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(#1) Producers Get A Say In Who Stays
If you've ever watched a season of The Bachelor or The Bachelorette and wondered how the lead could possibly keep the crazy psychotic villian for yet another episode, the answer is they might not have wanted to.
The shows' contracts state that the lead agrees "to follow all of Producer’s rules, directions and instructions in all matters, including Participant selection." Ultimately, if the producers wanted to dictate who each and every rose goes to, it's within their rights.
That being said, it's in the producers' best interests to have a happy and cooperative lead. A star who isn't invested could sabotage the season. The Bachelor or Bachelorette also has the option to quit the entire season at any point if they so choose. So while producers likely have a hand in keeping a ratings darling around a bit longer, the lead still ultimately holds the power.
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(#2) There Are Hidden Cameras And Microphones
As specifically stipulated in the Bachelor/Bachelorette's contracts, the show's producers have the right to film the lead 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They also have the right to record stars secretly with hidden cameras and microphones.
Rest assured, though, the contract does specify that these hidden cameras "shall not be positioned to intentionally capture images of you urinating or defecating in the bathroom."
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(#3) It Has To Look Like A Tight Race
Many Bachelors and Bachelorettes have admitted later that they knew who their final pick was going to be much earlier than the finale. But of course, that's not as entertaining as a neck-and-neck competition for one person's heart.
The lead is contractually obligated to adhere to the format of the show, which includes weekly eliminations of a certain number of contestants. While they might be allowed to make a random or out-of-order cut here and there, the show is slated for a certain number of episodes, and therefore a certain timeline.
Trista Sutter, the first Bachelorette, later lamented that she didn't tell her now-husband, Ryan Sutter, how she felt about him on the show. She didn't share her feelings at the time because she was worried about the money on the line if she broke her contract with ABC. The leads can't just express their love for a contestant willy-nilly.
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(#4) Contestants Are Supposed To Keep It Confidential
The Bachelor/Bachelorette and all contestants on the show sign contracts with an extensive section on confidentiality. They are not allowed to discuss what happened on the show until it's finished airing, even to family members. If they breach this part of the contract, ABC is within its bounds to seek legal recourse or monetary compensation. If you're the star, you can be on the hook for up to $5 million. Yikes.
Of course, secrets come out. Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe inadvertently spoiled the ending of her own season by Snapchatting the winner, Shawn Booth, in bed with her. ABC didn't comment on the incident, even though Bristowe owned up to the mistake. She wasn't sued by the network.
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(#5) The Winner Gets To Keep The Ring, But Only If They're Together For Two Years
Every season, jeweler Neil Lane swings by in the penultimate episode to show rings to the Bachelor or remaining two Bachelorette contestants. These rings cost a pretty penny (the ring Jef Holms picked to propose to Emily Maynard cost an estimated $150,000) but the huge advertisement for Neil Lane is worth the cost.
Contestants only need to stay together for two consecutive years, and the ring is theirs to keep - no marriage required. If they break up before this time period is up, they're contractually obligated to return the ring. This system has led to fan accusations of winning couples staying together just to keep the ring, but the numbers don't make a strong case. After a combined 33 seasons, only a few couples have made it past two years.
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(#6) The Stars Don't Choose The Dates
Being scared of heights is a luxury the Bachelor/Bachelorette doesn't have. The dates they take contestants on cover everything from the weird (Andi's miming date) to the heart-pounding (Ben's date scaling the Golden Gate Bridge). And while the lead always puts on a show of having personally crafted the date for this particular contestant, that's not quite the case.
Their contracts specify that they are required to participate in any and all dates, despite the involvement of potentially dangerous physical activity, such as skydiving and parasailing.
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(#7) The Bachelor/Bachelorette Gets Paid
True love might not be the only motivation for members of the Bachelor franchise. While contestants are paid nothing - and actually lose money paying for weeks upon weeks of formal wear and taking a leave of absence from their jobs - the leads of The Bachelor/The Bachelorette rake in six figures.
On average, they make $100,000, with Emily Maynard rumored to make $250,000 as the highest paid Bachelorette. It's not a bad salary for a month-and-a-half of filming. And that doesn't include the money potentially made from book deals, Instagram endorsements, and spin-off shows.
