Please Don’t Accept This Rose: 25 Bachelor Villains We Loved To Hate
Arie Luyendyk Jr. (Season 22)
Image Source: Entertainment Tonight
Where does one even begin to describe the train wreck that is Arie Luyendyk Jr.? After choosing Becca Kufrin on his season finale, former Bachelor Luyendyk Jr. changed his mind and decided he wanted to be with his runner up, Lauren Burnham, instead. But instead of making it a private matter, Arie chose to film their breakup in real time. Moments after Becca’s teary-eyed interview on After the Final Rose, he got down on one knee for Lauren.
Jenna Cooper (Season 22)
Image Source: Hollywood Life
Cooper starred on season 5 of Bachelor in Paradise after her stint on Arie Luyendyk Jr.’s Bachelor season. She got engaged to Jordan Kimball in Paradise, although the male model broke it off in September 2018 after reports surfaced that Jenna had cheated on him and faked their relationship for TV. Cooper has since denied the allegations against her and wrote via an Instagram statement that she would be taking legal action.
Wes Hayden (Season 5)
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During Jillian Harris’ season of The Bachelorette, it came out that Hayden had come on the show to promote his music, and that he actually had a girlfriend waiting for him at home. But it still took Harris a long time to eliminate him. “I’m going down in flames” he said on his way out. The king of ulterior motives!
Trish Schneider (Season 5)
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Schneider’s villain status all started when she waltzed onto the show in a T-shirt saying, “Gold Digger – Like a hooker … just smarter” and then continued to pull out all sorts of manipulation tactics and schemes to get Jesse to choose her. Schneider made it clear that she wasn’t there to make friends. And even after she was eliminated, she came back, trying to pull Palmer away from his other dates.
Leo Dottavio (Season 14)
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After laying fairly low during season 14 of The Bachelorette, Dottavio made headlines in August 2018 after fellow Bachelor Nation member Bekah Martinez reposted sexual harassment claims against him. Dottavio was under fire for a second time that August after he got into a physical altercation with Joe Amabile on season 5 of Bachelor in Paradise. Following the episode, Dottavio exchanged aggressive comments on Twitter with stars from the franchise, including Amanda Stanton, Nick Viall, and Dean Unglert.
Tierra Licausi (Season 17)
Image Source: Us Weekly
LiCausi was a contestant on Sean Lowe’s season of The Bachelor and used her attention-grabbing antics to steal the spotlight. She was whiny, hysterical, dramatic and rubbed just about everyone the wrong way. From dropping to the floor in tears, to shaking uncontrollably, to claiming a group date gave her hypothermia, Tierra was always pulling out all of the stops to get Sean’s attention.
Ian Thompson (Season 11)
Image Source: Bustle
Ian Thompson didn’t have any trouble playing the villain on Kaitlyn Bristowe’s season of The Bachelorette with his observations and self-proclamations. With statements such as, “I’m too deep a thinker, I’m too self-aware. I’m very different than every single other person that’s here,” it’s no wonder he quickly became one of the most disliked characters. While the narcissism we could maybe live with, his observations about Kaitlyn were too much to bear, like when he said that Kaitlyn was too promiscuous and shallow.
Vienna Girardi (Season 14)
Image Source: Today Show
It’s rare that the villain makes it past the first few weeks of the show, but in Girardi’s case, she made it all the way to the end, with Jake Pavelka popping the question to her during the season finale. But after a quick three months, the couple called it quits. During a tell-all interview with Chris Harrison, Jake and Vienna hashed out the details of their breakup to the viewers’ pure discomfort. Between the yelling and the verbal sparring, Giardi and Pavelka rightfully earned their spot amongst the franchise’s most controversial contestants.
Chris Soules (Season 19)
Image Source: TV Guide
Interestingly enough, Chris Soules’ controversy came after his season aired. In April 2017, Chris was arrested for fleeing a deadly car accident in Iowa. Chris has since entered a not guilty plea, but he could be looking at up to five years in prison if sentenced.
Michelle Money (Season 11)
Image Source: Bustle
From villainess to fan favorite, Michelle earned heat during her season for talking some serious smack about the girls and for her aggressive tactics. The hair stylist attempted to win over Brad Womack on his second run as the Bachelor, and made a name for herself with her intense confessional interviews and feuds with the other women. Money’s rivalry and ultimate confrontation with nemesis AshLee Frazier will go down in the show’s history as one of the most heated.
DeMario Jackson (Season 13)
Image Source: Variety
Things got awkward for front-runner DeMario Jackson when a woman claiming to be his girlfriend decided to have a little chat with bachelorette Rachel Lindsay. After Rachel eliminated him, DeMario had a very brief stint on Bachelor in Paradise – which unfortunately ended in an even bigger scandal involving him and Corrine Olympios. After the two drunkenly hooked up on set, accusations of sexual misconduct caused the entire production to be (momentarily) halted.
Rozlyn Papa (Season 14)
Image Source: Nicki Swift
Even though Jake seemed really interested in Rozlyn, she was, well, less interested in him. Rozlyn Papa found herself in hot water with Bachelor Nation during the 14th season of The Bachelor. Papa was kicked off the show when questions were raised about her relationship with a producer.
