The Bachelor: Where Are They Now?

From Alex Michel to Colton Underwood, find out what the Bachelors before Peter Weber are up to now

By Tierney Bricker Mar 09, 2020 8:00 PMTags
Watch: "Bachelor" Peter Weber Theories: Peter Ends Up With His Mom?

Ladies and gentlemen, the captain has turned on the fasten seatbelt sign as we're hitting some expected turbulence. 

Peter Weber's polarizing season of The Bachelor is coming to an end with a dramatic two-night finale, bringing his rocky journey to find love to a landing that no one knows. Seriously, Chris Harrison has been teasing for months that not even the pilot knows how his season will end. 

But Peter is far from the first Bachelor in the ABC reality hit's franchise to deliver a shocking finish to their season, with more than a few male leads making controversial choices since the first season aired way back in 2001.

But what are those men up to now? We decided to check in on how the 22 Bachelors who came before Peter are doing, including the OG Bachelor Alex Michel, the only two-time Bach Brad Womack and Juan Pablo Galavis. While some leads have kept their Bachelor Nation citizenship, others have done their best to distance themselves from the franchise and move on.

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The Bachelor: Where Are They Now?

So before tonight's finale kicks off at 8 p.m. on ABC, take a quick stroll down memory lane and catch up with all of the farmer Bachelors...

Alex Michel, Season One

We can thank the breakout Bachelor, Alex Michel for his first step into love, and our big step into reality TV dating shows. Although he didn't end up with Amanda Marsh, Alex trickled into the entertainment world, becoming a spokesperson for Match.com, as well as venturing into short films.

He now days puts his Harvard degree to use working as an executive at a media and technology company and has remained totally removed from Bachelor Nation. Seriously, we don't even think Chris Harrison knows where Alex is? 

Aaron Buerge, Season Two

Now 45, Aaron Buerge was third-gen banker from Missouri who was the first Bachelor to get engaged, though he split from his winner Helena Eksterowicz shortly after his season ended.

In 2009, Aaron married Angye McIntosh, a woman from his hometown of Springfield, Missouri. That same year, the couple welcomed their first child, a daughter named Aven, going on to later welcome another daughter, who joins Angye's daughter from a previous relationship.

"This has definitely been a busy year for us!" Aaron trecently told Us Weekly. "We just finished building our home and merged our family owned bank with Legacy Bank and Trust here in Springfield. We have been incredibly blessed. I continue to remain out of the ‘spotlight' and continue to focus on my career and family life." 

Andrew Firestone, Season Three

Heir to the Firestone Tire fortune, Andrew Firestone is doing just fine after not finding everlasting love with his final pick, eventual Bachelorette Jen Schefft. He ended up getting married to actress/model Ivana Božilović, with whom he has three children: Adam Brooks, 10, Anja Jasmine, 8, and Shane, 6.

Andrew, 44, often shares photos of his family on Instagram, and helped his daughter release a song in 2019, with some of the proceeds from iTunes sales going to the building of an adaptive playground in their hometown of Santa Barbara, Calif.

Andrew remains close friends with Chris Harrison and still makes the occasional appearance during specials. 

Bob Guiney, Season Four

The first male lead to to be picked from a previous season of The Bachelorette, fan-favorite Bob Guiney failed to find love in his second outing, breaking up with Estella Gardinier shortly after his season aired. 

Less than one year later, Bob married All My Children star Rebecca Budig, with the couple divorcing in 2010 after six years of marriage. In 2016, Bob wed girlfriend Jessica Canyon, and they welcomed their first child two years later. 

While he worked as a mortgage broker before entering the franchise, Bob would go on to start a career in TV hosting and performed as a member of The Band From TV, along with Hugh Laurie, James Denton and more stars. 

In a 2010 20/20 special, franchise creator Mike Fleiss shockingly revealed  that Bob was the Bachelor who slept with the most women during his season, alleging he slept with "five and a half" of his contestants. 

Jesse Palmer, Season Five

You can take the player out of the game, but you can't take the game out of the player.

The franchise's first "celeb" Bachelor, Jesse Palmer was the quarterback for the New York Giants when he handed out the roses. Alas, his romance with final pick, and after his career in the NFL came to an end, Jesse began his successful TV hosting career.

