Throughout The Bachelor history, fans have come to love and hate many of the show’s contestants. Some of the more memorable ones, like Corinne Olympios from Nick Viall’s season, tend to stay in the spotlight through spinoffs and online presence, but what about the fan favorites that slip off the radar? Well, I’ve tracked down a few of Bachelor Nation’s most popular past contestants and stars to see what they’ve been up to lately.
1. Nick Viall
After falling short of love on two seasons of The Bachelorette and one summer in Mexico on Bachelor in Paradise Nick FINALLY got himself engaged to Vanessa Grimaldi, a special education teacher from Canada. While their relationship seemed rocky on the show, Nick and Vanessa were very much in love and following the show, she moved from Canada to Los Angeles to support Nick while he was a contestant on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. Unfortunately, their relationship ended the following August when the couple released this statement to E! News, “We gave this relationship our all and we are saddened that we did not get the fairytale ending we hoped for. We will continue to be there for each other no matter what. This hasn’t been an easy decision, however, as we part ways, we do so with lots of love and admiration for each other.” Oh well, I always liked Rachel more anyway. Speaking of her…
2. Rachel Lindsay
Sent home after fantasy suites with Nick, Rachel bounced back fast and starred as the first African American bachelorette the very next season. Ending the season engaged to Cuban hottie Bryan Abasolo, several fans were upset with her choosing Bryan over fan-fave Peter. Despite the hate, Rachel seems more than eager to tie the knot. Though no date is set, Rachel told People Magazine, “2018 for sure. I am not waiting another year.” For more on her wedding plans check out the full article.
3. Peter Kraus
I absolutely died while watching the season 13 finale. I pictured Peter and Rachel together from their very first date and to watch him unable to commit to her left me sobbing almost as much as she was. As much as I hoped Peter would be the next Bachelor, he had fears of getting to the end and once again not being sure the woman he chose was the right one for him. “People are forgiving once. I don’t know if they’re forgiving twice.” Instead, he decided to reject the offer and focus on building his business, Peter Kraus Fitness. While the breakup was challenging for him, he told US Weekly that he wasn’t opposed to trying dating again. If you’re just as obsessed with him as I am, give the full interview a read!
4. Raven Gates
As the runner-up on Nick’s and a fan favorite, Bachelor Nation rejoiced when Raven appeared on Bachelor in Paradise. We were even happier when she left in a committed relationship with Adam of Rachel Lindsay’s season (better known as the guy with the ventriloquist dummy). Luckily, he left the doll at home and swept Raven off her feet, taking her right out of BIP and into real life! Though there’s no engagement yet, this happy couple is still in full swing, crowding our timelines with their adorable posts, and we couldn’t be happier about it!
5. Kristina Schulman
The Russian sweetheart from Nick’s season made quite a splash in Paradise with her main squeeze Dean Unglert. Acting as kind of a jerk, Dean was split between two women, Kristina and Danielle L. (commonly referred to as D.Low among the cast). Though she ended up leaving Mexico all alone, Kristina has been seen living her best life since the show’s finale. Constantly posting pictures of her traveling to new places, Kristina looks like she’s single and loving it! Although there is no bad blood between her and Dean (she even made an appearance on his podcast Help, I Suck at Dating!) it doesn’t seem like they will be rekindling their romance anytime soon.
6. Dean Unglert
And finally, what is up with our favorite heartbreaker? He was a major favorite on Rachel’s season giving all of Bachelor Nation high hopes for his run on BIP. Unfortunately, boys can be pigs and we got to witness Dean juggling two relationships right in front of each other. Spoiler alert, it didn’t end well. But, since his summer of love, Dean has remained close with many of his Bachelor Nation costars, hosting several of them as guests on his podcast Help, I Suck at Dating! And, if you want to see more of him and his beautiful face, I have good news! Dean, along with Ben Higgins, Eric Bigger, Ashley Iaconetti, and more of your favorite ex-contestants will all be competing on The Bachelor Winter Games, a new mini spinoff series that pits Bachelor contestants from around the world against each other in Olympics- competition. I didn’t even know they had The Bachelor in other countries!
The Bachelor Winter Games premiered last Tuesday, Feb.13, so hurry and catch up before the next episode tomorrow night! And don’t forget to watch Arie as he visits the hometowns of Tia, Lauren B., Becca K. and Kendall tonight at 8 p.m.! (By the way, I’m locking in Lauren B. as my prediction for the winner, what do you think?)