Nick Viall (Season 21)
Image Source: Variety
Honestly, the fact that Nick Viall has appeared on four seasons of The Bachelor franchise is enough to make him controversial. But, Nick’s shadiest move was definitely blasting Bachelorette Andi Dorfman on After the Final Rose. “If you weren’t in love with me, I’m just not sure why you made love with me,” he said on national TV. Not cool, Nick.
Courtney Robertson (Season 16)
Image Source: Parade
Courtney Robertson achieved a rare villainous victory in the 16th season of The Bachelor. The model did whatever it took to win Ben Flajnik ‘s heart, including breaking rules, skinny-dipping and insulting the other contestants, even if it meant getting booed during the live reunion. With her own book I Didn’t Come Here To Make Friends, Robertson clearly prides herself on achieving super-villain status.
Justin Rego (Season 6)
Image Source: Entertainment Weekly
Justin “R Rated” Rego was the bonafide villain of The Bachelorette season 6. After promising bachelorette Ali Fedotowsky he was there for the right reasons, Ali discovered that Justin had a girlfriend at home. Oh, yeah, and Justin’s girlfriend added that he had also cheated on her. What a charmer.
Demi Burnett (Season 23)
Image Source: Glamour
Contestant and unashamed “cougar hater” Demi Burnett is simultaneously the best and worst thing to ever happen to The Bachelor. She straight up stole a smooch from Colton when she got on stage during the first group date of the season, and she created her own “fantasy closet” during a cocktail party so she could score some private time to talk to Colton and give him a massage.
Lee Garrett (Season 13)
Image Source: The Hollywood Reporter
While competing for Rachel Lindsay’s affection on The Bachelorette season 13, it was discovered that Lee Garrett had a nasty Twitter presence. The Nashville native was accused of being a racist both off the show and on. For example, he advised his followers to “Never trust a female liberal” and allegedly described the Black Lives Matter movement as a terrorist group.
Kelsey Poe (Season 19)
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Kelsey Poe used her story of being a widow to garner sympathy and screen time, and openly admitted to manipulating her season’s Bachelor with her husband’s death. As she told Chris Soules about her husband’s death, she exclaimed, “Isn’t it amazing? Tragic, but amazing. I love my story!” Needless to say, fans were taken aback by her unusual behavior.
Juan Pablo Galavis (Season 18)
Image Source: ABC News
We should all really take a moment to admire Juan Pablo: It’s not easy to be the villain of your own season. Still, he did his best, insisting that gay and bisexual men should never be chosen as The Bachelor (he later apologized for the statement), and reportedly telling runner-up Clare Crawley during her elimination, “I love f—ing you, but I don’t know you.”
Krystal Nielson (Season 22)
Image Source: TV Insider
Krystal got off to a good start on the 22nd season of The Bachelor, but her early advantage definitely went to her head. She quickly made enemies among the other ladies with her condescending attitude. She annoyed Arie with an attention-seeking tantrum after a bowling date, and eventually got sent home on the dreaded two-on-one.
Chad Johnson (Season 12)
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In just the first two episodes, he insulted pretty much everyone — including JoJo, whom he called “naggy.” He also threatened violence against quite a few of his fellow cast mates. Johnson became known for his outrageous verbal threats (most of which stemmed from his beef with cast mate Evan Bass, which even got physical at one point).
Corinne Olympios (Season 21)
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Only one episode into season 21 of The Bachelor, Corinne Olympios established herself as resident pot-stirrer. The 24-year-old business owner nabbed Bachelor Nick Viall‘s first kiss of the evening — though she did not grab the last rose at the end. Olympios doubled down on her burgeoning villain status, repeatedly telling any contestant who would listen how much she loves kissing Nick and that they’ve been kissing a ton, to the discontent of many of the girls in the house.
Lincoln Adim (Season 14)
Image Source: Us Weekly
The L.A.-based account sales executive was convicted of indecent assault and battery just days before Becca Kufrin’s season premiered. The charges stem from a May 2016 incident in which he groped and assaulted a woman on a cruise ship. Despite claims of background checks, Warner Bros. issued the following apology in June: “No one on The Bachelorette production had any knowledge about the incident or charges when Lincoln Adim was cast.”
Olivia Caridi (Season 20)
Image Source: ABC News
Olivia’s mouth, toes and aggression left viewers both cringing and laughing. Her transition from fan favorite to villain was rapid, and her legacy on the internet will remain for years to come. Olivia told fellow competitor Amanda Stanton that her life was like an episode of Teen Mom. Cue The Bachelor‘s iconic villain music.
Garrett Yrigoyen (Season 14)
Image Source: The Inquisitr
Another of Kufrin’s contestants, Garret Yrigoyen, came under fire after liking offensive posts on Instagram that mock the trans community, a Parkland high school shooting survivor, undocumented immigrants and more. Garrett has since apologized, deleting his old account and starting anew. “I am sorry to those who I offended, and I also take full responsibility for my ‘likes’ on Instagram that were hurtful and offensive,” he wrote.