After beginning with sports broadcasting on ESPN, Jesse, now 41, landed hosting gigs on Good Morning America and Daily Mail TV before eventually returning to ABC to host The Proposal, a reality dating competition series from the creators of The Bachelor. (The show's run was about as short as his romance from his time as the Bach, unfortunately.)

In 2019, Jesse proposed to his longtime girlfriendm model Emely Fardo.

Byron Velvick, Season Six

Chosen by the women to be the Bachelor over businessman Jay Overbye in the premiere (Yes, they did the two Bachelors thing way before the controversial two Bachelorettes season), professional fisherman Byron Velvick was best known for his romantic proposal to Mary Delgado. Their relationship blossomed in 2004, but took a dark turn in 2009 when Delgado was arrested under charges of alleged battery against Byron. 

They ultimately broke up two years later, and in a 2016 interview, Delgado shared, "There was a big pressure also to have a successful relationship for TV and the show." 

Byron has since gotten married and welcoming a daughter, Kamber, with his wife Belinda in 2012, and the 55-year-old retired from professional fishing in 2016 to spend more time with his now 8-year-old. 

Charlie O'Connell, Season Seven

Charlie O'Connell, the younger brother of Jerry O'Connell, entered a five-year on-and-off romance with winner Sarah Brice before the couple called it quits for good in 2010. 

Chris Harrison would later reveal he "didn't get along" with the actor when he was the Bachelor, telling Kelly Ripa, "Charlie and I, he was just East Coast, me, Southern kid, it was like oil and water."

"He was, now self-admittedly, in a difficult time in his life, a little tumultuous," he continued. "He's come back from that, thankfully, but we just didn't really spend any time together."

Since his time on the show, Charlie has gotten sober and the 44-year-old married Anna Sophia Berglund in 2018.

Travis Lane Stork, Season Eight

ABC was hoping Travis Lane Stork seems to be the real Dr. McDreamy when they picked the emergency physician to be their Bachelor.

Sadly, his romance with final pick Sarah Stone didn't last long after the finale aired, but Travis went on to marry Dr. Charlotte Brown in 2012. The couple divorced in 2015, with Travis going on to marry Parris Bell in 2019 after three years of dating. In December 2019, the couple announced they are expecting their first child, a baby boy.

Travis, 47, has remained a regular fixture on TV, thanks to his hit CBS talk show The Doctors. He's also written two New York Times Best Sellers, The Lean Belly Prescription and The Doctor's Diet.

Prince Lorenzo Borghese, Season Nine

Remember Prince Lorenzo Borghese, the dreamy royal from Italy? Well, he really was a cosmetics entrepreneur living in New Jersey whose father is actually a prince. Unfortunately, Lorenzo didn't find his happy ending on the show, though he went on to date both of his final women. 

In 2012, Lorenzo briefly returned to reality TV when he competed on Celebrity Big Brother UK, but these days, the 47-year-old is running South Beach Brewing Company and Animal Aid USA. "Lover of Dogs and Beers and some humans," his Instagram bio reads, a sentence that proves to be the most relatable thing about him. 

Andy Baldwin, Season 10

Ah, the Officer and a Gentleman season, as naval officer Andy Baldwin was picked to hand out the roses, though his romance with winner Tessa Horst fizzled out rather quickly. 

After briefly date Dancing With the Stars pro Karina Smirnoff and Marla Maples after his time as the Bachelor ended, Andy, now 43. is working as a family physician in San Diego and appears to be single. 

Brad Womack, Season 11 & 15

The only Bachelor or Bachelorette to lead two seasons, Brad Womack is infamous for not choosing either women during his first time as the Bachelor, making him the most hated man in America. While he did end up getting engaged to Emily Maynard  during his second run, the pair split shortly after the finale aired, with Emily eventually going onto become the Bachelorette. 

A successful entrepreneur, Brad, 47, has opened several popular bars in Austin, Texas, where he lives, and he's worked hard to remain out of the public eye since his double-outing. 

Matt Grant, Season 12

The first and only Bachelor to charm us with his British accent, with the season being sub-titled London Calling, Matt Grant ended up schmoozing his way onto the dance floor, joining the cast of 2005's season of Dancing With The Stars.

He later was rumored to be hanging around Natalie Getz in 2011, who is best known from winning the first season of Bachelor Pad, but married girlfriend Rachel Moring in late 2017. 

Now 39, the British Bach still lives in London and works in the software industry. 

