Why does The Bachelor not broadcast more of its contestants’ weddings on TV? Viewers, like Daniel Radcliffe, spend an entire season watching contestants trying to find love. So, why do they not get to see them tie the knot? ABC’s Senior Vice President, Robert Mills, has explained, saying:
I think we will, but it’s a whole host of reasons. One is the least romantic of all: do we have room on the schedule for a wedding? And we hate to say that someone is planning their wedding around a Thursday in February at 8 p.m. It has to be a couple that wants to get married on TV. But you talk about ratings, The Bachelor is a primarily female show, but there are also a lot of men who watch. And it’s been hard to find men who want to watch a wedding, unfortunately. I don’t know why, but you’re cutting some of the audience right there. …They definitely are hard sometimes from a ratings perspective, and you don’t want to cut the budget because you’re worried it won’t rate well.
Based on what Robert Mills told ET, it sounds like Bachelor Nation may be able to see more weddings in the future. He certainly did not rule out the possibility. Scheduling, willingness, and ratings play a role in making it happen.
The scheduling issue could be dealt with by not airing the wedding live. A pre-taped version of the nuptials should more than do the trick. It is a wedding, after all. Not an episode of Dancing with the Stars, so there should be room to move. Lots of other reality shows air them after the fact.
Of course, you have to deal with magazine covers and social media posts potentially spoiling it. That should not be too big of an issue though. Bachelor fans are unlikely to get as up-close a look at a couple’s wedding taking those routes.
As for the willingness of those starring on The Bachelor to have their wedding air, that could be an issue. Falling in love in front of the world and weathering the statistics on a relationship surviving post-finale is one thing. Having the wedding, which many may find quite intimate, broadcast could be a sticking point.
It is interesting that ABC’s Vice President points out the ratings issue and the difference between men and women. While many men are willing to watch The Bachelor, they apparently have less interest in seeing the wedding. What could explain this?
Here's one theory: men may be intrigued by the drama and suspense that The Bachelor storyline innately provides. Unless shown on a scripted drama, a wedding does not come packed with any of those things. It is the couple's riding into the sunset moment. Hence, why it may be less interesting to some viewers.
For now, Bachelor Nation will have to stay tuned for future weddings. They can rule out two of its alum couples. The Bachelorette's Rachel Lindsay and Bryan Abasolo, as well as Bachelor in Paradise’s Ashley Iaconetti and Jared Haibon, are both set to wed in 2019.
Neither wedding will be aired on television. Rachel Lindsay confirmed that ABC did not offer her and fiancé Bryan Abasolo a wedding special. Bachelor in Paradise’s Ashley Iaconetti told People she and her beau were not offered the chance either, adding that she and Jared Haibon decided they did not want too.
Since The Bachelor franchise kicked off, there are have been many televised weddings between its couples. Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter were the first couple to have their wedding be featured on television. That was 15 years ago in 2003. Wow. Many have followed their lead, and time will tell if and when more follow them.
Find out if Colton Underwood finds that same longevity as his search for his soul mate and final rose recipient continues. New episodes of The Bachelor air Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. The latest season is among many of the show airing new this midseason.
