The Bachelor franchise is known for its drama, romance, and of course – alcohol. Cocktail parties and champagne toasts are a staple on The Bachelor, where contestants vie for the heart of the eligible lead. With all that booze flowing freely, many viewers wonder – is there a limit to how much contestants can drink on the show?
What is The Bachelor?
For those not familiar, The Bachelor is a popular reality dating competition show on ABC. Each season centers around one bachelor, who dates and eliminates a group of women over the course of several weeks. The goal is for the bachelor to find a future wife. The series premiered in 2002 and has aired for 26 seasons.
Here’s a quick overview of how the show works:
- 25-30 women compete for the heart of one eligible bachelor
- The contestants live together in a mansion and participate in various dates
- Each week there is a rose ceremony where the bachelor eliminates contestants he is not interested in
- Hometown dates, fantasy suite dates, and meeting the family eventually narrow the field down to the final two women
- In the finale, the bachelor proposes to the winner (though they don’t always get married)
Throughout the season, cocktail parties provide time for the bachelor to mingle with contestants. Champagne toasts celebrate milestones like landing a one-on-one date. Drinking is undeniably part of Bachelor culture.
Are there rules about drinking on The Bachelor?
Yes, there are some limitations on alcohol consumption written into the contracts contestants sign when they agree to appear on The Bachelor.
Specifically, contestants are only allowed to have a certain number of drinks per hour. Sources cite numbers ranging from 2-4 drinks per hour as the limit.
In addition, production assistants monitor contestants and cut people off if they appear dangerously intoxicated. Contestants can’t endlessly order drinks – they have to go through a handler.
These restrictions make sense from a liability and safety perspective. Getting black-out drunk on national television could lead to embarrassment, regrets, and health risks for contestants.
Has drunkenness been an issue on The Bachelor?
Even with drink limits in place, there have still been some notably drunken moments on The Bachelor over the years.
For example, on Jake Pavelka’s season, contestant Elizabeth Kitt famously passed out drunk after the rose ceremony. She was so incoherent that she had to leave the show. Pavelka said she had around 4 or 5 glasses of wine in 2 hours.
On Ben Flajnik’s season in 2012, contestant Courtney Robertson was visibly stumbling and slurring her words after drinking too much. Flajnik had to help walk her to her room.
More recently, contestant Corinne Olympios made headlines on Nick Viall’s season for drinking excessively and talking about taking “naps” (code for passing out). However, she denied being more drunk than anyone else in the house.
Other memorable drunk moments include:
- On Brad Womack’s season, Michelle Money fell down the stairs at a cocktail party after doing tequila shots.
- Ashley Hebert vomited on a group date during Brad Womack’s season, later blaming it on mixing alcohol and adrenaline.
- Mariah Copeland drunk cried about her deceased father during Nick Viall’s season.
- Kelsey Poe chugged champagne and slurred words on Chris Soules’ season, later blaming her behavior on mixing medication and alcohol.
Overall there have been many cringe-worthy drunk moments on The Bachelor despite the drink limits in place. Even just 2-4 drinks per hour can quickly accumulate over a lengthy cocktail party or rose ceremony.
Have contestants admitted to breaking the drink rules?
Yes, some former contestants have confessed to finding clever ways to get around the drink limits.
For example, season 16 contestant Courtney Robertson admitted she would butter up production assistants and ask them to bring her drinks on the down low. She said this allowed her to get more than the allotted amount.
Michelle Money from Brad Womack’s season said she purposely got up and moved to a new handler frequently so she could order more drinks without being cut off. She admitted to being “wasted” during the season.
Mikey Tenerelli from Desiree Hartsock’s season said he regularly found ways to steal bottles and hide extra alcohol in the mansion to get around restrictions.
So while there are drink limits in theory, crafty contestants have found loopholes to imbibe more than their fair share. Sneaking extra alcohol seems to be an open secret in The Bachelor house!
Do drinks ever get spiked on The Bachelor?
Spiked drinks are a serious concern, but luckily there is no evidence of contestants purposefully spiking drinks on The Bachelor. With drinks coming from the professional bartending staff and handlers monitoring intake, it would be difficult to pull off.
However, that doesn’t mean the excessive drinking hasn’t raised health concerns. Several former contestants have spoken out about blacking out, memory loss, and even potential alcohol poisoning due to binge drinking on the show.
For example, season 16 contestant Blakeley Shea said she experienced major memory loss and blackouts. She would wake up with bruises and cuts she didn’t remember getting.
Melissa Rycroft said she blacked out after drinking excessively on a group date on Jason Mesnick’s season. She believes someone should have intervened sooner when it was clear she was in danger.
The combination of alcohol and drama can quickly spiral. Even with limitations, drinking remains a big part of Bachelor franchise culture.
How do leads stay sober on The Bachelor?
As the star of the show, Bachelor leads need to remain relatively sober. They can’t get sloppy drunk when they are tasked with managing relationships and conducting rose ceremonies.
To stay sharp, leads reportedly drink ginger ale or sparkling water with lime to mimic the look of a cocktail. They may enjoy an occasional glass of champagne for a toast, but mostly avoid heavy drinking.
Being in control of their faculties is important, especially on overnight fantasy suite dates where intimacy occurs. Leads need to stay clear-headed to represent themselves well at all times.
Drinking in moderation or abstaining completely helps previous leads like Sean Lowe, Jason Mesnick, and Arie Luyendyk Jr make responsible decisions on their seasons.
Conclusion
While The Bachelor allows more drinking than your typical workplace, it does set firm limits for contestant safety. Maximum drinks per hour, handler oversight, and lead sobriety ensure some boundaries exist.
However, crafty contestants can find loopholes, sometimes leading to sloppy and embarrassing drunken behavior on screen. Blackouts and alcohol-related injuries remain a concern.
Ultimately whether drink limits are respected or broken, alcohol and The Bachelor seem intrinsically linked. The cocktail parties and champagne toasts give the show its escapist, fantasy feel. Moderation may be wise, but imbibing will likely always be part of the fairy tale journey to find love.