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Being in the public eye can make anyone uneasy. And having to find your soulmate in front of millions of viewers can be downright nervewracking. But as the Bachelor or the Bachelorette, you have to swallow those emotions down.

We are used to seeing the leads of the show polished and poised as they deal with situations. Sure, they have one or two breakdowns per season, but for the most part, they are shown thinking things through and making rational decisions.

Hannah Brown is one of the first Bachelorettes to talk openly about her struggles with anxiety during filming.

Brown’s anxiety on the show

This season, we have already seen the curtain be pulled back more than ever before. We even got to see Brown in the hospital after she fainted and had to be pumped with fluids.

But what we have seen the most of, is Brown’s struggle with anxiety.

“Everybody has moments of sadness and anxiety — and you’ll see me deal with sadness and anxiety — and also being excited and happy and over the moon,” she told The Hollywood Reporter before her season began. “I have all emotions, and I’m not afraid to show those.”

Whereas other Bachelorettes tried to hide their insecurities or moments where they were unsure of themselves, Brown shows the world all of her flaws.

“I don’t really fit the mold,” she told The Holywood Reporter of her as the Bachelorette. “I don’t always react the same way to things that a normal Bachelorette would. I make mistakes and I own up to them, and I think that’s what makes me relatable to the audience. We’re not always looking 100 percent; we don’t always have the perfect thing to say to every experience that we go through, and that’s what you’ll see. I’m not always going to say the right thing. I’m going to have an emotional journey, and you’ll see all of the different emotions, and I’m okay with that. I think I’ve learned to love my flaws and accept that that’s what makes me me.”

Why was Brown chosen as the Bachelorette?

There was a lot of backlash against ABC’s decision to make Brown the Bachelorette. She certainly wasn’t the obvious choice. So why did producers go with her?

“Part of why we chose her is that she is as imperfect as we all are and she totally owns it,” Bachelor and Bachelorette producer Nicole Woods told THR. “We felt that was truly authentic to her and that’s why that is a key theme for us this season because you will see that in the show. It doesn’t mean that other people haven’t been that way in the past, but I think that she really embraces that side of her.”

So all her moments of anxiety, uncertainty, and hesitation are actually what made her a great candidate for season 15, whereas they might have been barriers for her in previous seasons.

“It’s more accessible and well-received now to show your imperfections,” Woods continued. “It’s so much better to not have everything be just perfect. Because that’s real life and embracing that is what we’re leaning into. Hannah embraces that about herself, which is why it was a good fit for this season.”


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