model and total dreamboat Tyler Cameron stole Bachelorette fans' hearts
Just as Bachelorette Hannah Brown had some awful contestants, she had some perfect ones, and Tyler Cameron swept us all off our feet. He came to the show looking gorgeous in his tightly fitted suits and definitely gave off the vibes that he was a frat boy looking for some fun. But he quickly proved first impressions wrong and became one the nicest guys to Hannah, and subsequently made it far in her season.
One of the biggest turning points for Hannah was Tyler's gracious approach to their overnight day. She told him that she was "so captivated about being around you and you holding me and kissing me," but expressed her concern as well, saying that there had to be more between them than just physicality, according to Marie Claire. Tyler couldn't have been more of a gentleman, and he responded to her concerns by saying that he just wanted to spend time with her and that he would never put any pressure on her to make a decision about their intimate relationship. "I would love to spend more time with you and just be us," he said. Be still our beating hearts.
Worst: After his days as a Bachelorette contestant, Colton Underwood was accused of stalking
If there was one word associated with Colton Underwood while he was a contestant on The Bachelorette, it was virgin. The former football star made it so clear that he had not engaged in any kind of intimacy, and the sentiment was carried into his season of The Bachelor. But him making it on the worst contestant list has nothing to do with his sexual preferences.
As noted by Us Weekly, Colton became the subject of some pretty intense scrutiny when reports came out that he was allegedly stalking and harassing his ex-girlfriend Cassie Randolph, the winner of his season of The Bachelor. "Cassie asked the court to dismiss the temporary restraining order against me," Colton told Us Weekly in November 2020. "The two of us were able to reach a private agreement to address any of Cassie's concerns. I do not believe Cassie did anything wrong in filing for the restraining orders and also believe she acted in good faith."
So what exactly happened? Cassie accused Colton of planting a tracking device on her car and of showing up in the middle of the night unannounced. Yikes.
Best: Jason Tartick may have lost his season of The Bachelorette, but he won big time in love
We love a Bachelor Nation success story, even if it's not exactly how we imagined it would be. Jason Tartick made a name for himself as the sweet fan favorite of Becca Kufrin's season of The Bachelorette, and for good reason. As noted by PopSugar, Jason kept a fairly low profile on the show, didn't stir any drama, and became one of Becca's final few picks. His nice guy personality prevailed, at least to an extent, as he made his way to the end of the season.
Becca didn't end up choosing Jason, but that's ok, as he went on to find love with former Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe. After Kaitlyn broke off an engagement, she quickly found herself linked to Jason, and the rest is history. "She is a down-to-earth, beautiful woman who has a great sense of humor," Jason told Entertainment Tonight about Kaitlyn. "She seems very strong and knows what she wants and empowers women." The couple has since adopted two golden retrievers and are very clearly living their best lives. We love to see it.
Worst: Nothing is worse than a liar, as The Bachelorette's Jed Wyatt should now know
Jed Wyatt had us all fooled. Sure, he didn't seem like the best option for Bachelorette Hannah Brown, but he didn't seem like the worst. The facade came crashing down when Hannah discovered that Jed hadn't come to the show to find love, but instead to promote his music career. And he had a girlfriend at home, who was aware that he had gone on the season to boost his profile.
As noted by Refinery29, Hannah was originally thrilled by Jed, saying, "He is so real with me, and I'm so real with him, and that's what I wanted from the very start." But that reality was quickly proven wrong.
After the proposal was aired on ABC, the fallout between the couple was shown, and Hannah got the last word in. "I don't know if he understands the depths of how much this hurts me," she said (via Refinery29). "I love the person I got engaged to, but I don't know how I feel about this person." It's safe to say that their engagement did not last long, and honestly, we're glad because Hannah B. deserves so much better.
Best: Sweetheart Kenny King was one of the best things to happen to The Bachelorette
It didn't take long for Bachelor Nation to fall in love with Kenny King. A contestant on Rachel Lindsay's season of The Bachelorette, Kenny was an instant fan favorite given his sweet charm and positive energy. What made Kenny even more lovable was the fact that he was a father, and throughout his time on the show, he made it very clear just how dedicated he was to his daughter.
As noted by People, Kenny eventually left the season due to the amount of time he was having to spend away from his daughter, which, if anything, made Bachelor Nation love him even more. He gave dating on television one more shot, as he joined the cast of Bachelor in Paradise in the summer of 2018, but again chose his responsibilities as a father over the potential to find love in paradise.
As of September 2020, Kenny is engaged to be married, as he proposed to his girlfriend London Ferris. So although Kenny didn't find love through the Bachelor franchise, we're so lucky to have gotten to know him.
Worst: Some less-than-ok comments made Ryan Bowers the villain of Emily's Bachelorette season
Some things really should be left unsaid, but Ryan Bowers did not get the memo. The villain of Emily Maynard's season of The Bachelorette, Ryan made some unsavory comments that have him securely placed on the worst contestant list.
