‘The Bachelor’: Do Contestants Have to Pay For Their Drinks?
The Bachelor franchise has brought us some of the most hilarious moments of reality TV as contestants vie to win the bachelor or the bachelorette’s heart. Throughout the show, contestants often have a drink in hand, whether it’s at the cocktail party right before the rose ceremony or just lounging at the mansion or resort.
While a bottle of liquor can cost anywhere from $12 to thousands of dollars, the contestants’ “booze bill” sure seems to rack up in the 12 weeks of filming. So who actually picks up the tab?
The Bachelor and Bachelorette get paid to be on the show
Being the lead of either The Bachelor or The Bachelorette is not just an opportunity to find love but to cash in big as well. The leads get paid, and handsomely at that, just to be on the show while contestants get… nothing. Well, except for love and maybe a diamond engagement ring at the end if they are the “chosen one.”
StyleCaster reports that the leading lady and man of the show get around $100,000, although negotiable. Some have received bigger checks, and others, peanuts in comparison. For instance, Emily Maynard, who was the leading lady in Season Eight of The Bachelorette, walked away with $250,000, while Meredith Phillips, Season Two’s lead, received $10,000.
The figures also vary for contestants, depending on the franchise they’re cast in. While The Bachelor and The Bachelorette contestants don’t get paid, Bachelor in Paradise contestants get paid depending on their level of influence on the show, according to StyleCaster.
Do ‘The Bachelor’ contestants have to pay for their drinks?
The premise of The Bachelor Franchise shows is finding love, and as such, contestants have to live together in the Bachelor Mansion for weeks while filming. During their stay, as expected, contestants drink. A lot.
It happens on dates, at cocktail parties, or when they’re just chilling. Most of the expenses are catered for by the producers to facilitate the show and, yes, including the drinks, so the contestants don’t have to pay for their drinks.
According to Spoon University, the producers actually encourage the contestants to drink by constantly refilling their glasses because slightly drunk contestants make for a more interesting reality show. Speaking to The Daily Beast about drinking on the show, Leslie Hughes, a contestant on Season 17 of The Bachelor said:
“It’s how they get you to be more talkative, more sensitive. When I came in for the producers’ weekend, I remember it was like 12 noon, and they were like, ‘You want some champagne, wine?’ And I was like, ‘It’s 12 p.m., noon!’ And they’re like, ‘Welcome to the Bachelor family.'”
Free alcohol for 12 weeks sounds like every vacationer’s dream and has treated fans to some very interesting and very funny episodes in the show. However, overindulgence can be problematic, as was the case in Season 4 of Bachelor in Paradise.
According to People, allegations of misconduct were made after a sexual encounter between contestants Corrine Olympios and DeMario Jackson. The incident caused the producers to halt filming to allow for an investigation into the issue, and after the resolution, the producers introduced new rules, including a drink limit to keep everyone safe.
‘The Bachelor’ contestants sometimes go into debt to be on the show
Free drinks, flights, exotic dates, and a possible 15 minutes of fame, which has actually helped launch some contests’ careers … what more could contestants ask for? Well, while everything else is paid for, the contestants and the leads have to pay for their own wardrobes and styling.
It may seem sensible to pack a suitcase from your own closet, but some contestants invest heavily in the wardrobes for that extravagant look and instead end up deep in debt. Jillian Harris, a contestant on the 13th season of The Bachelor and lead on Season 5 of The Bachelorette, is one of many who went all out with their wardrobe.
She wrote in her blog post, “I had re-mortgaged my house, and I spent something like $8,000 on clothing.” Another tale of reality show closet over-investment is that of Daria Rose, a contestant on The Bachelor Season 18, who posted on her social media that she spent over $4,000 on clothing and make-up, only to be sent home the first night. Very unfortunate indeed.
It’s interesting, though, how far contestants are willing to go to be on a reality show, whether it’s for the promise of money or love. While The Bachelor franchise has been more about drama than actual love stories in recent seasons, Bachelor Nation fans are here for it.
