Every season of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette ranked

By Megan Riedlinger 5:30am PST, Nov 15, 2020

Season 16 of "The Bachelorette" might actually have been the "most dramatic season ever"! In honor of Clare Crawley's bizarre roller-coaster ride of a run — which saw her engaged to contestant Dale Moss after just two weeks — Wonderwall.com is ranking every season of "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette"! Yep, that's right — we've watched all 15 seasons of "The Bachelorette" (which all ended in proposals, by the way!) and all 24 seasons of "The Bachelor" (which… didn't) and now it's time to rank them based on least memorable (Aaron Buerge, anyone?) to most insanely addicting (cough, Juan Pablo, cough)! Keep reading to see how your favorite season stacks up…

No. 39: Aaron Buerge, "The Bachelor" season 2

Though Aaron Buerge's season 2 of "The Bachelor" retains the esteemed distinction of being the first to extend an actual proposal (we'll get to Alex Michel's mess later), it didn't make the episodes any more memorable. Aside from sending home frontrunner Gwen Gioia at the final rose ceremony, Missouri-born banker Aaron just wasn't very interesting. His relationship with top pick Helene Eksterowicz ended five weeks after the finale aired.

No. 38: Desiree Hartsock, "The Bachelorette" season 9

Desiree Hartsock's season 9 of "The Bachelorette" was the snooziest of the franchise to date. The highlights from Desiree's journey to find love? Well, first, it was where we met our very favorite "The Bachelor" villain, Juan Pablo Galavis, who was eliminated during week 6; and second, Desiree was very obviously in love with contestant Brooks Forester, who ended up eliminating himself from the final three because he wasn't feeling it. The season gave us the most boring finale ever. Desiree knew Chris Siegfried was her preferred pick out of the final two and dismissed Drew Kenney very early on, which led to zero suspense when handing out the final rose. But, on the bright side, Desiree got that happily ever after — the couple are now married with two sons.

No. 37: Meredith Phillips, "The Bachelorette" season 2

After being rejected by season 4 "The Bachelor" star Bob Guiney, Meredith Phillips was selected to star on the second installment of "The Bachelorette." Overall, there weren't many standout moments on her bland episodes — until the very end. When it was down to the final two, Meredith made the mistake of uttering those three little words to contestant Matthew Hickl before picking his competition, Ian McKee. Oops! The two ended up splitting not long after the show came to an end.

No. 36: Andy Baldwin, "The Bachelor" season 10

Back in 2007, Andy Baldwin was named "The Bachelor." Though the U.S. Navy officer was handsome, his quest to find love just wasn't riveting. He does, however, get points for the most dramatic ditching of a runner-up in franchise history: After picking Tessa Horst, Andy hopped in a helicopter with the winner, leaving second-place contestant Peyton Wright stranded on an aircraft carrier.

No. 35: Becca Kufrin, "The Bachelorette" season 14

After being a part of one of the "The Bachelor" franchise's most dramatic love triangles ever, we expected a lot from Becca Kufrin's season. Maybe that's why it was such a letdown? Though Becca was lovely and likable, the season was a snoozefest — with many spotting Garrett Yrigoyen as the frontrunner early on (a fact that was not helped by TMZ's widely read coverage that spoiled the finale months before it aired). Despite the lack of drama and an overall unexciting season, there was some pretty crazy scandal off screen. Two of Becca's suitors had some previous bad behavior dug up on social media — including winner Garrett. Fans of the show discovered that Garrett had controversially "liked" some politically incorrect posts on Instagram, for which he later apologized. There was also the discovery that another contestant, Lincoln Adim, had been convicted of indecent assault and battery back in 2016… but unfortunately that salacious stuff doesn't count toward Becca's season's ranking. Meanwhile, Becca and Garrett split in 2020 after he made some more controversial comments.

