Bachelor Nation has kept all eyes glued to the television, always watching for the next most memorable contestant in Bachelor franchise history to step out of the famous limo.
The Bachelor viewers watch the show because they want to see a romantic “journey” in which two people fall in love and get engaged after two months.
Of course, one-half of the couple dates multiple other people throughout, even sleeping with a few before they propose to their soul mate on a highly decorated wood platform atop a sandy beach.
It’s a fairytale we’ve all dreamed of since Cinderella and her Prince drove off in a carriage and lived happily ever after.
Okay, let’s be honest, Bachelor Nation watches the show for the tears, drama, arguments, tension, Chris Harrison’s repetitive lines, red roses, and innuendo-filled fantasy suites.
Most of all, we watch for the insane antics of the craziest people Bachelor producers could find. Whether they are villains or simply enjoy their fifteen minutes of fame, these memorable Bachelor contestants take things up a notch every season.
Below, we’ve rounded up the top 10 most memorable Bachelor franchise contestants
1. Bentley Williams
Bentley Williams is the kind of memorable we had never seen before and haven’t seen since. He was a contestant who was so blatantly cruel and dishonest, it was hard to watch. Basically, he is King of the Bachelor villains, and wears his crown with pride.
Bentley appeared on Season 7 of The Bachelorette with Ashley Hebert, and from very early on, shocked viewers with his on-camera interviews that differed significantly from his interactions with her.
Bentley infamously left in episode 3, telling Ashley he missed his daughter too much, leaving her devastated. However, behind her back, he was telling cameras he wasn’t at all attracted to her. Before their breakup, he even laughed, saying, “Ashley looks like an ugly duckling. I’m going to make Ashley cry. I hope my hair looks OK.”
2. Courtney Robertson
Courtney Robertson appeared on Season 16 of The Bachelor with Ben Flajnik, hilariously claiming he looked like Francine from the Arthur books in her book, I Didn’t Come Here to Make Friends: Confessions of a Reality Show Villain.
Courtney was absolutely the villain of her season and even won. She left Bachelor Nation throwing their wine glasses at the screen when she removed her long, black glove to put a Neil Lane rock on her finger.
Despite being a “villain” within Bachelor Nation, Courtney is also one of the funniest contestants to have appeared on the show. When Emily talked to Ben about her behind her back, Courtney said, “I almost want to rip her head off and verbally assault her. Or shave her eyebrows off in the middle of the night.”
When Emily subsequently apologized, Courtney replied, “You want me to bend over and take it up the tailpipe?”
This girl should have had a microphone and a brick wall behind her.
3. Kelsey Poe
Kelsey Poe was a lot like Bentley Williams in that she was not only cringe-worthy and a villain of the house, but she was more than a little terrifying. She supposedly faked a panic attack and went on and on about her husband Sanderson, who passed away.
Kelsey will forever be remembered as the Bachelor Nation Black Widow who talked about her amazing story multiple times throughout the season. It was hard to tell if she was using the story as a way to get The Bachelor lead Chris Soules to feel bad for her, or if she was hoping to potentially become The Bachelorette.
Either way, it appeared the one person Kelsey was in love with was herself, as she told cameras, “Isn’t my story amazing? It’s tragic, but it’s amazing.” Also, she brought on one of Ashley Iaconetti’s most famous crying spells on an incredibly awkward two-on-one date in the Badlands.
4. Nick Viall
Nick Viall is like a mosquito that you finally managed to smack down and squish, only for it to pop up and attack you once again; he just never goes away no matter how hard you search for him with your torch light in the middle of the night.
If anyone has managed to make a career out of being in the Bachelor franchise, it’s Nick. He first appeared on Andi Dorfman’s season of The Bachelorette in 2014, finishing as runner-up. Apparently a masochist, Nick walked on to Kaitlyn Bristowe’s season of The Bachelorette, ruffling some feathers, and finishing as runner-up. Again.
He later appeared on Bachelor in Paradise, and finally became The Bachelor in 2016, later splitting with his fiancée Vanessa Grimaldi (is it just me or does her name sound like a fake person in a Disney movie?)
Not only that, but he hosts a podcast called The Viall Files ,in which he supposedly talks about relationships. However, it’s full of talk about The Bachelor, and the majority of guests are from Bachelor Nation.
Basically, Nick Viall is memorable for the fact that he just never goes away.
5. Chad Johnson
Chad Johnson appeared on JoJo Fletcher’s season of The Bachelorette, and later, Bachelor in Paradise. He was known for his bad temper that rivaled The Hulk, even ripping Evan Bass’s t-shirt during an argument. Did Chad ever pay him back for that? Enquiring minds want to know.
Despite all the drama he brought to The Bachelorette, producers wanted to give Chad another chance to find love (actually, to bring that same drama to a Mexican beach), and he did exactly that.
