The Cost of Being On ‘The Bachelor’

I am well aware that yet another season of The Bachelor has just come to a close, thanks to Facebook and its ever-present Top Trends.

I wasn’t aware, until I got a tip from a loyal Billfolder, that Bachelor contestants—do they call them contestants?—spend thousands of dollars on clothing before preparing to move into the Bachelor Mansion, at which point they are required to maintain a façade of luxury without having any actual income.

As MarketWatch puts it: “the televised journey for love can take just as big a hit on their finances as it does on their self-confidence.”

How big of a hit? Think “re-mortgaging the house.” There was a rumor that one Bachelor contestant spent $40,000 on clothes, although the contestant has publicly denied spending that much. MarketWatch cites a recent blog post from Jillian Harris (of both The Bachelor and The Bachelorette), in which she describes her expenses:

On to more important things …. like spending $40,000 on clothing for the show…. which is f*%king insane!!! BUT, I remember when I went on the show we got goodie bags filled with some stuff that they wanted us to wear but half of it didn’t even fit. And that was it!!! The girls do have to bring all of their own clothing and of course, they want to be wearing the best clothes EVER to be seen on TV in!!! I had re-mortgaged my house and I spent something like $8,000 on clothing (which is still a lot) … but now that designer labels are even more important, I can see how someone can spend that … easily!!!!! The funny thing is, Ben and all of the other guys don’t give a sh*t!!! I bet you they don’t even notice a difference. Heck, I barely remember what Olivia has been wearing so far this season.

Mic reached out to fashion blogger Dana Weiss of Possessionista for more details:

Weiss told Mic that contestants have certainly spent significant sums to dress for the show, sometimes resulting in debt. ABC only provides dresses for the two finalists for the finale episode, meaning contestants must bring their own outfits. And even though she might get sent home after the first rose ceremony, a contestant must pack enough TV-ready outfits to last the whole competition, which can include diverse travel destinations ranging from freezing glaciers to tropical beaches.

“I know that there are women in the past who cashed out their 401(k)s for the show,” Weiss said. “Not in this season, but some have gone into serious credit card debt.”

I don’t know what a TV-ready outfit is, aside from the part where you’re not supposed to have any visible logos (right?), but I’d love to walk up to Bachelor Mansion in my finest Old Navy flannel shirt. “Yeah, I packed a swimsuit,” I’d say. “Bought it on Amazon. I have a gown, too. And a coat. I am ready to find love.”

Then I would tell the other contestants that I worked an 80-hour week to file a bunch of advance freelance articles before I started Bachelor-ing, because I couldn’t go a week without earning money—and because I know I would be one of the first people eliminated. The other Bachelor contestants, who might hope to stick around a little bit longer, have to ask their employers for an indefinite amount of leave. (Presumably unpaid, because if our country doesn’t give paid parental leave they had better not give paid Bachelor leave.)

It turns out that being on a reality show important enough to make Facebook’s Top Trends can have a negative affect on your finances even after the show has ended—because nobody wants to hire you. MarketWatch interviewed Bachelorette contestant JJ Lane about re-entering the workforce after the show:

“I didn’t understand the magnitude of the show and how hard it is to get a real job right after,” Lane says. “Everyone knows who you are and employers see it as a distraction.” Lane first appeared on the franchise nearly a year ago, and is still undergoing his job search.

There are, however, other ways to make money:

Lane estimates that former contestants can make about $2,000 to $3,000 for appearances at bars or other venues, and promoting products on personal social media accounts usually doesn’t add up to a livable salary unless you’ve gained more than a million followers.

You can also, if you’re lucky, become a Bachelor or Bachelorette in a future season, because those gigs—unlike the contestant gigs—are paid. Think of it as having to go through an unpaid internship, or working for exposure! If you’re one of the very best contestants, you might get a paying job.

For some of us, that’s even better than finding love.

Support The Billfold

The Billfold continues to exist thanks to support from our readers. Help us continue to do our work by making a monthly pledge on Patreon or a one-time-only contribution through PayPal.