Jason Mesnick, Season 13

Your name doesn't get turned into a verb for nothing, and single dad Jason Mesnick is responsible for delivering the franchise's most iconic and defining moment to take, when he first got engaged in the finale to winning contestant Melissa Rycroft before admitting during the After the Final Rose special that he was in fact in love with the runner up, Molly Malaney. Jason's change of heart ultimately proved to be the right call, as Jason and Molly later exchanged vows in a televised wedding in 2010 and the couple recently reflected on the 10-year anniversary of the switch scandal and why they still continue to make appearances from time to time at Bachelor events despite the ordeal. 

"Time heals all wounds," Jason, now 43 and still working as a real estate agent, told E! News. "I think if you were going to get really raw with every single person who was the Bachelor or Bachelorette...[they] would say, 'They did this. They did that.' We all have the same story, maybe different details through everything. At the end of the day, you all come back!"

The couple, who recently celebrated their 10-year wedding anniversary, lives in Seattle with their daughter Riley, 7, and Ty, Jason's son from his first marriage who is now a teenager and has watched his dad's season, which he appeared on.

"Let's pretend YOU were 'The Bachelor' and your 15-year-old son just discovered your season on Netflix…" Jason shared on Instagram in December 2019. "Do you: A.) Let him watch it? B.) Ship him off to Switzerland for a few years until it comes off Netflix."

Jake Pavelka, Season 14

The franchise's first flight with a pilot as their lead proved to be even rockier than Peter Weber's time, as Jake Pavelka managed to deliver one of the show's most cringe-worthy and talked-about moments ever when he sat down with fiance Vienna Girardi for a post-break-up interview with Chris Harrison that still sends chills up our spine. 

After his time as the Bachelor came to an end, he made the reality TV rounds, competing on Dancing With The Stars and later facing off against Vienna on Bachelor Pad. He then also made appearances on scripted series, including Drop Dead Diva and The Bold and the Beautiful. His last TV appearance, however, was a quick surprise return to Bachelor Nation when he briefly appeared on JoJo Fletcher's season of The Bachelorette, not as a contestant but as a family friend. Phew. 

Now 42, Jake briefly dated Kristin Chenoweth in 2013.

Ben Flajnik, Season 16

Winemaker Ben Flajnik was hoping to bottle up true love after having his heart broken on The Bachelorette, being rejected by Ashley Hebert while he was down on one knee. But he got more than he bargained for when he entered an on-again-off-again engagement with his winner Courtney Robertson, one of the franchise's most notorious villains. The rollercoaster romance ended in late 2012, with Ben making headlines after he was spotted out with Kris Jenner and Jennifer Love Hewitt.

"We chatted. We went on a couple dates," Ben confirmed to Reality Steve of his casual romance with JLH after she tweeted about her interest in him during his season.

These days, the 47-year-old still works in the wine industry and also works for Yelp in San Francisco, saying on Instagram, "Taking this job is the best decision I've made in years."

 

Sean Lowe, Season 17

Sean Lowe is the gold standard for Bachelors for several reasons, but mostly because he is the sole male lead to actually marry his original final pick. Sean, who was infamously called the virgin Bachelor as he was a born-again virgin, gave his final rose to Catherine Giudici and the couple wed in a lavish TV ceremony one year later. 

Since swapping vows, the couple has welcomed three children, most recently welcoming a baby girl named Mia in December 2019, who joined big brothers, Isaiah Hendrix, almost 2, and Samuel Thomas, who turns 4 in July.

 

The pair have made several appearances on reality TV, including Celebrity Wife Swap and Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars, with Sean making solo appearances on Dancing With the Stars and Worst Cooks in America. In addition to writing several books, Sean, now 36, was called upon to host the Bachelor in Paradise after-show in 2015 and still live-tweets episodes. 

Juan Pablo Galavis, Season 18

Arguably one of the least popular Bachelor of all-time, the Venezuelan former pro soccer player infamously refused to say the L-word or propose to his winner, Nikki Ferrell, much to Chris Harrison and Bachelor Nation's chagrin. (There was also the controversy over the comments he made about why he would be against a gay Bachelor.) 

Still, the single father, who is now 38, and Nikki lasted for almost a year before calling it quits.

