Since the premiere ofThe Bachelorfranchise in 2002, there have been several contestants who were likely planted on the show by the producers. Since its inception, there have been 28 seasons ofThe Bachelor,21 seasons ofThe Bachelorette,nine seasons ofBachelor In Paradise, and several seasons of other franchise shows, includingThe Golden BachelorandThe Golden Bachelorette. With every season, there are contestants accused of being on the show for the wrong reasons.
Some of those contestants have even been accused of being purposely planted by the producers to achieve various outcomes. It’s frustrating because every spot taken up by someone who isn’t there to find love could have gone to someone who would have been there for the right reason. Despite the frustration, it’s important to remember that producers ofThe Bachelorand other franchise showsaren’t in the business of matchmaking but are there to put on a great show.
Their job is to produce entertaining shows that draw an audience. Sometimes, that may requirecasting people who aren’t on the show to win the lead’s heart. There are lots of different reasons that producers of the unscripted series could want to cast contestants for reasons other than helping them find true love. Some contestants could be chosen for their entertainment value, while some could be groomed to be futureBachelorNation leads. Read to the end forBachelorNation contestants who were accused of being “producer plants.”
10Luke Parker
The Bachelorette 15
Luke Parker was 24 years old when he appeared onThe Bacheloretteseason 15, where he competed against 30 men for24-year-old Hannah Brown’s heart. The import and export manager from Gainesville, Georgia made it to Hanna’s final three. He even took Hannah home to meet his family before being sent home during his overnight date. Luke is a devout Christian who wasonly interested in dating in the pursuit of marriage. It’s possible Luke was cast in Hannah’s season to add a wholesome sheen toTheBachelorfranchise.
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Though Luke didn’t win Hannah’s final rose onThe Bachelorette15,he did go on to find true love in real life. He married Jennifer Frudaker in 2023, and in 2024, their son, Judah Luke, was born. For her part, Hannah gave her final rose to musician Jed Wyatt, but their short-lived engagement ended soon after it was announced.
9Kelsey Poe
The Bachelor 19
Kelsey Poe, a 28-year-old guidance counselor from Hudsonville, Michigan, was one of the 30 single women who competed for Chris Soules' heart duringThe Bachelorseason 19.Kelsey was one ofTheBachelorfranchise’s biggest villains, and she was also a widower. Some of the other contestants accused Kelsey of using her deceased husband to manipulate Chris. Though Kelsey stuck around a long time despite never connecting much with Chris, she was eliminated during week 6.Kelsey stopped posting on social mediain 2015 due to harsh treatment from trolls and announced she’d be moving to Paris to be a writer.
8Corinne Olympios
The Bachelor 21
Corinne Olympios, a 24-year-old online business owner from Miami, Florida, appeared onThe Bachelorseason 21. She was one of the 30 women competing for Nick Viall’s heart and was eliminated after placing fourth.Nick Viall was runner-uponThe Bacheloretteseason10and then again onThe Bacheloretteseason 11 before getting his own season. Corinne later appeared onThe Bachelor In Paradiseseason 4 but quit in the first week during a production shutdown.Corinne was a fan favorite, and there was some speculation that she was cast due to her star quality.
The Bachelorette 12
Chad Johnson, a 28-year-old real estate agent from Oklahoma, appeared onThe Bacheloretteseason 12. He butted heads with 24 other men competing for the heart of25-year-old Jojo Fletcherand was sent home during week four. Chad later appeared onBachelor In Paradiseseason 3, but he was sent home during the first season for aggression.
Chad had a memorably aggressive personality, so it always seemed like he was cast because producers knew he’d eventually run into conflict on the show. This turned out to be true. In 2020, Chad was arrested for domestic violence. He ended up striking a plea deal and doing 36 months of probation.
6Charles Ling
The Golden Bachelorette
66-year-old Charles Ling was a retired accountant who appeared in theinaugural season ofThe Golden Bachelorette.Alongside 23 other men, the widowed father of two dated 61-year-old Joan Vassos, hoping to win her final rose.Charles was a widower who was still mourninghis beloved late wife, who died after a sudden aneurysm. Being on the show helped Charles get some closure on his wife’s passing six years ago. Sadly, Charles was sent home during week four, but there was some speculation Charles was on the show so he could potentially replace Gerry Turner asThe Golden Bachelor.
5Sydney Gordon
The Bachelor 28
Sydney Gordon, a 28-year-old vintage store owner from Newport, Rhode Island, appeared onThe Bachelorseason 28, alongside 31 other women. Joey Graziadei and Sydney didn’t seem to connect much, but she did start a feud with 29-year-old Maria Georgas which multiple women, leading to the biggest drama of the season. It’s possibleproducers decided to cast Sydney more for her entertainment valuethan for her potential romantic connection with 28-year-old Joey. In the end, Joey sent Maria home during week 4 and ended up giving his final rose to 25-year-old Kelsey Anderson. Sydney apologized to Maria during the Women Tell All.
4Aaron Erb
The Bachelorette 21
Aaron Erb was a 28-year-old Aerospace engineer who came to theBachelormansion from Tulsa, Oklahoma. He competed onThe Bacheloretteseason 21and competed for the heart of 26-year-old Jenn Tran. He wasn’t feeling the relationship, sohe self-eliminated during week 3, leading to some speculation he was a producer plant. It didn’t feel like there was a relationship between Jenn and Aaron, who seemed to have been cast on the show to fill a void. In the end, Jenn gave her final rose to 28-year-old Devin Strader from Texas, but they broke up before the final episode aired.
3Lucas Yancey
The Bachelorette 13
The Bacheloretteseason 13 was led by32-year-old Rachel Lindsay. The lawyer from Dallas, Texas, was the franchise’s first black female lead. Rachel made her television debut as a contestant onThe Bachelor21, where she came in third place for Nick Viall’s Final Rose. She was later cast asThe Bachelorette,and, among the 31 men competing for Rachel was 28-year-old Lucas Yancey. The comedian from Californiawas best known for saying “waboom"to troll the other contestants. Lucas was entertaining, but he was sent home during week 2 after a fight with fellow contestant Blake Elarbee.
2Blake Elarbee
Lucas feuded with hisThe Bacheloretteseason 13 co-star, 31-year-old Blake, an aspiring drummer from Marina Del Rey, California. Blake and Lucas knew each other before the show and got into a fight at the mansion. Rachel eliminated both of them during week 2, leading to speculation that they were cast on the show because producers knew they had beef;Blake and Lucas would get into a fight that could be entertainingfor the audience. Though Blake and Lucas' fight was entertaining, they took two spots from men who could have been potentially more suitable for Rachel. Blake was one ofBachelorNation’s more memorable contestants.
1Mark Anderson
The biggestBachelorNation speculations about a potential producer plant have swirled around58-year-old Mark Anderson, a retired Army veteran from Louisiana. Thewidowed father of five made his television debut onThe Bachelorseason28during Joey’s hometown visit with Mark’s daughter, Kelsey. Fans instantly fell in love with the tall widower, and a star was born.
Though Mark was only on camera briefly, he left a lasting impression.
Hopes were high when Mark was announced as a contestant on the inaugural season ofThe Golden Bachelorette,but Joan sent him home before hometown visits, in a clip that has since been posted to YouTube byBachelor Nation.Online speculation ran rampant thatMark was only cast on the show to groom him to beThe Golden Bachelor.Mark wasn’t the only contestant accused of being a producer plant onThe Bachelorspin-off show, but he has received the most attention.
