From Jed Wyatt's Love Letter to the Bachelor in Paradise Shut Down: Relive the Biggest Scandals in Bachelor Nation History

The tea has been spilled!

By Alyssa Morin Jun 20, 2019 8:23 PMTags
Jed Wyatt, Haley Stevens, The BacheloretteABC/Ed Herrera, Instagram

The final rose goes to... these scandals!

From the shocking Bachelor in Paradise shut down to Nick Viall's one night stand to Chris Soules' hit-and-run charge, these moments in Bachelor Nation history made viewers spit out their water (or rosé). More recently, Jed Wyatt—who quickly became a fan favorite on Hannah B's season of The Bachelorette—made headlines after a major bombshell dropped. A woman claimed she was still dating the 25-year-old singer when he left to star on the hit ABC show.

Haley Stevens told E! News their relationship was in a serious place, so much so that they even met each other's families and went on a romantic getaway before production began on season 15 of The Bachelorette. In fact, she said she "never even got broken up with" and received a letter from Wyatt, which she believes was written the night before he left to film.

"Haley, you're truly an amazing person," the note read, which was provided to E! News. "Someday we will be thankful for all of this. You know where my heart will be. See you at the dock, J."

While scandalous, Jed's recent drama is tame compared other things that have happened in Bachelor Nation history.

To see all of the juicy, jaw-dropping moments that took place on and off the camera on the reality TV series, keep scrolling through our gallery below!

Chris Harrison Defends Rachael Kirkconnell

On June 8, 2021, news broke that Chris Harrison would be exiting the franchise after almost 19 years of hosting. The announcement came four months after he temporarily stepped aside from the series following his defense of Rachael Kirkconnell. Rachael—who nabbed Matt James' final rose—faced controversy during her season after 2018 photos surfaced of her attending a plantation-themed party. She later apologized for her actions.

"The woke police is out there," Chris said during an interview with Rachel Lindsay. "And this poor girl Rachael, who has just been thrown to the lions, I don't know how you are equipped when you have never done this before, to be woke enough, to be eloquent enough, to be ready to handle this."

Blake Horstmann's Stagecoach Drama

Bachelor in Paradise fans learned Blake Horstmann hooked up with Kristina Schulman and Caelynn Miller-Keyes at Stagecoach. After Miller-Keyes accused him of calling her a "mistake" and asking her to keep their hookup a secret, Horstmann released their private text messages. Despite all of the drama, Horstmann hinted he still planned to go to the festival next year.

 

Robby Hayes Talks Lindsie Chrisley Relationship

The Bachelor Nation star set the record straight on a sex tape rumor after Todd Chrisley claimed his daughter Lindsie Chrisley had "extramarital relationships" with Hayes and Josh Murray.

"We did not make a sex tape," he said on the Housewives and Vanderpump podcast. "I'm not sitting there with a camera aimed down and trying to get the angles. Like, we got caught on the security camera, basically. It was a puppy camera in her friend's living room, the couch we crashed on."

Jed Wyatt Allegedly Didn't Break Up With Girlfriend Before the Show

After becoming the fan favorite on Hannah Brown's season of The Bachelorette, a bomb dropped. Wyatt's former boo, Haley Stevens, revealed she was still dating the 25-year-old singer-songwriter when he left to be on the ABC show. In fact, she said she "never even got broken up with." In May 2021, Jed denied any allegations of cheating. "I've never cheated on anyone in my life," he shared. "I didn't cheat on Haley, I didn't cheat on Hannah. There was no relationship between Haley and I, other than what you guys read—the notes."

Bachelor in Paradise Shuts Down Production

Contestants vying for a second (or third) shot at love were forced to pack their bags and travel home over allegations of "misconduct" on set in Mexico. Reports claim an incident between Corinne Olympios and DeMario Jackson occurred on the first day of filming, and a source told E! News the pair was encouraged to hook up prior to production starting. 

Chris Soules' Hit-and-Run Charge

The former Bachelor star was arrested and charged with a hit-and-run felony for leaving the scene of an April 24 car crash that killed 66-year-old Kenneth Mosher. In November 2018, Soules entered a conditional guilty plea to leaving the scene of an accident resulting in serious injury. He later accepted a suspended two-year prison sentence to serve two years on probation.