As noted by Cosmopolitan, Ryan told Emily that "every man should believe his wife is a trophy." You read that correctly. Clearly Emily was not ok with what he said because she sent him packing during their date, a move that is uniquely saved for the worst moments in Bachelorette history. After the fact, Ryan was quoted in local paper The Augusta Chronicle, and tried to clear up his side of the story. "They're building entertainment for the show, so they build characters out of you," Ryan said. "If there's any regrets, it's maybe that I was so trusting to be able to really open up and talk about things. It's a bit hurtful when somebody takes your words and uses them the wrong way."
Best: Bachelorette contestant Eric Bigger truly has a heart of gold
Rachel Lindsay's season of The Bachelorette really gave Bachelor Nation some its fan favorites, so no list of best contestants could be complete without Eric Bigger. Eric stole the hearts of viewers really early on given his chill demeanor and gentlemanly ways, and although he didn't score Rachel's heart, he definitely captured the love of the Bachelor franchise's audience.
As noted by Decider, Eric made the choice to reject going on Bachelor in Paradise after appearing on Rachel's season, and instead toured the United States giving motivational speeches. Eric was clearly onto something because he went on to release a book in June 2020 entitled Transformation. Eric took to Instagram to share his thoughts on his new project, saying, "As much change as we want and need, we can only change if we start with ourselves first. ... This is an important time to know changing the world starts with you."
He later shared that he "published [the] book recently with the purpose and intention to help those in the discovery of finding themselves and purpose." If one thing is clear, Eric is still just as much of a class act as we remember.
Worst: Things only got worse for Chad Johnson after The Bachelorette
Prepare yourselves, because if one Bachelorette contestant is the worst of the worst, it's Chad Johnson. Chad (sort of) wanted the attention of JoJo Fletcher during her season of The Bachelorette, but instead caused a heap of drama due to his outbursts and violent tendencies. He clearly didn't take much of the criticism he faced while a contestant to heart because, as of August 2020, Chad settled a domestic violence case involving his ex-girlfriend Annalise Mishler, as noted by the Daily Mail. What were the details of the case? Four counts — corporal injury, battery, trespassing, and vandalism — were dropped after he took a plea deal, as reported TMZ.
And if that wasn't enough, Chad went after some Bachelor Nation members, including Tyler Cameron, Ben Higgins, and Dean Unglert, on a three-day Twitter rant for no apparent reason. As noted by Us Weekly, Chad took to Twitter to rail against people with whom he didn't even appear on camera. In one tweet, he wrote, "Read, comment, and enjoy according. Or just f**k off honestly I don't even care I cracked up a few times on the plane over my own writings so that was cool." Ok, Chad.
Best: Bachelorette contestant Dean Unglert never gave up on love
If there was one Bachelorette contestant that we never thought would settle down, it was Dean Unglert. After appearing on Rachel Lindsay's season of The Bachelorette, Dean went on Bachelor in Paradise (twice) and Bachelor: Winter Games, each time getting together with someone different. His experience within the franchise led him to tell Us Weekly that he was going to "stay away from the Bachelor Nation relationships" for as long as he could because there was "so much pressure."
That clearly didn't last because Dean not only went to paradise in 2019, but found the love of his life. Dean fell for beauty queen Caelynn Miller-Keyes, and the couple have been going strong ever since. Despite all of the on-screen time that Dean has provided Bachelor Nation, he's sure that his relationship with Caelynn will stick.
The couple appeared on an episode of The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons — Ever! and talked about the commitment rings that they both wear. "It's our way of telling the world and the people we're around that we are committed to each other," Dean said, via People. "We're in this for the long haul. There's no going back,"
Worst: Bachelorette contestant Lee Garrett made some offensive tweets
Lee Garrett is remembered for all of the wrong reasons. After appearing on Rachel Lindsay's season of The Bachelorette (who was the first Black lead of the show), it came to light that he had posted some very offensive tweets. As noted by E! News, Lee had described himself as "pleasantly offensive," but he had apparently tweeted about racial matters and politics in a not-at-all-pleasant way.
One of the tweets included a line that compared the NAACP to a white supremacist organization. In another tweet, he wrote, "Guys... When is the last time YOU actually saw a pretty feminist?" The tweets were so bad that host Chris Harrison addressed them by tweeting, "For those asking, no, of course we didn't know about the offensive tweets from Lee's account. None of us were aware of them. Very unfortunate."
Rachel went off on Lee during the Men Tell All episode by saying, "Please know that you can exit stage left and meet me backstage and I'd be more than happy to give you a Black history lesson, a lesson on women's rights" (via Cosmopolitan). That's right.
Best: Wells Adams became a key part of the Bachelor franchise
Bachelor Nation met Wells Adams during JoJo Fletcher's season of The Bachelorette, and it was love at first sight. So even though JoJo went on to get engaged to heartthrob Jordan Rodgers (which we certainly aren't complaining about), Wells had made a name for himself within the franchise — but not as a contestant. Wells came back to Bachelor in Paradise as the beloved bartender, and he has since been a staple of the show.
And if we couldn't love him anymore, Wells found the love of his life in Modern Family's Sarah Hyland. As noted by PopSugar, the two started dating in 2017, and have been going strong ever since. Wells popped the question while the couple were in Fiji in the summer of 2019, but had to postpone their wedding due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "I think right now there are more important things to worry about," Sarah told People. "We definitely want to get married one day and have the wedding of our dreams and have everybody that we love there." Ugh, we love them.