Since the debut of The Bachelor franchise in 2002, several contestants were likely planted on the show by producers. Since its inception, there have been 28 seasons of The bachelor, 21 seasons of The single, nine seasons of Bachelor in Paradiseand several seasons of other franchise shows, including The Golden Bachelor and The golden bachelorette. Every season, there are contestants accused of being on the show for the wrong reasons.
Some of these competitors have even been accused of having been purposely planted by producers to achieve various results. It’s frustrating because every spot taken by someone who isn’t there to find love could have gone to someone who would be there for the right reason. Despite the frustration, it is important to remember that food producers The Bachelor and other franchise shows are not about marriage, but exist to put on a great show.
Your job is to produce entertaining programs that appeal to audiences. Sometimes this may require casting people who aren’t in the show to win the protagonist’s heart. There are several reasons why producers of the unscripted series might want to cast contestants for reasons other than helping them find true love. Some contestants could be chosen for their entertainment value, while others could be groomed for future Bachelor The nation leads. Read until the end to Bachelor The nation’s competitors who were accused of being “producer plants”.
10
Luke Parker
The Bachelorette Party 15
Luke Parker was 24 years old when he appeared on The Bachelorette season 15, where he competed against 30 men for 24-year-old Hannah Brown’s heart. The import and export manager from Gainesville, Georgia, made it to Hanna’s final three. He even took Hannah home to meet her family before being sent home during their date night. Lucas is a devout Christian who was only interested in dating looking for marriage. It’s possible that Luke was cast on Hannah’s season to add a healthy glow to the show. THE Bachelor franchise.
Although Luke didn’t get Hannah’s final rose The Bachelorette 15, he found true love in real life. He married Jennifer Frudaker in 2023 and their son, Judah Luke, was born in 2024. For her part, Hannah gave her final rose to musician Jed Wyatt, but the short-lived engagement ended shortly after it was announced.
9
Kelsey Poe
The Bachelor 19
Kelsey Poe, a 28-year-old guidance counselor from Hudsonville, Michigan, was one of 30 single women who competed for Chris Soules’ heart during The Bachelor season 19. Kelsey was one of THE Bachelor The franchise’s biggest villainsand she was also a widow. Some of the other contestants accused Kelsey of using her late husband to manipulate Chris. Although Kelsey remained for a long time despite never connecting much with Chris, she was eliminated during week 6. Kelsey stopped posting on social media in 2015 due to harsh treatment from trolls and announced that she would be moving to Paris to be writer.
8
Corinne Olympios
The Bachelor 21
Corinne Olympios, a 24-year-old online business owner from Miami, Florida, appeared on The Bachelor season 21. She was one of 30 women competing for Nick Viall’s heart and was eliminated after placing fourth. Nick Viall was runner-up The Bachelorette season 10 and then again in The Bachelorette season 11 before getting its own season. Corinne later appeared in The Bachelor in Paradise Season 4, but dropped out in the first week during a production shutdown. Corinne was a fan favoriteand there was some speculation that she was cast due to her star quality.
7
Chad Johnson
The Bachelorette 12
Chad Johnson, a 28-year-old real estate agent from Oklahoma, appeared on The Bachelorette season 12. He went head to head with 24 other men competing for 25-year-old Jojo Fletcher’s heart and was sent home during the fourth week. Chad later appeared in Bachelor in Paradise season 3, but he was sent home during the first season for assault.
Chad had a memorably aggressive personalitySo it always seemed like he was cast because the producers knew he would end up coming into conflict on the show. This turned out to be true. In 2020, Chad was arrested for domestic violence. He ended up taking a plea deal and serving 36 months of probation.
6
Carlos Ling
The golden bachelorette
Charles Ling, 66, was a retired accountant who appeared on the inaugural season of The golden bachelorette. Alongside 23 other men, the widowed father of two dated 61-year-old Joan Vassos, hoping to win his final rose. Charles was a widower who was still grieving his beloved late wife, who died after a sudden aneurysm. Being on the show helped Charles bring closure to the passing of his wife six years ago. Unfortunately, Charles was sent home during the fourth week, but there was some speculation that Charles was on the show so he could replace Gerry Turner as The Golden Bachelor.
