‘Bachelor’ producers admit to tormenting contestants to make for more dramatic TV: ‘You better cry’
Every rose has its thorn.
Producers on ABC’s “The Bachelor” have admitted to psychologically “wrecking” contestants in order to up the drama factor on the long-running dating reality show.
Michael Carroll, a former producer, detailed the alleged abuse in an interview for Vice’s docuseries, “Dark Side of the 2000s,” which airs at 9 p.m.Tuesdays on Vice TV.
“The Bachelor,” created by Mike Fleiss, first aired in 2002. Viewers soon became attached to the show’s cast of characters, who producers said were carefully chosen based on their personality traits.
“We needed a bimbo. We needed a ho. We needed a ditzy girl that everyone could make fun of,” Carroll told Vice.
Producers would learn about their contestants’ back stories and “wield them like a weapon,” he said.
“She just went through a breakup, she just got over anorexia, she has been a bridesmaid 15 times but never a bride. She’s gonna f–k somebody on Day 1. She’s a virgin and she’s never gonna f–k. That’s the reality. They want to know what’s gonna happen in that house,” ex-casting director Marki Costello recalled.
Producers would bring up topics from contestants’ pasts, “wrecking them psychologically,” and making them cry.
“We had a lot of tactics on how to get a girl to cry on camera, everyone had their own shtick. You had to go for their hot buttons,” said Carroll. “Their dad left them when they were 8 years old. They were left at the altar. And that’s how it is if you want to be on ‘The Bachelor.’ ”
Contestants who didn’t cry enough would be booted off the show somehow — finally giving producers their long-awaited tears, he said.
“You’re gonna cry right here, and if you don’t cry enough, we’re going to find a way to get you out, and then we’re gonna make you cry when you leave because you didn’t get ‘The Bachelor.’ So … you better cry.”
Fleiss left “The Bachelor” in March after 21 years.
The Post reached out to a rep from “The Bachelor” for comment.
A surefire way to make a situation more emotional and dramatic was to add alcohol to the mix, Carroll told Vice.
Kelly Jo Higgins, a contestant on the fourth season of the show, confirmed Carroll’s claim.
“It’s like a truth serum in a situation like ‘The Bachelor,’ ” Higgins said.
“So yes, of course, I think alcohol played a part in some people either being more comfortable in front of the camera or willing to share more,” she added.
In addition to lowering people’s inhibitions, alcohol also served a purpose in the storyline of some episodes.
Carroll said that on the first episode of Season 1, the female contestants were kept in a limo with a lot of Champagne and no bathroom.
“They’re just sitting in the limo, drinking Champagne until they’re blotto,’” he said.
“There’s nowhere for them to go to the bathroom, so all the beautiful girls, 25, have to get out of the car and pee on the side of the road in their gowns. Fantastic.”
The show was a smash hit and remains on the air. “The Bachelorette,” which reversed roles from the original, debuted in 2003. The latest spinoff, “The Golden Bachelor,” will feature a 71-year-old widowed grandfather for its first season.