No. 34: Byron Velvick, "The Bachelor" season 6

Remember when Bachelor Nation was appalled that the men got to pick between Kaitlyn Bristowe and Britt Nilsson to decide who would be season 11's "The Bachelorette"? Well, those faithful to the franchise (us!) know that producers used the same tactic during season 6 of "The Bachelor" way back in 2004. That season, Byron Velvick went head-to-head with potential "The Bachelor" Jay Overbye and the women voted for their preferred prospective suitor. Byron won by one vote, which was pretty indicative of what kind of season he would go on to have. We remember very little from his run as "The Bachelor," which is never a good sign. He ultimately picked Mary Delgado and the pair lasted for an impressive five years after she accepted that final rose.

No. 33: Chris Soules, "The Bachelor" season 19

Chris Soules had a lot of future fan favorites on his season of "The Bachelor," but the mild-mannered farmer from Andi Dorfman's previous "The Bachelorette" stint sure didn't serve up any drama! Chris, who needed to find a woman who wanted to relocate to his farm in Iowa, had many interesting personalities among his contestants — both Ashley Salter and Ashley Iaconetti competed for his final rose — but his final two, Becca Tilley and Whitney Bischoff, were predictable. The most interesting things to come out of this season? Contestant Kelsey Poe's bizarre back story about her late husband, and Chris and Whitney's inevitable messy breakup.

No. 32: Travis Stork, "The Bachelor" season 8

Travis Stork was the "The Bachelor" franchise's first doctor, but his installment of the reality show definitely didn't revive any lives. Though it was back when the series had a much bigger travel budget — they sent them to Paris! — not many memorable moments stick out from Travis's relationship with winner Sarah Stone. In fact, he didn't even propose on the final episode, and the couple ended up splitting shortly after the show aired.

No. 31: Bob Guiney, "The Bachelor" season 4

"The Bachelor" recycled former contestant and fan favorite Bob Guiney from season 1 of "The Bachelorette" to lead the former's season 4. Though he lacked the good looks of previous stars, women fell hard for his sense of humor. He gave his final pick, contestant Estella Gardinier, a promise ring in lieu of an engagement ring, which didn't go so well. The couple were over not long after the season aired.

No. 30: Brad Womack, "The Bachelor" season 15

Brad Womack served as the star of "The Bachelor" for two different seasons, and his second venture was less memorable than his iconic first attempt (more on that later). On season 15 of "The Bachelor," Brad was given a second chance to find love and purported to have found it with his pick, Emily Maynard. Maybe if we knew all the behind-the-scenes drama back then, this season would have ranked higher, but it wasn't until Emily wrote a tell-all in 2016 that we learned the juiciest part of their love story. Before the show ever aired, the couple had already broken up and gotten back together, and she eventually learned of their demise via an email Brad sent to producers that she was cc'd on. Ouch! Those parts would have been ratings gold!

No. 29: Emily Maynard, "The Bachelorette" season 8

From one unsuccessful attempt at finding love on television to another! Emily Maynard landed season 8 of "The Bachelorette" once her relationship with Brad Womack came to an end. She was certainly a force to be reckoned with during her quest for marriage, and her bubbly personality was a lot more prevalent as she starred on the show, but she ranks lower because she lost us when it came time for her final pick. How do you not choose Arie?! Emily infamously picked Jef Holm over Arie Luyendyk Jr., puzzling women around the world. But Emily got the last laugh — once Arie took over as the star of "The Bachelor" for season 22, women everywhere realized why she sent him packing.

No. 28: Jesse Palmer, "The Bachelor" season 5

Ladies got lucky when auditioning for season 5 of "The Bachelor." On the heels of Bob Guiney's lackluster season, the show managed to find an NFL quarterback willing to look for love during primetime — Jesse Palmer. But despite his flashy job title, the season overall fell flat. He eventually gave his final rose to Jessica Bowlin, sans an engagement ring, which is always telling. The two were toast shortly after the show ended.

No. 27: Jen Schefft, "The Bachelorette" season 3

Though her season was pretty forgettable, Jen Schefft became a "The Bachelorette" trailblazer after she did the unthinkable at her final rose ceremony. Instead of picking one of her potential suitors, Jen opted to reject both of them — despite there technically being a very heartfelt proposal involved. It was the first time the franchise ended without a happy couple.

