Plot
The series revolves around a single bachelor (deemed eligible) and a pool of romantic interests (typically 25; 30 in season 15), which could include a potential wife for the bachelor. The conflicts in the series, both internal and external, stem from the elimination-style format of the show. Early in the season, the bachelor goes on large group dates with the women, with the majority of women eliminated during rose ceremonies. As the season progresses, women are also eliminated on one-on-one dates and on elimination two-on-one dates. The process culminates with hometown visits to the families of the final four women, overnight dates at exotic locations with the final three women, and interaction with the bachelor's family with the final two women. In many cases, the bachelor proposes to his final selection.
During most seasons, the majority of the show takes place, and the contestants reside, in "Villa De La Vina," a 7,590-square-foot (705 m2), six-bedroom, nine-bath home in Agoura Hills, California. The custom home, built in 2005, is located on 10 acres at a confidential location. As of October 10, 2008, the home was listed for sale at a price of US$8.75 million. This mansion is used throughout of most seasons of the show, with the exceptions of New York City, where Charlie O'Connell, who had appeared in Sliders with his brother Jerry O'Connell, lived, where season 7 was filmed; Paris, France for season 8; Rome, Italy for season 9, where Lorenzo Borghese is half-Italian and various locations in the U.S. such as California and Utah for season 16, where Ben Flajnik filmed his season in his hometown for early episodes of that season.
The show is known for its twists, both structurally and contextually. In some cases, the bachelor may or may not follow the show's standard rose ceremony guidelines. Numerous bachelors, for instance, have conferred fewer roses than allotted as per standard rose ceremony procedure; others have eliminated both women on a two-on-one date. One bachelor, Brad Womack, selected neither of his final two women. Another, Jason Mesnick, proposed to one woman, and then changed his mind during the "After the Final Rose" show to the other finalist; Mesnick is now married to her. Other twists include a woman leaving the show for work-related reasons and the dismissal of one candidate for an alleged affair with an ex-producer of the show.
The show's success has led producer Mike Fleiss to create multiple spin-offs, including The Bachelorette, in which the format is gender-reversed. Many bachelorettes are runner-ups or eliminated contestants from The Bachelor, including Trista Rehn, whose wedding to Ryan Sutter – the show's winner – was televised on ABC. On August 9, 2010, Bachelor Pad premiered, giving previous contestants of both The Bachelor and The Bachelorette the opportunity to compete in dating-themed eliminations for $250,000.
Read more about this topic: The Bachelor (U.S. TV series)
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