The Bachelor (senior producer: Lindsay Liles) is a reality show, but it's telling a story just like any other drama on television. The contestants and producers are creating a narrative even when the feelings are real and everyone is there for the right reasons. How many contestants on Arie's Bachelor season are actors? It's interesting to know who arrived on the show with their stage presence on lock, though an acting background doesn't necessarily mean that they're faking it or looking to the Nation as a stepping stone to a guest spot on American Housewife (created by: Sarah Dunn).
Even if the contestant has another profession, they may still have dabbled in stage or screen work. If you live in Los Angeles, New York City, and even cities like Atlanta, Chicago, Austin, or Orlando you are probably used to bartenders and nannies who dash off to auditions or try to pass their screenplay to the right person. Pursuing acting is a common dream.
But though The Bachelor puts out a casting call the same any sitcom trying to make it in pilot season does, it is still a reality show, not a creative showcase. And the ABC franchise does draw a diversity of professions into the contestant mix. Many of the hopefuls this season are not actually in the acting business — at least actively.
Still, a handful of the women on Arie's season have tried their hand the profession. Here's what kind of work they've done:
Annaliese Puccini
Annaliese, who was eliminated in Week 3 after trying and failing to secure a first kiss from Arie, actually has several credits on her IMDb page. She's a writer with two short films to her name, as well as an actor. She really understands the LA hustle, it seems, so Annaliese is the chief artist in the bunch.
Caroline Lunny
Caroline provided a voice to a video game in 2015. So the realtor has at least thought about acting once or twice.
Bibiana Julian
An early fan favorite, Bibiana also went home in Week 3, despite her best efforts to get her share of alone time with Arie. Before her Bachelor days, she appeared as herself on a sports talk show called Quite Frankly With Stephen A. Smith (art direction: Dayna D'Eletto). Bibiana may be an executive assistant now, but she does have on camera experience that not all of the other women do.
Krystal Nielson
According to her LinkedIn profile, Krystal has a broadcasting background with experience reporting, hosting on camera, and in radio.
Jessica Carroll
She left in Week 1, the TV Host has some credits. She has a Youtube channel where she does makeup tutorials among other things, and was in a music video for Lauren Mayhew. So if you miss her already, no worries there. Jessica still has a lot going on.
Maquel Cooper
Still up and coming, Maquel has a talent agent and has appeared in commercials and student films. Sadly, she had to depart the show before both she and Arie would have liked, due to death in her family.
Marikh Mathias
Marikh was in a documentary short in 2015, according to IMDb. But owning a restaurant has probably taken over her life at this point. It's not easy to pound the pavement all day going to auditions while also running a business.
They may not be the only former actors in the bunch. Not everyone's dark community theatre past or high school starring roles are documented on the internet — and for good reason. Now, will any of these seasoned performers be able to go toe-to-toe with Arie in a Les Miserables sing-off? That is an entirely different story.