No. 26: Alex Michel, "The Bachelor" season 1

Businessman Alex Michel was the first ever star of "The Bachelor." Why? We're still not sure. But without Alex, we might not have our favorite show, so we're forever grateful and will forgive him for being one of the most boring bachelors of all time and refusing to propose and instead asking Amanda Marsh to be his "girlfriend." Yawn!

No. 25: Ben Higgins, "The Bachelor" season 20

"The Bachelor" star Ben Higgins gets no credit for being this high up on the list. If left to his own devices, he most certainly would have come in closer to last place. The reason for the higher ranking? The ladies of his season! Particularly, the one we loved to hate, Olivia Caridi, and fan favorite Jubilee Sharpe. Unfortunately, in a sea of big personalities, Ben opted for Lauren Bushnell… and we all know how that ended. We will give Ben credit for inadvertently spicing things up while making the ultimate "Bachelor"-land faux pas — telling two women he loved them ahead of that final rose ceremony.

No. 24: Prince Lorenzo Borghese, "The Bachelor" season 9

A real prince as "The Bachelor"? That had to be too good to be true… and it was. Though the season took place in Rome, in a move that would never happen on today's travel budget, Italian Prince Lorenzo Borghese delivered a lackluster season. The most memorable moments mainly belonged to crazy contestant Erica Rose, and we remember very little about Lorenzo's winner, Jennifer Wilson. Next!

No. 23: Kaitlyn Bristowe, "The Bachelorette" season 11

The beginning of the season made waves: ABC received backlash after pitting Kaitlyn Bristowe and Britt Nilsson against one another on "The Bachelorette." But once fan favorite Kaitlyn took over as the show's star, things got less interesting. Though we loved her spunky personality (and her wardrobe), Kaitlyn's cardinal sin of accidentally revealing the winner on Snapchat early on in the season made this installment a bit of a dud. Shawn Booth was the obvious winner, which that pesky snap confirmed weeks before he got down on one knee on TV.

No. 22: Ashley Hebert, "The Bachelorette" season 7

Ashley Hebert is one of two seasons' worth of women who were sent home by Brad Womack, but she parlayed heartbreak into being one of three of those women who later starred as "The Bachelorette." Her season was largely forgettable — who remembers that Ben Flajnik was her runner-up?! — but she found love with J.P. Rosenbaum, whom she married and had two kids with. But it wasn't meant to be: In 2020, they announced plans to divorce.

No. 21: Hannah Brown, "The Bachelorette" season 15

Season 15 of "The Bachelorette" saw Hannah Brown take the lead and have a relatively uneventful season… minus a very awkward confrontation with Luke P. about her getting intimate with the other contestants. But like some of her fellow leads, things really got interesting when it came time for her finale. Though she originally picked contestant Jed Wyatt and turned down fan favorite Tyler Cameron, it was later revealed that Jed was in a serious relationship prior to joining the show. Hannah broke up with Jed, ending their engagement, and later asked runner-up Tyler out for a drink… and though rumors of their relationship ramping back up continued to circulate into 2020, the two never made things official.

No. 20: Andrew Firestone, "The Bachelor" season 3

Okay, fine, one of the main reasons Andrew Firestone's season of "The Bachelor" was memorable was due to his face. And abs. Producers really delivered a lot of eye candy on this early round of the show, which might be why it's difficult to remember most of his contestants. The pretty face and heir to the Firestone fortune selected Jennifer Schefft, which obviously didn't last since we previously covered her lackluster "The Bachelorette" season.

No. 19: Rachel Lindsay, "The Bachelorette" season 13

Rachel Lindsay goes down as one of our favorite "The Bachelorette" stars, but she ranks right in the middle due to that disappointing finale! We, along with the rest of Bachelor Nation, were really pulling for the gorgeous Peter Kraus, but his confession that he wasn't quite ready to propose got him sent home. Seeing Rachel settle for the lackluster Bryan Abasolo (remember his crazy mom?) was sort of depressing, keeping this otherwise awesome season from ranking higher on our list. We'd take a potential future with Peter over a ring from Bryan any day! But Rachel and Bryan went the distance and married in 2019.

