Being chosen as the star of The Bachelor or The Bachelorette is a dream come true, right? You get to meet dozens of attractive people who are all interested in you. You get to travel all over the world and, with any luck, end up engaged to the love of your life. Or at least that’s what the show portrays. But plenty of things happen when the cameras aren’t rolling.

Every contestant on both sides of the show has to sign a contract full of fine print, which details what they can and can’t do on the show—and even beyond the filming. There are plenty of backstage obligations that can make the fantasy from the TV seem a lot less appealing. Before you aim big and dream of finding your fairy tale on the show, take a look at what the contestants have to do in order to get to the prize.

15 No eating on dates

Via: usmagazine.com

The food on those dates always looks amazing, but have you ever noticed that the contestants don’t actually eat it? No one wants to watch people stuff their faces—they want to watch them fall in love! And if they’re eating, it’s hard to talk. Instead, the contestants have food in their hotels before they go on dates. Or they can eat when their date is doing a one-on-one interview. Producers understand that no one looks good eating and microphones can pick up every chomp and chew. They don't get to spend too much time together, so it's better for them to focus on one another, instead of the delicious food we constantly watch them ignore. Hopefully, room service is just as delicious if that’s all they get.

14 No unsanctioned one-on-one time

Via: cbsnews.com

How do you fall in love with someone? Generally you spend a lot of time with them. You get to know the person so well that you can’t imagine your life without them. But that’s in the real world when you can spend time with them whenever you want. On The Bachelor world, contestants are not allowed to spend one-on-one time with each other unless the show says it’s okay. Of course, that’s likely so they can catch as much as possible for the cameras. There are contestants who've managed to get around that rule. Take Nick Viall, for example. On Andi Dorfman’s season, he told the hotel concierge he was locked out of his hotel room and snagged a key to Andi’s room so he could sneak in a visit with her, avoiding the producers entirely.

13 No media or entertainment of any kind

Via: people.com

Contestants are not allowed to watch TV, movies, read books, have phones or be entertained in any other way. The drama heightens when all they have to focus on is each other and the person they are all trying to date, we suppose. Bibles, however, are allowed. Some of the women on Sean Lowe’s season brought them and they had Bible studies and daily devotions every morning. Otherwise, entertainment revolves around the pool, work outs and whatever other games and conversations the contestants come up with. That might be okay for a day or two, but after several weeks, anyone is bound to get bored and more creative with their entertainment. Which, of course, is what producers are hoping will happen as tensions rise within the house.

12 No internet access, either

Via: abcnews.go.com

While going without TV and books is on thing, contestants are starved for technology in every way. They are allowed absolutely no internet access—and that even includes the star of each season. Where the contestants are concerned, it may be a tactic to help them go stir-crazy and illicit dramatic material. But when it comes to the lead, it is probably more of a precaution to keep them unbiased about the contestants. Sean Lowe, for example, admits to sneaking onto the internet on a producer’s iPad and using it to Google the final two women. The internet is filled with information and it's more reliable than what you'll get from ladies trying to win your heart. We bet he just didn't want to deal with any surprises if the woman he chose turned out to have some skeleton in her closet.

11 Only two suitcases allowed

Via: dailymail.co.uk

Producers mandate that contestants are only allowed to have two suitcases for the duration of the experience. The person at the center of the show, of course, has a stylist who works with them to put together a wardrobe. But everyone else is on their own. Many of the women ignore this rule and some have brought up to six. They have to cut back when they begin traveling and stuff everything they need into one suitcase, though, no matter how much they bring. But if you pay close attention to the show, you might notice that many contestants obey the rules. Women contestants will often wear the same dress twice or borrow dresses from each other for dates or ceremonies. It can't be easy trying to fit a couple of months of clothing and shoes into two bags.

10 Winners rarely get to keep the engagement ring

Via: eonline.com

Contestants who get a proposal at the end don’t get to keep the ring, in most cases. If the not-so-happy couple breaks up before the two-year mark of the engagement, the ring goes back to the production. Neil Lane designs six rings a year just for the franchise. He says he doesn’t know where the winning ring ends up when it comes back to the show. Successful couples, like Trista and Ryan Sutter, who didn’t have Lane rings features on their season, had the designer create anniversary bands for them. While the rings cost tens of thousands of dollars, no one really ever sees a profit because the couples rarely stay together for the two-year time period. If you love jewels, watch the eBay market and see if the show hocks anything there.

9 The word 'process' is banned

Via: ranker.com

There are plenty of words you might guess contestants are forbidden to use on a national TV show, but the actual word they aren’t supposed to use when referring to the show is “process.” Bachelor Sean Lowe said that any time you called the show a “process” they would stop you, make you re-tape the segment, and call it a "journey" or an "experience" instead. Journey has a more romantic connotation than process, we suppose, but it seems like a strange word for the production to hate so much. Plus, viewers are probably rather tired of hearing the word “journey,” as it seems every contestant calls it that. And now we know why. Producers meddle a lot more with words than you might think—completely banning some of them!

