Hannah Brown arrives for the KIIS FM Jingle Ball 2019 (Photo by DFree on Shutterstock)
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The 21st season of “The Bachelorette” airs on July 8 at 8 p.m. This season, Bachelor contestant Jenn Tran is the next leading lady looking for love. She was just on Joey Graziadei’s season of “The Bachelor,” and after stealing the hearts of fans everywhere, she will return for her mad dash for romance. Before we jump into this next adventure on ABC, let’s take a look at some past Bachelorettes who made a mark. Our list of the best “Bachelorette” seasons of all time is comprised of the most recommended suggestions across 10 expert reviews. Out of almost 20 bachelorettes, favorites vary, so please leave your top pick in the comments below!
Table of contents
The List
1. Trista Rehn, Season 1
Trista Rehn was a perfect first bachelorette as she set the bar super high. A former Miami Heat cheerleader, was the runner-up on Alex Michel’s season of “The Bachelor.” “Rehn was a level-headed contestant who made rational choices in a really irrational situation. She only kissed three of her suitors the entire season, which seems impossible considering the show’s current kiss-a-thon status. ‘It was a little more innocent when Ryan and I were on,’ Rehn told Us Weekly,” explains TIME.
Not only did the first bachelorette stay engaged to her top choice, but she also married him on live television. “Seventeen years and two children later, Trista Rehn is happily married to Ryan Sutter. This pilot season consisted of only seven episodes, so by week three, 17 of the 25 contestants were sent home by Trista. In that third week, though, the first-ever Bachelorette one-on-one date occurred and it just so happened to be with Ryan. It was a quick season filled with little drama. For Trista and Ryan, there was a lot of love and it has held up to this day,” says TV Insider.
Thank goodness Trista followed her heart and choose Ryan because he wasn’t always her front-runner. Now nearly two decades later, they are still married and have two children. We Got This Covered fills us in: “Her season wasn’t without some surprises though, the biggest of which was who didn’t win her heart. It seemed as if she were likely on her way to offering the final rose to Charlie Maher. They had obvious chemistry and she admitted at one point during the season that he was the one that she was most physically attracted to. She also said about him, ‘We have a lot of the same values and the connection we have between each other is real.'”
2. Jojo Fletcher, Season 12
JoJo became one of the most popular contestants ever on Ben’s season after he became the first bachelor to tell two women he loves them. This broke her heart at the final rose ceremony. “JoJo’s season had one of the most notorious villains the show has ever seen with steroid rage-fueled Bad Chad. After punching walls, ripping shirts, and yelling threats at every other man in the house, he was finally sent home. JoJo and her final pick Jordan became engaged in 2016 and he re-proposed again in 2019. They now host a dating show The Big D on TBS and a renovation show Cash Pad on YouTube. Their wedding is finally set for May 2022!” says Screen Rant.
After JoJo had her heart broken by Ben Higgins, it was impossible not to root for her to find happiness. “Add in a passionate cowboy named Luke, a protein powder-loving Chad Bear, and, well, Jordan, and there was more than enough drama to go around…until there wasn’t. Sadly, JoJo’s season was either highly entertaining or borderline boring, but hey, at least she found love, right? And it lasted! After being engaged for six years, JoJo and Jordan tied the knot in May 2022,” says EW about her season.
Jojo’s season gave us Wells Adams, who seems like he’s the heir apparent to Chris Harrison’s job. “Most of the appeal of Fletcher’s season comes from watching a genuine love story blossom. Jordan Rodgers was the first guy out of the limo, received her First Impression Rose, and was never really in jeopardy the entire season. We all knew he was going to win, which meant we could sit back, relax, and watch two beautiful people find their way to each other. Five years later, the two are still engaged and actively wedding planning,” adds Insider.
3. Kaitlyn Bristowe, Season 11
The first night the men got to cast a vote for who they wanted to see as Bachelorette: Britt Nilsson or firecracker Kaitlyn Bristowe. Bristowe won by a slim margin, and it was the world’s gain. “From Canadian dance instructor to Bachelorette to Dancing With the Stars winner, Kaitlyn Bristowe has had quite an exciting last six years. Her season started off with drama and confusion, as she wasn’t the only Bachelorette,” explains TV Insider.
Kaitlyn is a textbook “guy’s girl,” She became an early frontrunner on Chris Soules’ season of “The Bachelor”. “While she was eventually edged out by Becca Tilley and Whitney Bischoff, she won the real prize when she became ABC’s 11th Bachelorette. She was a star for the ages: funny, entertaining, and as real as you can be with a dozen cameras on you at all times. Bristowe and her pick, Shawn Booth, were engaged for three years before ending their relationship in 2018,” adds EW.
Besides being extremely likable, Kaitlyn was also a groundbreaking Bachelorette. She slept with Viall before hometown dates and faced a lot of heat, both in the house and out, for her open approach to sexuality. “Throughout the show, she played the game her way, through criticism and doubt. The result was one spectacular season of TV, and though Booth and Bristowe didn’t end up together, Bristowe did find her happily ever after in the arms of Jason Tartic, another Bachelor fan-favorite,” says Collider.
4. Hannah Brown, Season 15
What Bachelorette fan could forget Hannah’s now-famous quote: “I have had sex. And Jesus still loves me.” “Her season, unfortunately, is often reduced to her final heartbreak: a contestant getting all the way past the proposal, only to reveal he had a girlfriend waiting for him the whole time. It was one of the most egregious situations a Bachelorette has suffered, leaving many to question the motives and culpability of The Bachelorette production team,” writes Collider.
Hannah Brown was a surprising choice for season 15. She hadn’t made it that far into Colton Underwood’s season, but boy was she memorable. “While there are plenty of great moments to choose from, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention how, after Luke Parker demanded time with Hannah Brown after she eliminated him, she simply ignored him and picked up the rose podium and moved it. Every person who’s dealt with that type of narcissism raised a glass in salute to Hannah Beast,” offers Insider.
Even though Hannah only made it to 7th place in Colton’s season, she still became the Bachelorette thanks to her relatability and Southern charm. “She broke up with her pick Jed before the finale aired though, after finding out he had a girlfriend back home when he left for the show. After pursuing a relationship with runner-up Tyler, the two decided to remain friends,” notes Screen Rant.
5. Ali Fedotowsky, Season 6
Ali was smart, effusive, and willing to leave her job at Facebook to come find love on reality TV. “The season was marked by Ali’s inexplicable love for the distant and disinterested Frank Neuschaefer, which made fans want to hand her a copy of He’s Just Not That Into You. So when he left her on the eve of the finale to rekindle things with his ex-girlfriend, fans weren’t exactly surprised,” says TIME.
There is a trend that if you get the first impression rose, you will make it to the end. Ali was the first to introduce this theory when she gave hers to winner Roberto Martinez. “Roberto was the first Latin-American to win a season of a Bachelor Nation show, but it wasn’t a simple feat, because there was plenty of arguing within the guys’ mansion and a lot of misplaced feelings. During the Fantasy Suites episode, all the way at the end of the season, one of Ali’s men explained that he just realized he was in love with his ex-girlfriend from before filming. A heartbroken, blindsided Ali was left in tears before a later engagement to Roberto, which ended after one year,” states TV Insider.
By the way, Ali made history by putting her career ahead of a man. “Ali Fedotowsky’s season aired in 2010 with some iconic moments like ‘Rated R’ trying to run away from Ali with a cast on one foot after Ali finds out he has a girlfriend back home,” explains Screen Rant.
Sources used to create this consensus list
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