In August 2017, Juan Pabs married TV presenter Osmariel Villalobos, with Chris Harrison announcing the news during a Bachelor special. That's right. The man who we thought might never find love has apparently found it," he shared with viewers. "Juan Pablo reached out to us and asked us to spread the word and we are happy to do so."

Juan Pablo recently came back into the Bachelor world as his runner-up Clare Crawley was named the next Bachelorette. 

Chris Soules, Season 19

Nicknamed Prince Farming as he was a successful farmer from Iowa, Chris Soules ended up taking a backseat to the women of his season, with fan-favorites like Ashley Iaconetti, Jade Roper and Becca Tilley all making their franchise debuts. 

After proposing to Whitney Bischoff, Chris went on to compete on Dancing With the Stars, with his time in the ballroom lasting about as long as his engagement to his winner, with Chris and Whitney splitting just two months after the finale aired in 2015. 

In 2017, Chris was was arrested for leaving the scene of a fatal accident in Iowa, with the Iowa State Patrol confirming to E! News at the time that he was driving a pickup truck that rear-ended 66-year-old Kenneth Mosher's tractor trailer, resulting in Mosher's death due to his injuries. In November 2018, the former Bachelor plead guilty and was later sentenced to two years probation. The 38-year-old and his parents also reached a $2.5 million settlement deal with the victim's family.

"It's constant pain in your heart and in your head," Chris later said of the guilt he feels from the fatal crash during an interview on The Ben and Ashley I. Almost Famous podcast.

Ben Higgins, Season 20

One of the franchise's most beloved stars ever, Ben Higgins has remained a central figure in Bachelor Nation since his time as the lead came to an end. While his romance with winner Lauren Bushnell didn't last, despite the beloved couple landing their own short-lived spinoff series, Ben, 30, later appeared on The Bachelor Winter Games, hosts a popular Bachelor podcast with Ashley Iaconetti and is set to host The Bachelor: Live on Stage with former Bachelorette Becca Kufrin, which will premiere on ABC in 2020.

While there were calls for him to be the Bachelor again, Ben found love (via sliding into Instagram DMs) with Jessica Clarke, his girlfriend of over a year. 

In 2018, Ben launched his non-profit Generous Coffee Co., with the company recently opening two coffee shops in Denver.

Nick Viall, Season 21

Bachelor Nation was shocked when Nick Viall, a two-time Bachelorette runner-up who wasn't exactly beloved, was announced as the lead for after his time on Bachelor in Paradise's third season, which totally changed his image among fans. 

After endings his season engaged to Vanessa Grimaldi, Nick, who was a software salesman before becoming the Bach, went on to compete on Dancing With the Stars and appear in several TV movies and shows, relocating from Chicago to Los Angeles. 

Nick's relationship with Vanessa ultimately didn't last, but the 39-year-old is still a fixture in the franchise and hosts his own popular podcast, The Viall Files. While it was recently revealed Nick briefly dated Mad Men star January Jones and was rumored to have dated Rachel Bilson (he denied the reports), he's currently single. 

Arie Luyendyk Jr., Season 22

Sometimes an unexpected pick for the next lead works and sometimes...you get an Arie Luyendyk Jr. season, with the runner-up from Emily Maynard's season in 2012 landing the gig last-minute. Still a professional race car driver, Arie had also added real estate agent to his Linkedin page when he returned to the fold, and while he wasn't exactly the most popular Bachelor ever, he did manage to deliver one of the show's most infamous endings ever.

After initially proposing to Becca Kufrin, Arie realized several weeks later he was still in love with his initial runner-up Lauren Burnham and decided to break up with Becca on-camera, blindsiding her and riveting viewers. After proposing to Lauren during the live After the Final Rose special, the couple got married in January 2019 and welcomed their first child, a daughter named Alessi, in May of that year.

Arie, 38, and Lauren also have their own YouTube channel, where they recap The Bachelor over brunch.

Colton Underwood, Season 23

Forever known as the Bachelor who delivered the iconic fence jump, the former NFL player found love, but not an engagement, with his final pick Cassie Randolph

Colton, 28, and Cassie are still in a relationship, celebrating their one-year anniversary in November 2019, though they do not live together.

Colton, who made headlines after revealing he was a virgin during Becca Kufrin's season of The Bachelorette, penned a memoir called The First Time, which is set to be released in March 2020. Colton also runs The Colton Underwood Legacy Foundation, a non-profit that brings awareness to cystic fibrosis in honor of his younger cousin.