The top 10 most cringeworthy moments in Bachelor history have left us with a stomachache from secondhand embarrassment (it’s nothing to do with all that wine we chug straight from the box during weekly episodes, swear.)
Like a One Direction music video, it’s all so terribly awkward, yet you play along anyway in hopes it will be over soon. There have been falls, break ups, mistaken identities, and country music fails (sometimes all in the first night), but at least we have Chris Harrison to guide us through these treacherous seas.
1. Jesse Palmer calls the wrong name
Jesse Palmer facepalmed himself when he called the wrong girl’s name during a rose ceremony, and it was even more cringeworthy than this sentence. He was surprisingly the first Bachelor to do so (how can one person be expected to remember so many names!?)
Not only did he call the wrong name, but the girl who went to take the rose from him was thrilled and relieved, making it that much harder to watch.
Bachelor leads dump women like it’s their job (technically it is) but this was one of the most awkward rejections we’ve seen.
Jesse asked poor Katie if she would like to stay anyways, and she did. It was like a live version of premium Tinder where you can undo a swipe left.
He then asked Karen (yes, Karen, don’t forget) to accept his rose, and trying to lighten the mood, she followed it up with, “I thought you’d never ask!”
2. Jamie Otis and Ben Flajnik infamous kiss
Ben Flajnik had some interesting contestants on his season of The Bachelor, but it wasn’t only Courtney Robertson who brought the weird with her.
Before Jamie Otis married Dough Hehner on Married at First Sight (an even more cringeworthy moment, if you can believe it) she taught Ben Flajnik how to kiss on The Bachelor.
Like a really difficult instruction guide for IKEA furniture, she tried to map out a plan of how she and Ben should kiss. The poor guy was left with his head in his hands, looking as if he was trying to solve the climate change problem.
3. Jasmine Goode chokes Nick Viall
If you’re trying to get a guy to marry you, putting him in something called “the chokey” is most likely not going to get him to put a ring on it anytime soon.
Jasmine Goode was getting extremely frustrated always being on group dates, and was amped up before she had alone time with Nick. By the time she was able to confront him, she appeared aggressive and angry, telling the other girls she wanted to “choke” him, give him “a chokey,” and “punch him in his face.” Clearly, she’s more into Fifty Shades of Grey than the Nicholas Sparks kind of romance.
During Jasmine’s one on one time with Nick, she went so far as to put her hands around his neck leaving him looking extremely uncomfortable and clearly not into her.
4. Arie Luyendyk Jr. and Becca Kufrin breakup
Arie Luyendyk Jr. breaking up with Becca Kufrin was easily one of the most cringeworthy moments in Bachelor history.
And if the breakup wasn’t enough, producers made it even worse by advertising it as the first unedited moment in reality television history. It was like the Superbowl of breakups. On steroids.
Becca was caught completely off guard, making viewers feel like they were in on a secret that she wasn’t; a really awful secret. Her mascara began to run, Arie followed her around like a baby with separation anxiety, and it just went on and on and on. And on.
Becca kept saying, “Are you kidding me?” as if she just got another parking ticket, and Arie looked at her like a sad rescue puppy.
Arie and Becca’s breakup is on many different Bachelor lists, as it’s the gift that just keeps on giving. A really cringeworthy gift.
5. Kelsey Poe and her amazing story
Kelsey Poe has an “amazing story” and wants all of Bachelor Nation to know it. (Also, she was most likely gunning for the position as the next Bachelorette.)
On Chris Soules’ Season of The Bachelor, Kelsey came off as just a tiny bit crazy. At first, she seemed like the average attention seeker, faking a panic attack to get The Bachelor’s attention, but when she started talking about her dead husband it all got a little dododo dododo (that’s the Twilight Zone theme song, if you were wondering.)
“Isn’t my story amazing? It’s tragic, but it’s amazing.” Not exactly the way you might expect someone to talk about a spouse who died, and it rubbed a lot of the other contestants the wrong way.
6. Olivia Caridi showgirl performance
Olivia Caridi and her very large mouth were probably misunderstood in a lot of ways, but she was cast as the season villain from pretty early on.
Not only did she provide us with the villainous entertainment we look forward to every season, but she also provided viewers with one of the most cringeworthy moments in Bachelor history.
Every season, producers try to come up with an embarrassing group date. Whether it’s roasting each other or doing a live performance, it’s always in front of an audience. During Ben Higgins’ season of The Bachelor, the group went to Las Vegas where they were required to perform a talent.
Poor Olivia thought it would be a good idea to dress up as a showgirl and pop out of a cake.
She awkwardly strutted around the stage, lacking confidence or a clue what to do. Even Ben put his head in his hands in embarrassment.
7. Andi Dorfman and Juan Pablo Galavis the morning after fantasy suites
Andi Dorfman and Juan Pablo Galavis spent a magical night together in the fantasy suite. The two bonded when Juan Pablo blasted Ray J and showed her his old soccer highlights on YouTube.
Things got cringeworthy when Andi sat down with Juan Pablo the next morning to let him know why she was leaving. He uttered, “eeees okay,” multiple times, which made it into the infamous catchphrase that it is today.
Andi looked like one of those cartoons with steam coming out of their ears, ready to verbally assassinate him on the spot. But, she couldn’t. Because, really, you can’t talk to a brick wall, and that’s exactly what it looked like.
8. Robyn Howard backflip while meeting Sean Lowe
Robyn Howard isn’t a famous name within Bachelor Nation, and she probably prefers it that way. The Bachelor contestant stepped out of the limo in front of Sean Lowe, and tried to do a backflip. She awkwardly landed on the pavement, and proceeded to walk up to the guy she wanted to marry as if it was no big deal.
Who didn’t suffer enormous secondhand embarrassment from watching this? It was that feeling of walking into school in your onesie thinking it was pajama day and seeing everyone around you dressed normally.
Robyn clearly wasn’t up for an influencer job on Instagram after this.
9. Juan Pablo Galavis telling Nikki Ferrell “I like you…a lot”
Juan Pablo Galavis is the definition of cringeworthy, which is why he makes the list more than once. After a season we all wished we could erase from our memories, it concluded with Clare Crawley lashing out at him, and Nikki Ferrell awkwardly smiling as she accepted his final rose without an engagement.
If a girl has to put up with Juan Pablo, she should at least get a Neil Lane ring out of it right? The most cringe worthy moment came when he told her he couldn’t tell her he loved her, but that he liked her… A lot.
It was the equivalent of telling someone you love them and having them say in return, “I love spending time with you.” It’s just a slap in the face.
Juan Pablo clearly didn’t understand the way Bachelor producers like the show to go. He would have been better off pulling a Brad Womack.
10. Jillian fell during Chris Soules Rose ceremony
Not only did Jillian fall during Chris Soules’ Bachelor rose ceremony, but she fell while walking forward after someone else’s name was called. Talk about a double whammy!
After stepping forward, she tried to go back when she realized Chris said Julia, only to fall on the carpet (producers probably put those there on purpose just waiting for moments like this.) Equally cringeworthy was the ridiculous laugh she let out, causing some Mean Girls-esque faces to be made by the other contestants.
Bachelor folklore says Jillian disappeared into the night, never to be heard from again.