There’s a lot that goes into picking who will star on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. Some former contestants of the show have spoken out about the secret to casting contestants on the show, but there have been multiple occasions where fan-favorites from each season aren’t chosen as the next lead. Some contestants have turned down the role, and for others, the producers simply just took a different direction.
Here are just a few of the many contestants from The Bachelor franchise that fans were hoping to see get a second chance at love.
10 Tyler Cameron Turns Down The Role
Fans of the show were really hoping to see Tyler as the next lead for The Bachelor, but Cameron turned down the position when he was asked by producers. On the podcast She’s All Bach, former bachelor contestant Mike Johnson said “Tyler didn’t want it. He was like, ‘I’m good, bruh. I got more followers than any other Bachelor will get, I don’t need the money that you give me to be The Bachelor, I don’t want my life...to look like that.’ So I don’t blame him.”
9 Kristina Schulman Accepts Not Being Chosen
Kristina Schulman was on the 21st season of The Bachelor, pursuing Nick Viall. She ended up leaving that season in week 7 after an emotional breakup with Nick, who had decided that he had stronger connections with the other girls. She was also on seasons 4 and 6 of Bachelor in Paradise.
Kristina was actually contacted about becoming the bachelorette for the show’s 16th season, but they ultimately chose to go with Clare Crawley instead. When a fan commented on her Instagram asking why she wasn't the bachelorette, Kristina said, "They didn't want me and that's okay!"
8 Mike Johnson Doesn't Get Picked, Sparking Controversy
Mike Johnson may be one of the most wholesome contestants we’ve ever seen on the show. He was a contestant during season 15 of The Bachelorette, looking for love with Hannah Brown. Mike was eliminated during week 7, but not before he stole the hearts of Bachelor Nation. Fans were passionate about Mike becoming the lead for the next season, especially considering that he would be the first Black bachelor if he were to do so. Mike was appreciative to the fans for their support and he was initially disappointed when he didn’t get chosen. The producers had decided to go with Peter Weber instead.
A year later, The Bachelor franchise did get to see the first Black bachelor through Matt James, but it was a controversial decision given that Matt had never been on the show prior to him being chosen for the lead.
7 Caila Quinn Begins Filming, But Doesn't Become The Lead
Caila was a contestant on season 20 of The Bachelor, which starred Ben Higgins as the lead. Caila made it to the top three during that season, but ultimately left the show heartbroken. She then returned to the franchise for season 3 of Bachelor in Paradise.
Caila was almost chosen to be the lead for season 12 of The Bachelorette. In an interview with US Weekly, Caila recalled how producers flew her out to LA for dress fittings, and said that they even filmed a few scenes of her in her hometown. They ended up making a last minute decision to go with JoJo Fletcher instead, who was runner-up on Ben’s season.
6 ABC Misses Opportunity For Ethan Kang To Become First Asian Bachelor
Ethan Kang was on the most recent season of The Bachelorette, season 19, which starred both Rachel Recchia and Gabby Windey as the leads. Ethan chose to pursue Rachel, but left the show right before hometown dates when he didn’t receive a rose. Fans of the franchise were really hoping to see Ethan become the first Asian bachelor, but ultimately he wasn’t chosen for the role.
5 Demi Burnett's Bold Personality Made Her A Strong Contender
Demi sure made a lasting impact on Bachelor Nation, so it’s no wonder that she has fans that were hoping for her to become a lead on the show. In fact, many thought Demi was the show’s next villain, but she won over fans with her humor and confidence instead. She was a strong contender for the next bachelorette, but one of her close friends, Hannah Brown, was chosen instead.
Demi ended up going on Bachelor in Paradise, where she and her girlfriend Kristian Haggerty became the first same-sex couple in the franchise’s history. The pair left the beach engaged, but they ended up splitting later that year.
4 Blake Horstmann Finds Himself In Drama On The Beach Instead
Blake Horstmann finished runner-up on season 14 of The Bachelorette, where he dated Becca Kufrin. He quickly became a fan-favorite because of his charm, and although he didn’t become a lead, he did end up on Bachelor in Paradise for season 6.
Things got a little more complicated for Blake after his appearance on Paradise, since it was revealed that he had hooked up with both Kristina Schulman and Caelynn Miller Keyes, two other women from the franchise, during a music festival called Stagecoach. It caused quite the drama on the beach when the three were reunited, and Blake’s charm that we saw on his Bachelor season quickly faded. Blake is now dating Love is Blind contestant Giannina Gibelli.
3 Producers Were Worried Hannah Godwin Wasn't Over Her Breakup
Hannah Godwin was on Colton’s season of The Bachelor, but ended up leaving after Fantasy Suites when Colton confessed that he loved Cassie Randolph. Producers did not choose Hannah as a lead for the show because of the breakup. They were worried to cast her as a lead because she was clearly still very heartbroken from her split from Colton, so they chose to pursue someone else for the role.
Things ended up working out great for Hannah though, as she went on the 6th season of Bachelor in Paradise and ended up getting engaged to Dylan Barbour. The two are still together.
2 Greg Grippo Controversy May Have Kept Him From Being Chosen
Greg Grippo was on season 17 of The Bachelorette, dating Katie Thurston. The two had a dramatic and devastating breakup after hometowns when Greg decided to leave the show. He may have regretted his decision for a little while, as he recalls calling producers and DMing host Kaitlyn Bristowe to see if Katie was single after he left the show. As a fan-favorite from that season, it was hard to watch him leave so brokenhearted.
Producers ultimately decided to go a different direction though, which may be due to the controversy that ensued after his breakup with Katie and the showing of After The Final Rose, where Katie accused him of using the show, and her, to promote his acting career. While we can now be certain that Greg didn’t get any acting gigs from the show, he did end up gaining a lot of new friends and a pretty steady fanbase.
1 Caelynn Miller Keyes Was Hurt When She Wasn't Chosen
Caelynn was on Colton Underwood’s season of The Bachelor, but was eliminated in week 8. She ended up in the running for the next bachelorette, but ultimately wasn’t chosen. After finding out that she wasn’t the bachelorette and that the role went to Hannah Brown, one of her former pageant rivals, Caelynn admitted that she was hurt.
Things did work out for Caelynn though, as she went on Bachelor in Paradise and, after a rocky start to the season, ended up finding love with Dean Unglert. The two are still together and traveling the world!