''The Bachelor'' is an American romance and relationship

multimedia franchise A media franchise, also known as a multimedia franchise, is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or ...

which began with the

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

series '' The Bachelor'' in 2002 and now includes multiple spin-off television series, a podcast network, a website, live tour, and more. The franchise has been financially successful, bringing in $86 million in advertising revenue alone in 2017.

Television series

''The Bachelor'' (2002–present)

'' The Bachelor'' revolves around a single bachelor who begins with a pool of romantic interests from whom he is expected to select a wife. During the course of the season, the bachelor goes on group and one-on-one dates to get to know the candidates, and eliminates some of them each week, eventually culminating in a marriage proposal to his final selection.

''The Bachelorette'' (2003–present)

Following the success of ''The Bachelor'' creator

Mike Fleiss Mike L. Fleiss (born April 14, 1964) is an American television producer and writer. Early life Fleiss was raised in Fullerton, California. He attended the University of California, Berkeley. Career He is the creator, producer and writer of '' ...

produced ''

The Bachelorette A bachelorette is an unmarried woman. Bachelorette may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Bachelorette'', a reality television dating show part of ''The Bachelor'' franchise with numerous versions: ** ''The Bachelorette'' (American TV ser ...

'', in which the format is gender-reversed. The bachelorettes are often eliminated contestants from ''The Bachelor''. Season 11 of ''The Bachelorette'' had two bachelorettes (but only for the first episode). Season 16 had two bachelorettes (one for the first half of the season, the other the rest of the season). Season 19 had two bachelorettes for the whole season.

''Bachelor Pad'' (2010–2012)

'' Bachelor Pad'' premiered in August 2010, giving previous contestants of both ''The Bachelor'' and ''The Bachelorette'' an opportunity to compete in dating-themed eliminations for $250,000. This summer series lasted three seasons.

''Bachelor in Paradise'' (2014–present)

'' Bachelor in Paradise'' premiered on August 4, 2014, giving previous contestants of both ''The Bachelor'' and ''The Bachelorette'' the opportunity to compete for another chance in love in dating-themed eliminations.

''Bachelor in Paradise: After Paradise'' (2015–2016)

'' Bachelor in Paradise: After Paradise'' premiered on August 3, 2015 and was a live, weekly talk show that features cast of the series and celebrity fans discussing the most recent episodes of Bachelor in Paradise. The series also featured questions from the audience, deleted scenes, outtakes and exclusive extra content. The talk show was hosted by

Michelle Collins Michelle Danielle Collins (born 28 May 1962) is an English actress and TV presenter, best known for her roles in the British soap operas ''EastEnders'' and ''Coronation Street''. Collins played Cindy Beale in the BBC soap ''EastEnders'' from ...

and co-hosted by Sean Lowe.

''Bachelor Live'' (2016)

''Bachelor Live'' premiered on January 4, 2016, and was a one-hour

talk show A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show ...

hosted by Chris Harrison which aired directly after ''The Bachelor''.

''Ben and Lauren: Happily Ever After?'' (2016)

First airing in October 2016 on Freeform, ''Ben and Lauren: Happily Ever After?'' showcased the relationship of

Ben Higgins Benjamin Edward Higgins (born March 23, 1989), is an American television personality and entrepreneur who starred on the 20th season of ABC's ''The Bachelor'', after appearing on the 11th season of ''The Bachelorette''. Early life Higgins was ...

and Lauren Bushnell following season 20 of ''The Bachelor'' on their plans for marriage and Bushnell's new life in Denver. The couple eventually parted ways in May 15, 2017.

''The Twins: Happily Ever After'' (2017)

On March 20, 2017, ''The Twins: Happily Ever After'' premiered on Freeform. The series stars Haley and Emily Ferguson from season 20 of ''The Bachelor'' and showcases them "saying goodbye to the comfort and luxuries of living under their mom's roof and beginning the hilarious journey of figuring out life on their own while searching for independence and a new career."

''The Bachelor: Winter Games'' (2018)

The Bachelor Winter Games ''The Bachelor Winter Games'' is a winter sports-themed reality competition television series that premiered on February 13, 2018 on ABC. It is a spin-off of the reality television game shows '' The Bachelor'' and '' The Bachelorette'', and is ...

