The Bachelor and The Bachelorette have been around for a long time, and there have been many, many contestants to walk through the hallowed halls of the mansion that the show films in. (I hope they deep clean it between seasons…) Some of these contestants go on to get their own spinoffs, becoming Bachelors or Bachelorettes in the process, and others hang on to the Bachelor Nation teat for as long as they can, joining as many casts of Bachelor In Paradise as possible. But what about the stars who quit reality television after The Bachelor ?
I get that it can be very lucrative to keep your face in the public eye after The Bachelor or The Bachelorette — Jade and Tanner Tolbert, who got married after meeting on Bachelor In Paradise 2 in 2015, are rumored to make $1 million just from brand sponsorship on their own Instagram channels, according to Us Weekly. Do you know how many HelloFresh boxes and Sugarbear hair vitamins $1 million can get? A lot. But, while the money is good if you know how to cash in on your fame, I can totally see some contestants getting tired with the cycle and having to walk away. Like I said, the money is good, but I don’t think I would like everyone knowing my business and staring at me all the time. Cash is helpful, but fame is limiting.
Let’s take a look at the Bachelor Nation contestants who eschewed reality television for the simpler life.
Dr. Andy Baldwin
This Navy doc did not find long-term love after his season of The Bachelor, and he didn’t find television fame, either. Instead, he doubled-down into his old life and went back to the Navy, according to his Twitter bio. Today, he lives in Washington, D.C., where he runs marathons and, from the looks of his Twitter, is obsessed with the Olympics.
Chris Soules
Okay, he was on Dancing With The Stars for like, a minute, but following that, Chris Soules returned to the farm in Arlington, Iowa, where his family's been planting corn for generations. All of those crops won't grow themselves, you know? He still travels quite a bit (according to his Snapchat, because I obviously follow him) for agriculture-related lobbying, but he's back to his usual farming self.
Ashley Hebert Rosenbaum
Ashley was barely out of dental school when she was on The Bachelor, so I'm glad to see that she followed through with her dream career and is now a pediatric dentist! She and husband JP, who she married on national television, have a little boy, Ford, and a baby girl on the way! Ashley does her share of branded Instagram posting, but that's easy money. Her career is dentistry.
Chris "Cupcake" Strandburg
Chris got his sweet reputation for arriving to Kaitlyn Bristowe's season of The Bachelorette in a giant cupcake, but after he got bounced close to the end of the competition, he didn't run back to reality television — he went home instead. Chris is a dentist just like Ashley! He's even giving other members of Bachelor Nation a little help on their periodontal health.
Tanner Tolbert
Sure, Tanner and his wife are raking it in from Instagram, but he has a day job for when that bubble pops. Tanner's 9-to-5 is as the General Sales Manager at Legends Toyota in Kansas City, not far from where the couple lives. It's always nice to have a backup plan, Tanner.
Nikki Ferrell
Juan Pablo wouldn't say "I love you" to Nikki, so I'm glad she had a backup plan, too — she's a pediatric nurse! Nikki returned to her job after The Bachelor, and it seems like she really loves it. Not everyone can find his or her passion like that, so I'm happy she did.
Jillian Andersen
Jillian was famous on The Bachelor for doing a lot of Crossfit and for having a little black censor bar follow her around everywhere she went — she just couldn't keep those assets covered enough for the censors at the network. Today, Jillian doesn't bare nearly as much on television for her job as a reporter and host — she even got invited to the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Who needs Ben Higgins when you have Barack Obama?
Ben Zorn
Another day, another Bachelorette alum who is a personal trainer — I kid, I kid. But after Kaitlyn Bristowe, Ben went back to his first love of fitness, and his Instagram is full of workout tips, healthy meals, and Ben shirtless.
Clare Crawley
After that last disastrous turn in Paradise, Clare Crawley was ready to head back to the real world — her local salon! Clare is currently a stylist at De Facto Salon in Sacramento, California. She also does some Instagram sponsorship on the side, but it seems like her main passion is hair.
Whitney Bischoff
When being courted by Chris Soules on The Bachelor, viewers got a glimpse into Whitney's life as a fertility nurse — she really had so much joy and passion in helping couples bring children into the world. After her engagement broke off, she returned to work, bolstered by her new platform and still helping people make the babies they want so badly.
Ryan Sutter
Yes, the very first Mr. Bachelorette himself went back to work after winning Trista Rehn's heart and marrying her on television. He was a fireman when he was on the show, and today, he's still a fireman, this time in Colorado, where the couple and their children live. Hot.
It just goes to show you — the life of a reality television star is not for everyone!
