Entertainment

Here's Where Those 'Bachelor' Job Titles Come From

by Courtney Lindley

June 2, 2016

Remember last season when Emily and Haley Ferguson's job on The Bachelor was listed as "Twin"? Yeah, me too. Though I would kind of like to forget it, considering how much more I'm sure those two have to offer other than being roommates in the womb for nine months. But, it turns out that this type of occupation isn't just an inside joke in the editing room. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the producers explained the reasoning behind these bizarre Bachelor occupations — and it actually makes a lot of sense.

Here's how the idea originated: After a few seasons, producers realized that vague job titles like "consultant" or "entrepreneur" weren't catchy enough — and therefore (this is my own interpretation) too uninteresting to hold our attention. According to the producers, viewers needed a way to get a quick sense of who these contestants were as people. Some would call that an unfair snap judgement; I would call it smart television making.

So, how do they decide on the names exactly? Well, first producers throw out the idea that "job title" has to be an actual job, and think about the contestants in terms of some "other dominant trait." Like "chicken enthusiast." Or this season's most head-scratching moniker: "Hipster." Though it's easy to make fun of this ridiculousness, the job titles have added another aspect of self-awareness to a show that really benefits from that kind of treatment, considering that it's been on air for well over a decade. And the contestants? According to the producers, most of the time they're in on the joke as well.

Now that we know the reasoning, let's take a look back at some of the weirdest job titles in Bachelor/ette history.