The Most Controversial Moments In Bachelor History

Season 21 of The Bachelorette took a devastating turn as Jenn Tran's pick Devin Strader shockingly ended their engagement. Jenn walked away single and Devin was labeled "the most hated man in America" for breaking Jenn's heart. After the unexpected turn-out, Devin's past, which included a restraining order from an ex-girlfriend, came to light, and his image continued to be tarnished, despite denying the allegations.

Unfortunately, the Bachelor Nation franchise is filled with shocking moments no one can forget. While Jenn's sad ending just adds to the ever-growing list of most controversial moments in Bachelorette history, just wait until reading the scandalous moments from the history of The Bachelor.

10 Jesse Palmer Giving Out The Wrong Rose

Before Jesse Palmer replaced Chris Harrison as host of Bachelor Nation, he was also looking for the one as the lead on Season 5 of The Bachelor. A cringe-worthy moment occurred during Jesse's season when he handed out roses to the women and accidentally called out the wrong name. Instead of wanting to give the rose to Karen, he calls out Katie.

Learning his mistake, Jesse speaks to Chris about the mishap and decides it's best to confront the women. Even more cringey, he tells Katie that she is more than welcome to stay despite not wanting to give her a rose initially. Katie agrees to stay to see if there is still potential.

9 A Contestant Having An Inappropriate Relationship In Jake Pavelka's Season

Season 15 of The Bachelor had pilot Jake Pavelka as the lead, but it wasn't Jake in hot water for having an inappropriate relationship. During the season, it was learned that a contestant named Rozlyn Papa was having a secret romance with one of the show's staffers.

In a clip, former host Chris Harrison looks stunned as he confronts Rozlyn about an off-air relationship which Rozlyn doesn't deny or confirm she's having. The staffer was immediately fired from the show and Rozlyn was sent packing.

8 Brad Womack Not Picking Any Of His Two Finalists

Brad Womack stunned The Bachelor viewers when he rejected both Jenni Croft and Deanna Pappas during his Season 11 finale. Brad faced immense backlash for not choosing anyone in the end, and he knew he'd be facing intense scrutiny over it. Brad even detailed to ABC News that he went into hiding for some time.

"I am about to be the biggest jerk in America."

Brad told the news outlet that although he could not establish a strong connection with either woman to fully commit with or without an engagement ring, he did have true intentions of finding love on reality TV. "I believe, or I wanted to believe, that you can meet somebody, you can fall for them, you can try to make it work, kind of throw caution in the wind ... but I also believe in reality, true reality."

Brad was even given a second chance when he became The Bachelor again for Season 15. He did choose Emily Maynard in the finale, but they ultimately split.

7 Nick Viall Sleeping With A Contestant Before The Show

When Nick Viall waited for his season's contestant to step out of the limo, he may have remembered Liz Sandoz. Before Season 21 aired, Nick and Liz had allegedly slept together after attending the same friend's wedding, and to much surprise, Liz was back trying to win Nick's heart on reality TV.

Nick confronted Liz about why she didn't pursue him after the wedding and before he was named the Bachelor. It raised questions about whether Liz was there for the right reasons or if she just wanted her 15 seconds of fame. He ended up sending her home after he felt that she had ulterior motives.

6 Jason Mesnick Changing His Mind About His Final Pick

The finale of Season 13 of The Bachelor played out like any other season, which saw lead Jason Mesnick choosing Melissa Rycroft and proposing to her in the finale. However, Jason shocked everyone when he told host Chris Harrison on After the Final Rose that he had changed his mind. Jason was no longer in love with Melissa, but wanted to try to have a relationship with runner-up, Molly Malaney. Although Melissa was crushed by the news, it worked out well for Jason, as he and Molly are still going strong today.

5 Peter Weber Takes Victoria Fuller On A Date To See Her Ex?

A one-on-one date between The Bachelor lead Peter Weber and contestant Victoria Fuller turned out to be extremely awkward when they attended a private concert that was performed by Victoria's ex-boyfriend. Before joining the show, Victoria had dated country singer Chase Rice, but he apparently had no idea he would be singing to her.

Speaking to Sirius XM's The Highway, Chase was extremely upset with the show's producer for putting him in that awkward position. "Ya, it was a little weird. I'm not gonna lie. When she came I just started laughing. Obviously, I wasn't happy first. I tried to spin it positive. I'm going to move on and live my life and make it about my music," he shared.

4 Colton Underwood Getting A Restraining Order

The Bachelor Season 23's Colton Underwood infamous jump over a fence will forever be an iconic Bachelor Nation memory. During the end of the season, in which three women were left, contestant Cassie Randolph decided to end things during Fantasy Suites. However, Colton runs after Cassie, even jumping over a tall fence to speak to her and end things with both remaining contestants.

In April 2021, Colton sat down with Good Morning America's Robin Roberts where he came out as gay. In 2023, Colton wed Jordan C. Brown.

Cassie and Colton eventually worked out in the end, but it was later learned that she ended things with the Bachelor star after alarming behavior that included stalking her and harassment. Cassie filed a restraining order against her ex, and he eventually apologized.

3 Juan Pablo Galavis Being The Bachelor

Juan Pablo Galavis has been named one of the most hated men in Bachelor Nation history. Juan Pablo was named Season 18's The Bachelor and upset viewers with his egotistical and condescending behavior. He allegedly told contestant and finalist Clare Crawley something extremely disrespectful which had fans believing he had slut-shamed her. He was incredibly cold to his final pick, Nikki Ferrell, who he refused to say the "L" word to. In fact, he didn't even end up proposing to Nikki in the end, but wanted to continue the relationship.

In addition, Juan Pablo showed his true colors when he told a reporter that the franchise shouldn't cast gay or bisexual leads. "I don't think it's a good example for kids to watch that on TV ... there's this thing about gay people ... They're more perverse in a sense." Totally, not okay.

2 Ben Higgins Telling Both Finalists He Loves Them

Unlike Juan Pablo, Ben Higgins was in love with both of his finalists, which is a huge no-no on The Bachelor. During Season 20's finale, Ben professed his love for both JoJo Fletcher and Lauren Bushnell, but he ultimately chose Lauren in the end. This deeply affected Lauren, as no woman wants to hear that her future husband it also in love with someone else. The two ultimately went their separate ways.

Lauren Bushnell is currently married to country singer Chris Lane.

Speaking to Us Weekly, Lauren shared, "I did carry some resentment toward him, not with JoJo. I had such a hard time trying to understand and out myself in his shoes and finally I was like, 'I will never understand. I will never be on the Bachelor.'"

1 Arie Luyendyk Jr. Breaking Up With His Pick On National Television

Season 22's Arie Luyendyk Jr. stunned Bachelor fans when he decided to break things off with contestant Becca Kufrin, after having already proposed to her in the series finale. During a taping of what was supposed to be their "happy couple weekend," Arie tells Becca that he made a huge mistake and was really in love with runner-up Lauren Burnham.

After breaking things off with Becca, Arie got down on one knee and proposed to Lauren during the show's After the Final Rose special. Although Arie was certainly hated for his actions for some time, he and Lauren are still together today and have three children.

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