Who Won 'The Bachelor,' Based On Instagram Posts

Aside from the whole "finding true love" thing, a lot of perks come with being a contestant on The Bachelor: Free travel, unlimited booze, living in a gorgeous mansion with a pretty sweet pool, and that's just the beginning. But there are downsides, too, and a major one is having to give up your phone for the duration of the time you're on the show. Yeah, it helps the contestants stay focused on the task at hand, but it also keeps them from sending photos and spoilers about what's going on as it happens. But for people like me who want those spoilers and obsessively search for them when filming begins, the telltale sign that someone has been eliminated in a rose ceremony is when she starts posting to Twitter and Instagram again. So it stands to reason that we could predict who wins The Bachelor based on their social media activity, right?

To figure out the winner based solely on their sharing habits, I analyzed all 28 contestants based on the fact that (according to spoiler king Reality Steve) filming began on September 24 and ended with the filming of the final rose ceremony on November 24.

Of course, this isn't exactly a full proof method. Going by these stats, there's a lot of room for error, because there's no guarantee that these women posted on Twitter or Instagram the legit second they were done — although if I'd been separated from my phone for two months, the first thing I would do is post a selfie. Just saying! However, after a ton of stalking, I found that there are nine women who didn't reappear on Twitter and Instagram until November 29 or later: Olivia, Haley and Emily Ferguson (the twins), Lauren H., Lauren B., JoJo, Jubilee, Jami, and Tiara.

And their first posts back? Not too telling. For example, JoJo's could have been posted any other day, not just the day of her big return.

Without going into spoilers, it's hard to narrow it down any further. Unfortunately, Instagram doesn't put exact timestamps on their photos, just weeks, and that would be super useful right now. Come on, seriously?!

But out of this group of women, I'm willing to bet that we have our ladies who stayed around long enough for hometown dates and fantasy suite dates, and I'd put money on the idea that one of them is the actual winner of the whole thing. Honestly, no one stays away from social media that long, unless they gave it up for lent or are writing a book about what it's like to live without technology... and especially not after having an insane, life altering experience like being on The Bachelor.

Guess we'll have to wait 'til the finale in March to find out who won Ben's heart. One thing is for sure, though: They will be adorable together, and I will be jealous.

For everything Bachelor Nation, check out Bustle's podcast, Will You Accept This Podcast? and follow our Bachelor fan page on Facebook.

Image: Craig Sjodin/ABC