Amanda Stanton & Josh Murray's Split

After leaving the third season of Bachelor in Paradise engaged, Amanda and Josh's relationship crumbled in a highly dramatic, extremely public way. Stanton told E! News her former fiancé was "extremely controlling" of her, which prompted the controversial reality star to threaten legal action over "falsehoods" and "misrepresentations" shared by Amanda about him. 

Kaitlyn Bristowe's Deleted Snapchat

Oops! Prior to passing out the final rose on season 11 of The Bachelorette, Kaitlyn accidentally spoiled the grand finale by posting a cozy photo with fiancé Shawn Booth to Snapchat. It was quickly deleted, but that didn't stop Bachelor Nation from exposing the truth with a screengrab. 

Jordan Kimball & Jenna Cooper Break Up Amid Cheating Scandal

The Bachelor in Paradise couple made headlines after Kimball decided to "remove" himself from the relationship after Cooper was accused of cheating on him. Reality Steve shared alleged texts the blonde beauty sent to an unidentified man. However, she claimed the messages were "fabricated" and that she "did not cheat on Jordan."

Chad Johnson Dating Robby Hayes' Ex-Girlfriend

After being sent home by JoJo Fletcher, the outspoken Bachelor villain threw shade at his onscreen nemesis by getting hot and heavy with Robby's ex-girlfriend on Instagram. In 2016, Chad shared a photo of himself kissing Hope Higginbotham, who he said "deserves so much better than someone who lies, cheats, and ends a four-year long relationship in order to pursue fame on a tv show." 

Juan Pablo's Homophobic Comments

The widely disliked star of season 18 said in a 2014 interview that he doesn't "think it is a good example for kids to watch [gay couples] on TV, referring to same-sex couples as "perverts." Juan Pablo later clarified his comments in an apologetic Facebook status, blaming his non-native grasp of the English language for using the "wrong words to express myself."

Rozlyn Papa's Relationship With a Producer

As cameras began rolling on Jake Pavelka's season of The Bachelor, Papa and an ABC producer began what was described as an "inappropriate relationship." Despite denying anything went down, both were kicked off the show and it was later revealed that the staffer visited her hometown with his father. 

Nick Viall's One Night Stand

On the premiere of his season, Nick was shocked to see Elizabeth "Liz" Sandoz get out of the limo, a contestant he'd previously slept with after Jade Roper and Tanner Tolbert's wedding nine months before the show. Viall questioned her intentions for pursuing him on reality TV and she was quickly cut. 

Kaitlyn Bristowe's DWTS Claims Against Mike Fleiss

The star aired some dirty laundry when she revealed on Twitter that The Bachelor creator prevented her from competing on Dancing With the Stars in 2015 because "he didn't want people wanting fame after his show." Bristowe's claim came as many began wondering why mostly male contestants join the dance competition series, which Fleiss shut down after pointing to Melissa Rycroft winning season 15. Bristowe went on to appear on season 29 of Dancing With the Stars and ended up winning the mirrorball trophy.

Gia Allemand's Suicide

Fans mourned the loss of this former Bachelor contestant, who, at 29-years-old, committed suicide at her home in 2013 following an argument with her NBA star boyfriend, Ryan Anderson. Gia's mother was on the phone with her daughter when the incident happened, and the reality star remained on life support at a hospital until her passing.

Andi Dorfman's Allegations Against Josh Murray

The Bachelorette couple's volatile relationship was well-documented in Dorfman's 2016 tell-all book, It's Not Okay. In it, Andi claimed Josh "often behaved like an emotional abuser" and prohibited her from taking photos with men. She wrote, "If I talked to another man, I was a 'whore.' If I disagreed, I was 'argumentative.'" Murray has always denied the allegations. 

Mary Delgado's Alleged Assault on Byron Velvick

Despite Byron proposing to Mary during The Bachelor's early days in 2004, his now-ex was arrested in 2007 for allegedly assaulting him. The brunette was charged with one count of domestic battery, but the charge was later dropped. 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." 

Lee Garrett's Offensive Tweets

One of Rachel Lindsay's suitors drew major criticism after tweets allegedly posted by Lee throughout 2015 and 2016 revealed his opinions on race, women and Muslims. Host Chris Harrison responded to the controversy shortly after: "For those asking, no, of course we didn't know about the offensive tweets from Lee's account. None of us were aware of them. Very unfortunate."

You can't make this stuff up!