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(#8) There's No Internet Access - Not Even For The Star
Many former contestants have spoken out about the isolation of the Bachelor Mansion; apparently, there are no books, no television, no phones, and no Internet. It turns out even the lead is cut off from the outside world.
This might be a tactic to get stir-crazy and dramatic material from contestants, but why imprison your lead? From former Bachelor Sean Lowe's story, it sounds like a precaution to keep you unbiased about your contestants. He recounts sneaking onto the internet on a producer's iPad and immediately Googling his final two women.
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(#9) The Couples Have To Go On Secret Dates
After the Bachelor or Bachelorette selects the "winner," they can't just go catch a movie. Until the show airs and the final couple is debuted at the live after show, the couple isn't allowed to be seen together publicly.
To lessen the sting of this forced separation, ABC coordinates secret meet-ups between the two. They generally receive a five-day vacation near where the proposal is filmed. After that, every 10 days or so the couple is taken separately to a "safe house" where they can spend some time together.
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(#10) ABC Requires Continued Promotional Appearances
Just because the show is over doesn't mean you're done. After completion of the season, the happy couple is contractually obligated to engage in whatever promotional activities ABC deems necessary for a certain period of time (for Bachelorette Trista Sutter, for example, it was one year after the finale).
So the appearances at every Bachelor-related function and that People magazine interview that comes out after every season like clockwork? Not exactly optional.
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(#11) Contestants Can't Date While The Show Airs
As many Bachelor/Bachelorette fans know, the winning couple often ends up breaking up before the show has finished airing. But just as they must hide their "together" status if they're still dating, they must also hide if they've broken up. Even a contestant dumped on the second week isn't allowed to date until the show has aired his or her departure.
In an ideal world, this leads to "shocking" break-ups on After the Final Rose, like when Jason Mesnick dumped then-fiancée Melissa Rycroft on-air for runner-up Molly Malaney. The worst case scenario is pulling a Ben Flajnik and getting your photo snapped kissing another woman while the show is airing.
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(#12) There's Little Room For Politics
Even during times of political turmoil, the Bachelor franchise has remained steadfastly apolitical. The leads selected are generally politically neutral, or at least appear that way. Why? For one, the show offers many viewers a form of escapism. Second, picking a staunchly political lead automatically alienates a large portion of viewers in either direction.
Former contestants have said that, when they start discussing politics on-camera, their conversations have been directed elsewhere. Bachelor and Bachelorettes under contract have remained conspicuously silent on politics. And when former Bachelor Ben Higgins put in a bid to run as a Republican for the Colorado House in 2016, he mysteriously dropped out less than a week later. Reports suggested that Higgins - who at the time was filming a spin-off series with his fiancée for Freeform (an ABC affiliate) - was pressured by the network to bail from his budding political career.
The tide may be changing, as contestants on more recents seasons have been able to talk about more political topics. However, there's a good chance it won't make it to air.
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(#13) ABC Maintains Exclusive TV Rights To Their Leads
ABC not only dictates what their leads must do after the show, they also dictate what they cannot do. Contracts for The Bachelor and The Bachelorette include an exclusivity clause, allowing ABC to determine what (if any) TV shows they can appear on for a certain time post-show.
For instance, many leads have gone on to participate on ABC's Dancing With The Stars immediately following their season. Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe called out Bachelor creator Mike Fleiss for allowing male leads to participate in the competition, but not her. Bristowe claimed that she was offered a spot on DWTS after her season, but wasn't allowed to sign the contract, as Fleiss said he didn't want his contestants looking for fame.
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(#14) ABC Will Pay For A Televised Wedding
Five Bachelor franchise couples (Trista and Ryan Sutter, Jason and Molly Mesnick, Ashley and JP Rosenbaum, Sean and Catherine Lowe, and Jade and Tanner Tolbert) have had ABC sponsored weddings. The events were both paid for, and televised by, the channel. That also means that ABC holds certain rights over the final couple's wedding ceremony, due to their exclusivity clause. Shawn Booth, fiance of Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe, said they were considering elopement, but joked that ABC might sue them over the wedding rights.
There's also no guarantee that ABC will dole out the cash for your big day. Rumors circulated that Desiree Hartsock, a former Bachelorette who wed privately, was not offered the option of a TV wedding because ABC didn't think it would bring in enough viewers.
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