The Bachelor and Bachelorette: 18 Shocking Exits That Did Not Happen at a Rose Ceremony

Look back on some of the most talked-about exits from the ABC reality hit's 28 seasons

Every rose has its thorn, which means some people don't wait around to be pricked!

Though The Bachelor and The Bachelorette have had their fair share of dramatic rose ceremonies since the franchise's 2002 debut, it's always the exits that go down outside of a floral-based elimination setting that truly shock us.

In tonight's episode of The Bachelorette, Andi Dorfman sent Eric Hill, the contestant who tragically died in a paragliding accident after his time on the show, home before the rose ceremony. And yes, there was quite a bit of drama leading up to his exit.

Of course, Eric isn't the first contestant to find themselves on the receiving end of a pre-rose ceremony breakup speech. In fact, most of the time, it's the contestant giving the "it's not you, it's me/I actually have a girlfriend back home/I'm not in love with you" speech.

After the ABC reality hit franchise's latest non-rose related ousting, we decided to take a stroll down memory lane and relive 18 of The Bachelor and Bachelorette's most shocking eliminations ever, from secret significant others to hidden agendas...

The Bachelor

Jason Mesniak, Season 13: In just the second week of competition, Lisa was forced to withdraw from the battle for the single father's heart after she received word that her grandmother had fallen ill. Blood over (free) vodka!

Jake Pavelka, Season 14: Oh, this one was good. Rozlyn was sent packing (during a rose ceremony...after receiving a rose!) after it was revealed she had an "inappropriate relationship" with a staffer, who was then fired. Though she denied the allegations, saying the producer just let he use his phone so she could call her son (is that what the kids are calling it these days?!), it became pretty obvious what was going on when it was revealed that the staffer had visited Roz's hometown with his father. 

But she wasn't the only lady to leave the competition outside of a rose ceremony: Ali Fedotowsky, who would later go on to be one of the fan favorite Bachelorettes, left in episode six when she was told she would be fired from her job if she didn't return. 

Ben Flajnik, Season 16: Flajnik, one of the most controversial Bachelors ever, sent Casey S. home in pretty harsh fashion, telling her, "I don't sugar coat things and I think that you should go home." To be fair, she had a boyfriend back home, so, you know, he had a right to be pissed. "I still love him," Casey said of her BF back home. "Obviously my perfect scenario would be to be in love with Ben." Sure, whatever you say, girl!.

Sean Lowe, Season 17: The beloved Bach ended Tierra the Terrible's reign of terror in the Bachelor mansion after she kept causing drama. Saying she was too "sensitive," Sean kindly offered up that it would just be best, for his sanity, if she just went home. He later said he felt "duped" by Tierra, explaining, " My take is Tierra never should have come on the show. She's not suited for this show."

Juan Pablo Galavis, Season 18: So. Many. Shocking. Exits. Arguably the most controversial Bachelor in franchise history, Juan Pablo sent Cassandra, a single mother, home early because he didn't see a future with her and felt it wasn't fair to keep her away from her son. Nice, right?

The good stuff really came when Sharleen, who had doubted her feelings for the Venezuelan single father since the second she stepped out of the limo, quit the competition, saying he wasn't "forever partner" material. 

And then it gets even juicier! Andi infamously dumped Juan Pablo after calling  their time in the Fantasy Suite "a nightmare." She then told him his behavior, which included telling her she made it to the Top 3 "by default," was "offensive" and saying  there's a difference between being honest and being "an asshole." Go Andi!

The Bachelorette

Jillian Harris, Season 5: Ed, who eventually went on to propose to Jillian in the finale, left the competition due to work commitments. However, true love prevailed, with Ed returning two episodes later. Who needs employment when you have love?! (Um, Ed, because they eventually split.)

Ali Fedotowsky, Season 6: Hands down, one of our favorite eliminations ever had to be Ali straight up dumping Kasey and leaving him on an iceberg in Iceland. We would call it a burn…except that he was probably freezing his dismissed butt off.

Of course, we can't forget about Justin being booted midway through when it was revealed he had a girlfriend back home, while Frank almost broke Ali's heart in the Top 3 when he told her he still had feelings for his ex.

But Ali went on to find true love (or something like it) with Roberto, choosing to tell runner-up Chris that she wasn't in love with him before the final rose ceremony. (We can't even snark, it was a classy move.)

Ashley Hebert, Season 7: Who could forget Bentley, probably the biggest douchebag in the history of a franchise filled to the brim with douchebags. "[Staying] is not an option for me," he told the cameras before sitting down with Ashley to lie and say he was leaving because he missed his daughter. "So I'm going to make Ashley cry. I hope my hair looks OK." He also admitted he was disappointed when he learned Ashley, and not Emily Maynard from Brad Womack's season, was the new Bachelorette. Class act all the way!

Emily Maynard, Season 8: The sweet Southern single mama showed off her sassy side when she told Kalon to "get the f—k out" when he called her daughter "baggage." In the finale, Emily pulled an Ali and didn't even let the competition get to the Final Rose Ceremony after she introduced Jef to her daughter, choosing to let Arie down gently soon after. 

Desiree Hartsock, Season 9: Seriously, this was one of the most painful "breakups" we've ever guzzled wine through during the franchise's long history. After making it to the Top 3, Brooks realized Des wasn't "the love of my life," even though she thought he was the one for her. He was  crying, she was crying, we all were freakin' crying, OK?!

Andi Dorfman, Season 10: In tonight's episode, Eric called Andi out for her "poker face" and said he didn't come here to meet "a TV actress." Andi pretty much has a meltdown, telling him his comments were offensive and said their relationship was "so far past healthy." After the pair parts ways, Andi calls off the rose ceremony, telling the remaining guys that they are free to leave if they don't feel like she is there for the right reasons.