'' premiered on February 13, 2018. The show follows a similar premise to that of '' Bachelor in Paradise'' with a few twists. One stand out twist is that the cast is made up of international contestants from ''The Bachelor'' franchise. All contestants participate in various winter sports in order to win a date card.

Ashley Iaconetti Ashley Nicole Iaconetti Haibon (born March 6, 1988) is an American television personality and journalist notable for being a contestant on several series in ''The Bachelor'' television franchise, including '' The Bachelor'', '' Bachelor in Paradi ...

(American) and Kevin Wendt (Canadian) were the winning couple of the first season, after competing in an ice skating dance routine against three other couples.

''The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart'' (2020)

'' The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart'' premiered on April 13, 2020. follows single men and women, who are musicians or work in the music industry, hoping to find love through music. The contestants will sing well-known songs, both individually and as couples, and explore their relationships while living together and going on ''

Bachelor A bachelor is a man who is not and has never been married.Bachelors are, in Pitt & al.'s phrasing, "men who live independently, outside of their parents' home and other institutional settings, who are neither married nor cohabitating". (). Etymo ...

''-style dates that focus on music.

''The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons – Ever!'' (2020)

On April 29, 2020, a 10-episode documentary series titled ''The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons – Ever!'' was announced. It premiered on June 8, 2020. It was originally titled ''The Bachelor: The Most Unforgettable—Ever!'' before its name was changed on May 11, 2020. The series contains recaps of previous seasons of ''The Bachelor'' and ''The Bachelorette'' and features interviews with former cast members. It is hosted by Chris Harrison.

Wedding Specials

The weddings of

Trista Rehn , stylized as Book☆Walker, is a Japanese e-book store that sells manga, light novels, and magazines from various publishers, as well as a few published by themselves. It is based in Chiyoda, Tokyo and was created by Kadokawa Corporation. The c ...

(the 1st Bachelorette),

Jason Mesnick Jason Scott Mesnick is an American reality television, television personality, account executive, and realtor. He was the runner-up on The Bachelorette (season 4), season 4 of ''The Bachelorette (American TV series), The Bachelorette'' and was f ...

(13th Bachelor), Ashley Hebert (the 7th Bachelorette), and Sean Lowe (the 17th Bachelor) were broadcast as television specials. Rehn's vow-renewal ceremony upon her 10-year anniversary was also broadcast. ''Bachelor in Paradise'' season 2 couple Jade Roper and Tanner Tolbert's wedding was also broadcast as a television special in February 2016.

Upcoming Spin-offs

In 2020, ABC announced plans to produce a summer counterpart of ''The Bachelor Winter Games'', which would have presumably aired against the

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...

(just as ''Winter Games'' aired against the Winter Olympics). On March 30, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic (which itself caused the 2020 Olympics to be postponed to 2021), it was reported that production of the spin-off had been cancelled. A casting call has been released by ABC for a version of the show featuring older contestants.

In other media

Live show

''The Bachelor Live On Stage'' was announced on January 23, 2019 during the Men Tell All episode. A local Bachelor would go through group date challenges and coveted one-on-ones with local ladies in the audience. Audience members and hosts would assist the Bachelor. Ben Higgins and

Becca Kufrin Rebecca Jill Kufrin (born April 3, 1990) is an American television personality, best known for her role as the winner on the 22nd season of ABC's '' The Bachelor'' and the lead of the 14th season of ''The Bachelorette''. Early life and educat ...

are slated to host the 63 stop tour starting in Mesa, Arizona on February 13, 2020 with the final stop in Austin, Texas, was scheduled on May 17, 2020. However due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, half of the shows have been postponed and they were rescheduled to January 24, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio.