5
Sydney Gordon
The Bachelor 28
Sydney Gordon, a 28-year-old vintage store owner from Newport, Rhode Island, appeared on The Bachelor season 28, alongside 31 other women. Joey Graziadei and Sydney didn’t seem to connect much, but she started a feud with 29-year-old Maria Georgas that involved multiple women, leading to the biggest drama of the season. Is it possible the producers decided to cast Sydney more for its entertainment value than for her potential romantic connection with 28-year-old Joey. In the end, Joey sent Maria home during Week 4 and ended up giving his final rose to 25-year-old Kelsey Anderson. Sydney apologized to Maria during the Women Tell All.
4
Aaron Erb
The Bachelorette 21
Aaron Erb was a 28-year-old aerospace engineer who came to the Bachelor Tulsa, Oklahoma mansion. He competed in The Bachelorette season 21 and competed for 26-year-old Jenn Tran’s heart. He wasn’t feeling the relationship, so he self-eliminated during week 3leading to some speculation that it was a producing plant. It didn’t seem like there was a relationship between Jenn and Aaron, who seemed to have been cast on the show to fill a void. In the end, Jenn gave her final rose to 28-year-old Devin Strader from Texas, but they split before the final episode aired.
3
Lucas Yancey
The Bachelorette 13
The Bachelorette season 13 was led by 32-year-old Rachel Lindsay. The lawyer from Dallas, Texas, was the franchise’s first black protagonist. Rachel made her television debut as a contestant on The Bachelor 21, where he placed third in Nick Viall’s Final Rose. She was later cast as The single, and among the 31 men competing for Rachel was 28-year-old Lucas Yancey. The California Comedian He was best known for saying “waboom“ to troll other contestants. Lucas was fun, but was sent home in week 2 after a fight with fellow contestant Blake Elarbee.
2
Blake Elarbee
The Bachelorette 13
Lucas fought with his The Bachelorette Season 13 co-star Blake, 31, an aspiring drummer from Marina Del Rey, California. Blake and Lucas knew each other before the show and got into a fight at the mansion. Rachel eliminated them both during week 2, leading to speculation that they were cast on the show because the producers knew they had issues; Blake and Lucas would get into a fight that could be fun for the public. While Blake and Lucas’ fight was fun, they took two spots from men who could potentially be better suited for Rachel. Blake was one of Bachelor The nation’s most memorable contestants.
1
Marcos Anderson
The golden bachelorette
The biggest Bachelor National speculation about a potential production plant centered around 58-year-old Mark Anderson, a retired Army veteran from Louisiana. THE widower and father of five made his television debut in The Bachelor season 28 during Joey’s hometown visit with Mark’s daughter, Kelsey. Fans instantly fell in love with the tall widower and a star was born.
Although Mark only appeared on camera for a brief period, he left a lasting impression.
Hopes were high when Mark was announced as a contestant on the inaugural season of The golden maiden, but Joan sent him home before hometown visits, in a clip that has since been posted to YouTube by Bachelor Nation. Online speculation ran rampant that Mark was cast on the show just to prepare him to be The Golden Bachelor. Mark wasn’t the only contestant accused of being a producer on The Bachelor spin-off show, but he received more attention.
Luke Parker |
The Bachelorette Party 15 |
Kelsey Poe |
The Bachelor 19 |
Corinne Olympios |
The Bachelor 21 |
Chad Johnson |
The Bachelorette 12 |
Carlos Ling |
The golden bachelorette |
Sydney Gordon |
The Bachelor 28 |
Aaron Erb |
The Bachelorette 21 |
Lucas Yancey |
The Bachelorette 13 |
Elarbee Black |
The Bachelorette 13 |
Marcos Anderson |
The golden bachelorette |
Source: Bachelor Nation/YouTube
The Bachelor – Season 28