The Bachelor has been around for what feels like a thousand years.
This show has taken viewers on a roller-coaster of highs and lows, from champagne toasts and drunken antics in the Bachelor mansion to sweaty proposals on a wood platform on the beach.
Awkward dates, even more awkward entrances on night one, and brutal Airbnb dumpings have kept Bachelor Nation glued to their television sets.
Even better? We’ve been gifted with an entire franchise that has spanned multiple other shows like Bachelor Pad and Bachelor in Paradise which all come with their own matching set of drama and villains.
The Bachelor has become such a universe of its own, we need a 100-page guide just to keep up with all the terms Chris Harrison and the contestants refer to.
Here are 10 Bachelor dictionary words and sayings to get you started.
1. Can I steal you for a second?
The Bachelor is known for one of the most cringe-worthy things you’ll ever see on television; the dreaded “cocktail party.”
While this could easily have been its own Bachelor dictionary word, what any true fan will know is that “Can I steal you for a second?” is the true epitome of a legendary Bachelor sentence.
If you’re keeping score, it’s a phrase spoken the most on night one when 30 contestants fight for “time” with The Bachelor or The Bachelorette. This “time” might involve sharing a sob story, talking about why they’re so desperate to get married, drunkenly proclaiming they’ve already fallen in love within the first 5 minutes, or they might just bring homemade cookies.
If a contestant wants to proclaim themselves the villain of the house, they might proceed to say, “Can I steal you for a second?” 5 times over the course of the night. They’ll interrupt conversations between the lead and other contestants so often it will leave someone crying hysterically into their champagne glass.
2. Blindsided
In recent memory, the biggest “blindsided” moment came during Arie Luyendyk Jr.’s season of The Bachelor when he broke up with fiance Becca Kufrin in an Airbnb proclaiming he wanted to get back together with runner-up Lauren Burnham.
Becca used the word “blindsided” so much it lost all meaning. This word is generally used most often during the last few episodes of the season when a contestant naively assumes their significant other is going to pick them rather than the other three options served up on a silver platter.
3. Not here to make friends
Does anyone know who was the first villain on a reality show to utter this iconic phrase? Perhaps America’s Next Top Model? Or The Bachelor itself? Either way, it has become somewhat of a motto among villains of the franchise who are clearly there to find their husband or wife (but really, to become an influencer #sponcon #ad.)
For those of us who simply hate people and prefer to stay home alone on a Saturday night, that has been our phrase of choice well before reality television became popular.
The phrase has become so synonymous with a Bachelor “villain” that you have to wonder if producers prep them before the interview. Either way, we’ll forever imagine the likes of Chad Johnson and Courtney Robertson saying this on repeat every chance they get.
4. I see my husband or wife in this room
A Bachelor or Bachelorette frequently says “I see my husband or wife in this room” during their speech at a cocktail party before toasting a room full of people who see their career in entertainment in the same room.
It’s supposed to sound romantic and exciting, but it really just comes off as desperate and a little bunny boiler.
There is nothing more romantic than the man you want to marry professing his love and plans for your future together, or perhaps his future with your friend sitting next to you, or the girl across from you, right?
The entire premise of The Bachelor is a bit of a bad Tinder date who falls for you way too hard, way too fast.
5. Here for the right reasons
Oh yes, the epitome of Bachelor terminology, “here for the right reasons” is spoken for a myriad of reasons.
It could be a jealous contestant trying to undermine whoever got the first impression rose. It could be someone discovering the singer/songwriter is really just there to promote their career (looking at you, Jed Wyatt.) Or, it could simply be the lead looking for an excuse to send home the crazy person who dressed up as a dolphin or a frog on night one.
Although let’s be honest, the real “reason” anyone applies for the show these days is to start a television career, become an influencer, or appear on Bachelor in Paradise. But, just like a good Nicholas Sparks book, we’ll pretend everyone is really there searching for love.
6. Most dramatic season in Bachelor history
Only a true fan would have heard that in Chris Harrison’s voice. And, really, he’s not lying. Every season seems to top the one before it, whether it’s with a fence jump, a change of heart after the finale, or Clare Crawley finding her husband after 5 minutes and a quick scroll of Instagram.
Or course, there are many variations of this phrase. Chris Harrison sometimes hits us with a “most dramatic finale yet,” “most dramatic moment in Bachelor history,” etc., etc. But, nothing beats the classic “most dramatic season,” especially if Chris is walking across a wet driveway in front of The Bachelor mansion.
7. Journey
A journey is generally seen as taking a pretty significant amount of time, however, in Bachelor world, everything is a little backwards.
Two months is seen as enough time to fall in love and get engaged to someone, all while pursuing that same someone as they date multiple other people. Some might call that a journey, though a synonym for this in The Bachelor dictionary could be “crazy.”
Fun fact: Contestants are apparently not allowed to use the word “process,” and producers will ask them to refilm a segment using the word “journey” instead.
Surprise, surprise, Bachelor producers force contestants to use certain words over others. It’s a horrifying truth to find out considering Bachelor Nation was under the impression everything on the show was real.
8. Lauren
If you’ve been a longtime fan of the show, you’ll know why a name is in this Bachelor dictionary. It’s the most common name for a contestant on the show, with 15 having competed throughout the series. In fact, during season 22, 4 Laurens were brought on.
Perhaps producers were worried Arie Luyendyk Jr. might follow in Jesse Palmer’s footsteps and call the wrong name, so why not make it easy? In fact, Lauren Burnham won the season (only technically though, since Arie dumped Becca for her after the finale.)
Another Lauren, Lauren Bushnell, won Ben Higgins season, so it would appear that if your name is Lauren, and you’re blonde, you should definitely apply for The Bachelor.
9. Rose ceremony
“Ladies, this is the final rose tonight. (Handsome, glowing lead) when you’re ready.” Intense, dramatic music plays.
It’s the sentence Bachelor Nation waits for the entire episode while forced to sit through group dates full of competitive sports (actual sports, not just the cocktail party) and walks through a foreign city with street performances that pop up totally out of surprise.
Once a lead has decided who they will choose, it would be too easy to just let them say it all at once, especially on night one.
If you’re on The Bachelor, you’ll have to stand in a line of all the other contestants, and wait for a painfully slow period until your name is mercifully called, if it is at all.
If your name isn’t called you’ll be forced to do an on-camera interview at sunrise, where you’ll cry more out of exhaustion and drunkenness than sadness that the guy you talked to for 5 minutes doesn’t want to marry you. Is anyone aware of if whether or not the crew has breakfast delivered the next morning? A Krispy Kreme donut should at least be offered to the losers.
10. Two on one
Nope, this isn’t a sexual reference to a threesome. It’s a date set up by producers when two people in the house are clearly not getting along; an evil plot device to bring in some drama when the show is getting boring and some awkward cringe-worthy moments are in order.
Many times that will involve the villain of the house and the other contestants will watch the door at home, ready to cheer when an unnamed crew member grabs their suitcase. Champagne is popped, cheering screams are heard, and ding dong the witch is dead.
Honorable mention:
The Bachelor lead tends to be pretty boring, and let’s just admit it, as interesting as A4 printing paper. The less personality they have, the less they have the ability to contribute to a conversation.
So, that leaves us with this famous phrase uttered by Arie Luyendyk Jr. every single time a woman would share something with him, no matter how deep: “I love that.” It was almost as bad as Paris Hilton and her famous catchphrase: “That’s hot.”
And, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention the most recent Bachelor Matt James and his frequent phrase: “Thank you for sharing that,” as if he’s Sigmund Freud sitting across from a patient.
The Bachelor airs on Mondays at 8/7c on ABC.