8 They must be tested before going on the show

Via: zimbio.com

All 50 finalists who are being considered for the show have to complete a lengthy psychological evaluation. The show psychologist says they want to make sure people can handle the stress involved with being on the series. Though, when watching the show, it seems as if some of them do not end up handling that stress very well! But if you think any of the contestants seem crazy, you can rest assured that a psychiatrist has deemed that they are not or they wouldn't be on the anywhere near the production. Courtney Robertson, the Season 16 winner, revealed in her tell-all book that she was given an STD test and asked if she was on birth control as well. Once these tests are complete, contestants are given camera tests for photogenic purposes.

7 No dating while the show airs

Via: buddytv.com

As many fans of the franchise know, the newly in love couple often breaks up after the show finishes airing, if not before. They must hide their status as a couple until the show is dong airing and if they break up, they have to hide that too. Even contestants that are asked to leave on the first week are not allowed to date anyone else until the show has aired their departure. Those types of things are what help shocking After the Final Rose episodes come to fruition, like when Jason Mesnick broke up with his fiancé on the air in order to go after the runner-up, who later became his wife. And it's to help prevent moments like Ben Flanik being caught on camera kissing another woman while his show was still airing, revealing the fact that he and his chosen woman were no longer together.

6 Promotional appearances are required

Via: famefocus.com

Just because the show is over doesn’t mean you’re done being on camera. After the season is complete and has aired, the happy couple has contractual obligations to fulfill any promotional activities ABC sets up and deems necessary for a certain length of time. For Trista and Ryan, that was a year after the finale aired. The functions include things like magazine interviews, TV appearances, show functions and other related matters. It might seem like the couple is so in love, they want to spread it around as much as possible. They're talking about how much they love each other on every available medium, after all. But those appearances aren’t exactly optional. They’re something the couple has to do in order to keep their end of the bargain.

5 Confidentiality is a major deal

Via: usmagazine.com

All of the contestants on the show sign contracts that have a huge section going over confidentiality. They are not allowed to discuss what happens on the show until it has finished airing. That includes discussions with family members. If they break that agreement, ABC can seek legal recourse, including monetary compensation. The star of the show can be on the hook for up to $5 million if they breach the contract. Secrets, however, find a way of coming out. Some stars (such as Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe) accidentally spoiled their season by Snapchatting pictures of the winner with her in bed. The network didn’t comment on the incident and they never sued Bristowe for spoiling the end of the show. There were already plenty of rumors that said as much anyway.

4 Some are asked to play roles

Via: trendingbuffalo.com

Every show has to have a hero, a villain and other such characters to be entertaining. This reality show is no different. Contestants are constantly surrounded by teams of lighting techs, sound men, production assistants cameramen and more. These people are always watching for something that can bring on the drama. Editors comb through months of footage and reveal the juiciest story lines. Sometimes, producers ask contestants to play up a certain side of their personality and other times they are able to portray them a certain way through careful editing. No matter what happens, contestants have to be okay with it, whether they like it or not. It’s part of being on the show and basically what they agreed to, even if it wasn’t what they expected to happen.

3 Producers get a say in who stays and who goes

Via: thedailyvoicenews.com

When you watch the show, you may wonder why they keep some of the crazy contestants that are so obviously strange and not right for them. Well, the truth of the matter is that the show has contracts that state the lead person on the show will follow all of the producer’s rules and directions in all matters, including who they select at rose ceremonies. Apparently, if producers wanted to dictate who every rose went to, they could. However, they likely only meddle with a few here and there in order to enhance drama. Also, when watching the show, notice that the ones who are the most controversial get roses toward the end of the ceremony in order to enhance the drama as well. If one contestant doesn’t get along with another, they’re almost guaranteed to stay longer.

2 They have to be okay with being filmed 24 hours a day

Via: ranker.com

The show’s contracts specifically stipulate that the producers have the right to film the contestants 24 hours a day, 7 days a week during the set filming schedule. They also have the right to record the contestants in secret with hidden cameras and microphones. Contestants have to basically agree to being on camera at all times during the taping. The contracts, however, also state that the hidden cameras aren’t positioned to intentionally capture images of contestants using the restroom. So at least that’s safe and still a private space while on the show. But if you’ve ever watched it, you probably know you can hear conversations through those bathroom doors so there’s really no such thing as a private moment, though the bathroom is about as close as you can get.

1 Contestants must participate in dates

Via: people.com

Contestants don’t get to choose whether they want height-related dates, romantic dinners, helicopter rides or anything in between. Of course, the stars of the show might tell producers their preferences and contestants reveal certain fears (which likely lead to being on a date that involves that fear later to induce more drama), but overall, the producers and the show put together the dates. The man or woman in charge and looking for love will say things like, “Wait until you see what I set up for us.” In reality, they don’t have much to do with the actual planning. In fact, their contracts specify that they are required to participate in any and all dates, even if they are potentially dangerous, like parasailing, skydiving, bungee jumping or other extreme sports.