Bachelor: Worst Casting Decisions In The History Of The Show
With around 30 female contestants selected for each season of The Bachelor, it’s no surprise that ABC has, on occasion, made some terrible casting decisions in the show’s history. There are a lot of spots to fill each season, and casting directors must choose a mixture of women who will be entertaining to viewers and women who could be actual contenders. Not all of them can be winners, but there are some contestants who should be on the show more than others.
After 25 seasons, The Bachelor has featured hundreds of contestants, and not all of them were good ones. As the show progresses, social media has become a compelling reason to apply to be on the series, and women who are there “for the wrong reasons” are becoming more common than ever. There are many contestants who were rightfully sent home by the leads, but there are some contestants who never should have been cast in the first place.
The so-called "queen" was cast on Matt James’ season of The Bachelor, and it became instantly clear on night one that she was only there to entertain viewers. So outrageous were her antics that many fans believed Victoria was a plant by producers to stir up drama among the other contestants. It was obvious that Matt had no romantic (or even platonic) feelings for her, and Victoria went home after a few weeks in dramatic fashion. Fans are already dreading her return on Bachelor in Paradise.
Beckah was a fan-favorite on Arie Luyendyk’s season, and it’s not hard to see why. Outspoken Bekah was intelligent, fun and bubbly, and both Arie and viewers quickly fell for her. However, Bekah should never have been cast on Arie’s season, as the then-22-year-old was far too young for the 36-year-old lead. It was a surprise to no one when Arie sent Bekah home not long after finding out her age, and it was clear that she never stood a chance.
The budding therapist was cast on Nick Viall’s season, and though she was young too, Taylor didn’t stand out too much, save for a confrontation with fellow contestant Corinne Olympios. However, years later, a flood of Taylor’s racist old tweets resurfaced, and fans were shocked and outraged that her hateful point of view made it past ABC’s background check. If the network had put any effort into vetting contestants, Taylor never would have been cast.
Emily and Haley Ferguson were as sweet and bubbly as Bachelor contestants come, and the twins were certainly a bright spot on Ben Higgins’ season. However, their casting is extremely outdated considering they were presented as a two-for-the-price-of-one contestant, with their profession listed as “Twins” in their chyron. Ben eventually kept one around and sent the other home, but it wasn't great television watching the twins get joint roses at every ceremony.
On every season of The Bachelor, there will always be contestants who are there “for the wrong reasons.” However, there are some who never should have made it through the casting process in the first place. For various reasons, there are some contestants that ABC should have been kicked to the curb long before they set foot outside the limo.