Reality Check: Only 4 Bachelor Couples Are Still Together in 2023
It looks like the beloved show is just a show.
ABC's The Bachelor is one of the most popular reality shows on the planet, and there's a good reason for that. Many viewers find it extremely satisfying to watch a male contestant whittle down a line of bachelorettes to just one person he wants to spend the rest of his life with.
But what's more important, the show is full of drama and unexpected twists, so people would have watched it even if they knew there was no happily-ever-after for the bachelor and their final choice.
And in fact, judging by the statistics, this is exactly what happens to the couples after their time on the show, as only a few of them have managed to stay together after their season ended.
While each of the couples professed undying love for each other at the end of their season, some of them were obviously not that serious about spending the rest of their lives together. It looks like some of them used their time on The Bachelor to become famous and simply win the competition, but developing lasting relationships was not their true goal.
This may sound very unromantic, but there is clear evidence to prove that — only four out of 26 couples who won the show are still together, which is only about 15%.
Of all The Bachelor's couples, Season 13's Jason Mesnick and Molly Malaney, Season 17's Sean Lowe and Catherine Giudici, Season 22's Arie Luyendyk Jr. and Lauren Burnham, and Season 25's Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell are the only ones who made their marriages work and stayed together after the show ended.
It's also curious that none of the pairings from the first 10 seasons are still together, which means that some of the aforementioned couples may still break up in the future.
So evidently, despite all the hype The Bachelor is generating, it looks like the hit reality show is nothing but a show. The producers and cast members themselves are more concerned with making their project entertaining for viewers, but showing real feelings is not the main priority for them.
While this may sound a bit heartbreaking for fans, there is no denial that the show's formula works and its future seasons are going to attract millions of viewers. The real draw of The Bachelor is its intense drama, not the future of the contestant and their bachelorette of choice.