‘The Bachelor’: Can Contestants Smoke or Vape While on the Show?
The Bachelor contestants sacrifice a lot to be on the show, from quitting their jobs to giving up their phones and privacy.
There’s more to the process of finding love on the ABC show than meets the eye as the contestants leave their lives behind to participate in the series. But can contestants smoke or vape while on The Bachelor? Here’s what we know.
Producers said it was unlikely that pot is permitted on ‘The Bachelor’
The Bachelor usually has a few NSFW and unbelievable moments that will have you questioning whether the person was in their right mind. We never see contestants on the show smoking or vaping, making such moments suspicious.
However, there is a huge possibility that they may do it off-camera. The show is filmed in California. Under the Golden State’s law, pot and cigarettes are legal. Mashable tried to figure out whether The Bachelor lets contestants smoke or vape while on the show by contacting the network and series.
However, the response they got wasn’t much as a spokesman for Warner Bros., which handles production of the series, refused to comment. A former producer offered some insight saying they didn’t know but claimed it was highly unlikely given that under federal law, cannabis is still illegal.
Some Reddit fans, though, thought they saw Victoria Fuller, a contestant on Peter Weber’s season of The Bachelor, holding what looked like a Juul. Fuller dismissed the rumors saying it was a room key, but many fans assumed it was a Juul.
‘The Bachelor’ may allow smoking, but the ABC show won’t show it on camera
Whenever The Bachelor contestants arrive in the mansion in California, they agree to cut themselves off from the rest of the world. This includes no usage of phones. Former contestant Ashleigh Hunt confirming to The Ashley’s Reality Roundup that the show confiscates all phones when they arrive.
The contestants also don’t get internet and are not allowed to listen to music, read books, or watch the news. Since they get denied all pleasures and luxuries when they sign up for the show, it may also make sense for them not to be allowed to engage in activities like smoking or vaping.
However, in recent years, the rules have been relaxed. Contestants can bring in select items like books and others items, which may or may not include tobacco products.
Still, even if they smoke, the show may not show them doing it on the air as Warner Bros. has a policy banning onscreen smoking. According to IndieWire, the studio was the first huge-name studio to take up the policy in 2005. Per the policy, any film depicting smoking will likely receive an R rating.
The policy, however, has a few exceptions, including historical figures known to smoke tobacco products or compelling creative reasons to warrant the depiction of smoking tobacco. Since The Bachelor doesn’t fall under any of these exceptions, it makes sense that they wouldn’t allow smoking or vaping on the show.
‘The Bachelor’ contestants were given alcohol and tobacco to get the confessionals
The confessionals on The Bachelor usually appear so raw and full of emotion. While they may not necessarily be scripted, a little nudge goes a long way toward helping the participants open up. According to The Bachelor‘s supervising producer Scott Jeffress, former executive producer on the show Lisa Levenson used alcohol to lessen the tension in the interviews known as confessionals.
“If we needed tears, she would get them. First, she’d walk out there, and just give them a big hug. Then she’d give them a shot of tequila. If they wanted a cigarette, they’d smoke a cigarette. Maybe one more shot of tequila,” Jeffress said.