No. 18: DeAnna Pappas, "The Bachelorette" season 4

DeAnna Pappas was one of Brad Womack's castoffs, and the first of his rejected women to star as "The Bachelorette." America was puzzled when she picked Jesse Csincsak over the beloved Jason Mesnick (who wouldn't stay so beloved by Bachelor Nation, but more on that later!), but the real juicy part of the season came in that same episode when former contestant Jeremy Anderson came back uninvited to try to win her back. Unfortunately for Jeremy and Jason, her heart belonged to wildcard Jesse — and now we're wondering how she kept all these J names straight!

No. 17: Charlie O'Connell, "The Bachelor" season 7

We wish this trend had stuck! "The Bachelor" tapped an actor for the coveted starring role on season 7, and Charlie O'Connell came aboard to look for love on television…. as himself. It was an interesting take, since he was somewhat already familiar to viewers, who watched him eventually give a promise ring to Sarah Brice. Like many seasons, the fun part came after, when Sarah ended up selling that ring on eBay after their inevitable split.

No. 16: Ali Fedotowsky, "The Bachelorette" season 6

Curious as to why Ali Fedotowsky's "The Bachelorette" season landed here? We'll admit our bias: We had a gigantic crush on contestant Roberto Martinez. We don't even care that she sent home runner-up Chris Lambton too early and killed all mystery surrounding her final pick. We just wanted Roberto to get more screen time. Thanks, Ali!

No. 15: Andi Dorfman, "The Bachelorette" season 10

After surviving Juan Pablo Galavis's season, Andi Dorfman went on to head up "The Bachelorette" season 10. The attorney herself wasn't terribly compelling, but her contestants sure were! Among them? Farmer and fan favorite Chris Soules and the infamous Nick Viall. Though Andi picked Josh Murray, no one really remembers because that got eclipsed by rejected Nick's insane "After the Final Rose" rant, which included him accusing Andi of leading him on after sleeping with him. Don't worry, we'll get to Nick soon!

No. 14: Brad Womack, "The Bachelor" season 11

From the most beloved to one of the most reviled, Brad Womack's first "The Bachelor" attempt is up next! During the bar owner's first try to find love, he ended up pulling a Jen Schefft and became the first "The Bachelor" star to send both of his final two home in a season that went down in infamy. The move was unprecedented on the male version of the show but made for some pretty great TV, especially considering how worked up he got when sending both ladies home. The fact that the "Bachelor" team gave him another chance four years later makes his season even more memorable.

No. 13: JoJo Fletcher, "The Bachelorette" season 11

After Ben Higgins told her he loved her and then promptly sent her packing, JoJo Fletcher was given a second shot at finding love on the small screen on the next season of "The Bachelorette." She was given a fascinating, though not particularly handsome, cast of contestants, including one of our all-time favorites, "Bad Chad" Johnson (we really loved the controversial contestant), and erectile dysfunction specialist Evan Bass. But her final rose ultimately went to NFL star Aaron Rodgers' brother, Jordan Rodgers, though we thought at the time that Robby Hayes would have been the way to go.

No. 12: Peter Weber, "The Bachelor" season 24

Season 24 of the "The Bachelor" saw Peter Weber step into the starring role. The pilot's season was pretty snoozy… up until the very end! His opinionated mom Barbara stole the show, letting her son know exactly who she didn't want him to pick — Madison Prewett. Things really heated up during Peter's "After the Final Rose" special — when it was revealed that he'd split from his top pick, Hannah Ann Sluss, and instead rekindled things with his runner-up, Madison (to the dismay of his mother). His relationship with Madison was very short-lived and in the spring of 2020, he started dating his fifth place contestant, Kelley Flanagan. So despite a largely uneventful season, this one ranks higher for that seriously scandalous finale!

No. 11: Matt Grant, "The Bachelor" season 12

Matt Grant's season of "The Bachelor" might rank surprisingly high, and not just because he had a cute accent and the show was based out of London. No, no, this ranking is all due to one standout contestant who paved the way for the likes of Courtney Robertson and Corinne Olympios after her, the one and only Shayne Lamas. The daughter of Lorenzo Lamas arrived on the British hunk's season full of attitude, and Matt took notice. In one of the cutest proposals ever (he already had a pet name for her!), Shayne said yes and the two lived happily ever after… for a few more months.

