12 Bachelorette Contestants Who Should Never Have Been Cast

Published on June 4, 2018.

At times the casting on The Bachelorette has left us scratching our heads, to say the least — but the casting of these eight guys can’t help but make us wonder if there was a slump in applications that particular season. While unresolved feelings about a past love or a propensity to drink too much might be things a prospective contestant could hide, casting contestants with criminal backgrounds is another thing altogether. We’re really not sure how these 12 contestants ended up on The Bachelorette, but they did. Somehow. What on God’s green earth were the producers thinking?

12. Any Contestant Who Got Embarrassingly Drunk At The First Cocktail Party

Let’s face it. There’s always plenty of alcohol flowing at the season premiere cocktail parties and everyone’s nervous, but when some fool drinks way too much and starts acting like that guy everyone tried to avoid at the college kegger, you’ve got to ask, “Why did he even bother showing up?” Very rarely does the drunk get past the first rose ceremony, and getting hammered could even get you kicked out of the Bachelor Mansion. Which is exactly what happened to season eleven butt-grabbing boozer, Ryan McDill, who was escorted off the show by none other than host Chris Harrison (after he stripped to his skivvies, fell in the pool and famously threw his rose — a rose he was supposed to use to vote for his preferred bachelorette, either Kaitlyn or Brit — against the wall). Ryan’s drunken performance even usurped that of the previous worst drunk, Tim McCormack, who passed out on the couch, snoring like a congested walrus, and was carried out to a waiting taxi by a couple of his competitors, at Bachelorette Ashley Hebert’s request. Honestly, have some restraint, fellas!

Source: heavy.com

11. The Healer (Kaitlyn’s Season)

Tony Harris was a good-looking-enough guy, but this peace-loving healer from St. Louis, Missouri, was just way too sensitive for the likes of the show. He was really bothered by all the testosterone and aggression-fuelled “dates” Kaitlyn had set up for the guys (boxing, Sumo wrestling, shock comedy), and he refused to participate in the Sumo challenge. Shortly after, he told Kaitlyn he didn’t feel he belonged there and took himself out of the running. The thing is, if you’re going to go on The Bachelorette you can’t be a poor sport — no matter how valid your reasons are for not wanting to wrestle other men while wearing an adult diaper on national TV.

ABC/Craig Sjodin

10. The Mask (Ashley’s Season)

Poor Ashley not only had to contend with Bentley Williams on her season, but she also had to deal with this creepy guy. Like Zorro or the Phantom of the Opera, contestant Jeff Medolla wore a black mask covering his eyes and nose, which he didn’t take off until the third episode. This truly couldn’t have been more annoying, and it certainly didn’t help him make any friends, but Ashley must’ve found him intriguing enough to keep him around for a couple of rose ceremonies. Unfortunately for him, she let him go after he revealed his face to her. Note to producers: Unless you’re going to pull a Bachelorette: Masquerade season, no more guys in masks, please.

Source: TV Guide

9. DeMario Jackson (Rachel’s Season)

DeMario Jackson was obviously just looking for fame when he signed up for Rachel Lindsay’s season of The Bachelorette. He still had a girlfriend back home, who he ghosted while he was on the show. Sure enough, she found out that he was filming the show and came and confronted him, which is when Rachel found out and sent him home. Still, it probably would have been better had he never been cast to begin with.

Source: The Hollywood Gossip

8. Bentley Williams (Ashley’s Season)

Bentley Williams should never have been cast on The Bachelorette. Not only was he not interested in Bachelorette Ashley Hebert, he was really callous about it in his confessionals. During one moment, he told the cameras that he would rather be “swimming in pee” than trying to plan a wedding with her. Ouch! Was that really necessary?

Source: Bustle

7. Wes Hayden (Jillian Harris’ Season)

Wes Hayden was one of those contestants on The Bachelorette who was so clearly not looking for love. He came on the show to promote his music and he even had a girlfriend back home! That’s already two big points against him. It also took way too long for Harris to eliminate him and, when she finally did, on his way out he said, “I’m going down in flames. The first guy on The Bachelorette to ever make it to the Top 4 with a girlfriend.” Ugh.

Source: Popsugar

6. Lee Garrett (Rachel Lindsay’s Season)

Lee Garrett found himself in hot water during Rachel Lindsay’s season of The Bachelorette when some of his racist tweets surfaced online. One of his tweets read, “What’s the difference between the NAACP and the KKK? Wait for it…One has the sense of shame to cover their racist a– faces.” Although he eventually apologized for the offensive tweets, one would think that this would have been something ABC should have uncovered before they cast him on the show.

Source: Reality TV World

5. Frank Neuschaefer (Ali’s Season)

Nice guy Frank Neuschaefer with the Buddy Holly glasses and big smile, shocked the pants off of everyone when he flew back home to Chicago after spending a seemingly great hometown date there with Ali, because he thought he might still be in love with his ex-girlfriend and needed to figure things out. This was completely unbeknownst to Ali, who had no idea there was someone else on Frank’s mind, and who was naively looking forward to their overnight date in Tahiti. When Frank arrived in Tahiti, he confided in host Chris Harrison that he had met with his ex, who admitted she was still in love with him, too, and that he needed to let Ali know he was in love with someone else. Well, duh! Needless to say, Ali was blindsided and extremely upset, because she had actually believed Frank could be “the one.” Sorry, Frank, you might be a decent guy and all, but if you’re still carrying a torch for someone else, you probably shouldn’t be going on a dating show.

Source: ABC

4. Brandon Andreen (Desiree’s Season)

This sweetie pie who wasn’t afraid to shed some tears on Des’s season, was reportedly charged with making a bomb threat eight years earlier, when he placed a phone call to a GM plant in Wisconsin and identified himself as an FBI agent, telling a worker that there was a briefcase with a “highly explosive device” in an elevator shaft. Hmmm. Maybe not the best casting decision.

Source: ABC

3. Nick Viall (Kaitlyn’s Season)

Oh, Nick Viall. We know you weren’t “officially cast,” but you never should’ve been allowed on Kaitlyn’s season. Obviously, we loved all the drama you created, but it was really unfair to the other guys in the house. You had your chance with Andi, you blew it, and you really didn’t deserve to come on the show for a second go ‘round. If it wasn’t for your coming on the show, Kaitlyn would never have received all the hate mail she did. And she would’ve gotten to enjoy a fairy-tale romance with Sean, instead of constantly hearing about how much you and Sean hated each other. Like a couple of babies, you were.

2. Doug Clerget (Emily’s Season)

Not sure how one gets cast on a dating show when he has two prior arrests to his name, but this single dad from season nine did. And one of those arrests was for assaulting the mother of his child with a weapon! Uh, background check, anyone?

Source: ABC

1. Chris Soules (Andi’s Season)

Chris Soules, loveable farm boy, Chris Soules, had a rap sheet when he was cast as a contestant on Andi’s season, and the fact that he had been arrested multiple times and plead guilty to 13 charges didn’t stop him from being cast as the next bachelor, either. Granted, the majority of charges were for alcohol-related offenses — slightly preferable to say, murder charges — but shouldn’t the fact that this guy might have a little problem with alcohol have given producers pause for thought? Surely there must have been a couple of more eligible bachelors in America than a guy with a criminal record from the middle-of-nowhere Iowa, no less.

Photo by Broadimage/REX