Podcast

''Bachelor Happy Hour'' is a podcast series hosted by

and Michelle Young. It was originally hosted by

Rachel Lindsay Rachel Lindsay may refer to: * a pseudonym of Roberta Leigh, British author, artist, composer and television producer * Rachel Lindsay (television personality) Rachel Lynn Lindsay-Abasolo (born April 21, 1985) is an American media personality ...

and

Ali Fedotowsky Alexandra Elaine Fedotowsky-Manno (née Fedotowsky; born September 16, 1984) is an American television personality best known as a cast member on the ABC reality shows '' The Bachelor'' and ''Bachelorette'' (2010). Early life and education Fed ...

. It premiered on July 19, 2020 and features weekly guests from various Bachelor Nation shows.

Website

Digital series

The franchise has launched numerous digital series featuring cast members from the various television shows.

''Meet and Greet''

One-on-one interviews with cast members not shown in the television shows.

''Bachelor Happy Hour: Open Bar''

Expanded video version of the podcast Bachelor Happy Hour.

''Bachelor Nation Encore''

Deleted and extended scenes not seen in the television show.

''Will You Accept This Ride?''

Interview series where

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

creator

Lisa Schwartz Lisa Erin Schwartz (born April 4, 1983)Birthday tweets: * * is an American YouTube personality and actress. Her YouTube channel, Lisbug, has over 2.2 million subscribers. Schwartz starred in ''Not Cool'' (2014), the TV film ''My Profile Stor ...

interviews various cast members in the back of a limo.

''Bad Chiller''

Comedic recap show featuring

Nick Viall Nicholas Joseph Viall (born September 28, 1980) is an American actor, television personality and model who had a starring role on the 21st season of ABC's ''The Bachelor'', after finishing as runner-up in two consecutive seasons of ''The Bachelor ...

Video game

''The Bachelor: The Videogame'' was released in 2014 for

Nintendo Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, f ...

and

Nintendo DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...

. It gives players the opportunity to compete in a series of dates inspired by the television show. Critical reaction to the game was negative.

International versions

: An upcoming season : No longer airing

''The Bachelor''

Note: * Reruns of the original American version are also broadcast in Australia on

Nine Network The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...

. * Originally, the Indonesian show, ''The Bachelor Indonesia'' was set to air on

NET. NET (an initialism of News and Entertainment Television, stylized as NET.) is an Indonesian free-to-air television network that was launched on 26 May 2013. It replaced Spacetoon on terrestrial television. The channel's programming is focused ...

based on ''The Bachelor'',

Warner Bros. Television Warner Bros. Television Studios (operating under the name Warner Bros. Television; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division) is an American television production and distribution studio of the Warner Bros. Television Group division of ...

deals with the format of the show in collaboration with distribution and production in Indonesia through PT Dunia Visitama Produksi, known under the name

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

for the Indonesian version. However, this show was canceled for an unknown reason. Finally, the show was confirmed to be aired on HBO Asia.

''The Bachelorette''

''Bachelor in Paradise''

Cultural impact

Cast members featured on the show often gain a large social media following, which in turn creates various sponsorship and employment opportunities once they leave the show. In recent seasons some cast members have been accused of going on the show specifically for this reason, leading to accusations of "being here for the wrong reasons." The various television series shoot on location in cities around the world, and promotion from these visits has been coined "The Bachelor Effect." Exposure on the shows has led to increased tourism and economic activity in the locations featured. The franchise inspired the fictional show ''

UnReal Unreal may refer to: Books and TV * ''Unreal'' (short story collection), a 1985 book of short stories by Paul Jennings * ''Unreal'' (TV series), a 2015 television drama series on Lifetime Computing and games * ''Unreal'' (video game series), ...

'', which stars

Shiri Appleby Shiri Freda Appleby (born December 7, 1978) is an American actress and television director. She is best known for her leading roles as Liz Parker in the WB/UPN science fiction drama series '' Roswell'' (1999–2002) and Rachel Goldberg in the L ...

as a young

producer pushed by her unscrupulous boss (

Constance Zimmer Constance Zimmer (born October 11, 1970) is an American actress. She rose to prominence for playing Dana Gordon in the television series '' Entourage'' (2005–2011) and Claire Simms in the television series ''Boston Legal'' (2006–2007). Sh ...

) to swallow her integrity and do anything it takes to drum up salacious show content.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bachelor, The Television franchises Reality television series franchises