Producers milked Chad’s entrance for everything they could, playing scary music and screeching birds in the background. Of course, on the first night, Chad and Lace got sloppy drunk and made out in the hot tub. Things took a turn, however, with Chad later screaming at the other contestants, “I’ll murder everyone here. I’ll kill your children and murder your family. Dolla, dolla bills, yo.” Right. Okay.
Chad finally passed out drunk and crapped his pants. The sun rose, and he was asked to leave. Of course, he exited with this infamous, and pretty hilarious line: “F**k you, Chris Harrison!”
6. Corinne Olympios
Corinne made a name for herself during Nick Viall’s season of The Bachelor, pissing off most of the other women in the process. However, she was the kind of villain that was difficult to hate.
With her hilarious antics, including talking about having a nanny and asking Nick to lick whipped cream off of her, Corinne became well-known in Bachelor Nation for being outlandish and actually pretty fun.
Naturally, she was invited to appear on Bachelor in Paradise, where she and DeMario Jackson struck up a friendship. The pair, however, were involved in a sexual assault scandal. A producer made a formal complaint, claiming Corinne was too drunk to consent to a sexual encounter with DeMario.
Production was shut down while the investigation was carried out, and The Bachelor franchise milked it with dramatic previews, as per usual.
7. Dean Unglert
Dean Unglert is a part of one of the most infamous love triangles to ever feature on Bachelor in Paradise.
Before production shut down for the sexual assault investigation involving Corinne Olympios and DeMario Jackson, Dean was getting close to Kristina Schulman. That’s right, Kristina “life in color” Schulman, who is considered a Bachelor Nation favorite.
When filming resumed, Dean was acting standoffish and distant towards Kristina. But, that wasn’t what caused the biggest issue. When Danielle Lombard walked down the steps in Mexico, Dean looked like he just got a mountain bike for his eighth birthday, and Kristina was the sad, rusty, forgotten scooter in the garage.
Dean continued to go back and forth between the two women before Kristina had had enough and eliminated herself from the show. Dean will forever go down as what Chris Harrison might refer to as “the biggest f**k boy in Bachelor Nation history.”
8. Luke Parker
When Luke Parker appeared on Hannah Brown’s season of The Bachelorette, it was obvious she had eyes only for him.
The sexual tension was so high at one point that Jed Wyatt walked in on the pair in what looked like foreplay (along with 5 camera guys and 2 producers, as is per usual on The Bachelor or The Bachelorette.)
However, it turned out Luke was just a huge tease because his virginity became a massive topic between the couple that eventually tore them apart. Not only did Luke end up slut-shaming Hannah during fantasy suite week, but he did it in the most controlling way possible.
While the two sat down to dinner, Luke told Hannah they should talk about sex. Her eyes lit up like she was looking at her increasing follower count on Instagram.
However, her face quickly fell when Luke proceeded to tell her he would be leaving if he found out she had slept with any of the other contestants during overnight dates (apparently he’s never watched the show. Shoulder shrug.)
They argued, and Luke was sent home with a middle finger. Well, not before asking Hannah if he could pray over her.
9. Jed Wyatt
Jed Wyatt finally gave Chris Harrison what he had been talking about for many years now: the most dramatic season in history! Or, at least finale?
Bachelor Nation was obsessed with Tyler Cameron, his salmon suit, and respect for women. Hannah, however, was blinded by a guy with a tiny head, and a guitar who considered a jingle for a dog food commercial his greatest accomplishment.
After Hannah and Jed got engaged during The Bachelorette finale, rumors began to circulate. Eventually, it came out that Jed had gone on the show simply to further his singing career and actually had a girlfriend back home.
While this wasn’t the first time this had happened on the show, it was the first time one of these contestants actually won. Basically, Jed dethroned Chad Johnson as Bachelor Nation public enemy number one.
10. Blake Horstmann
Stagecoach! Stagecoach! Stagecoach! Just like Beetlejuice, if you say it three times fast, Black Horstmann will appear and try to sleep with you.
During Bachelor in Paradise, Blake Horstmann got called out for his not so respectable ways. To put it crudely, Blake is a double dipper, and the guacamole gets pretty complicated.
First, it was revealed that Blake had dated Kristina Schulman and Caelynn Miller-Keyes prior to Stagecoach. During the actual festival, Blake slept with Kristina and then slept with Caelynn 24 hours later.
Not only that, but he flirted with Taysia Adams all night, and Caelynn claims he was in the middle of texting Hannah Godwin while he was still in bed with her the morning after they slept together.
Whew! That was a lot. Blake, you’re a dirty dog.
Apparently, Blake is an idiot though because all four girls ended up on Bachelor in Paradise together! Rookie mistake.