No. 10: Jillian Harris, "The Bachelorette" season 5

Our favorite HGTV host, Jillian Harris (shout out to "Love It or List It, Too"!), also starred on one of our favorite "The Bachelorette" installments! Canadian Jillian weeded through plenty of pesky contestants (remember Wes Hayden's confession that he had a girlfriend back home?) but ultimately rejected frontrunner Kiptyn Locke and selected smarmy Ed Swiderski. Her disappointing final selection wasn't the only dramatic moment the finale held in store — she actually had to turn down two men on her final episode. Aside from Kiptyn, former contestant Reid Rosenthal also returned at the last minute to propose — with a ring — and Jillian had to send him packing for the second time that season.

No. 9: Sean Lowe, "The Bachelor" season 17

The nicest "The Bachelor" star in franchise history? That's hands-down got to be Sean Lowe. The season 17 star claimed the first successful match in franchise history when he gave cutie Catherine Giudici his final rose (Jason Mesnick technically doesn't count because he ended up with his runner-up). The couple's wedding was later broadcast as its own ABC special. Though the season wasn't particularly juicy — his love for Catherine was pretty obvious early on — this one ranks highly for proving that this show can really work! The two are still happily married and now have three kids.

No. 8: Nick Viall, "The Bachelor" season 21

Look, we really didn't want to put vile Nick Viall up this high, but there's one thing that can't be denied — his season was incredible to hate-watch. It was his fourth venture with the franchise — first was Andi Dorfman's "The Bachelorette" season, then Kaitlyn Bristowe's, then he did a stint on "Bachelor in Paradise" before ABC inexplicably chose him to front season 21 of "The Bachelor." His season produced some fan favorites (Corinne! And who didn't love Raven?!), but his final pick, Vanessa Grimaldi, was groan-worthy. It was only a matter of time before those two announced their split. Maybe Nick will be the next Brad Womack and set a "Bachelor" record for most attempts to find love ever?!

No. 7: Jake Pavelka, "The Bachelor" season 14

Alright, this season ranks high more for the fallout afterward, but Jake Pavelka's reign as "The Bachelor" during season 14 brought us one of the most infamous Bachelor Nation villains of all time — Vienna Girardi. Everyone hated Vienna, but against all odds, she persevered and came out on top. The result? An incredibly sloppy split, after which ABC managed to wrangle both parties to do sit-down interviews and an insane he-said, she-said battle ensued. The former couple couldn't agree on anything — including the basic fact of who broke up with whom. Their reunion was explosive and better than an entire season's worth of the series, but an honorable mention goes to the drama that was contestant Rozlyn Papa. The blonde beauty was accused of having a relationship with a producer and dismissed from the show in a true "Bachelor" franchise first.

No. 6: Jason Mesnick, "The Bachelor" season 13

Unlucky season 13! Jason Mesnick goes down as the messiest "The Bachelor" star in history (and that includes the aforementioned Jake Pavelka, Juan Pablo and Brad Womack) thanks to his antics during his installment of the reality show. Though most of the season wasn't notable, that finale — and the aftermath — keeps this season at the top of the rankings. The DeAnna Pappas castoff proposed to one woman, Melissa Rycroft, but then dumped her on the "After the Final Rose" special… for the contestant he rejected at the finale, Molly Malaney. The bright side of this big mess? Those two are still happily married and have two children.

No. 5: Ben Flajnik, "The Bachelor" season 16

Ben Flajnik gets absolutely zero credit for this one. All of the credit for landing at No. 3 goes to his top pick — Courtney "I got the rose" Robertson! We could go on about Courtney all day, but it suffices to say she's our favorite female contestant in "The Bachelor" history. Not only did she not come to the mansion to make friends, but she blatantly rubbed her advancing relationship in the rest of the women's faces and still made it to the final rose! Warnings from the other women never deterred Ben, who was head-over-heels for the model, and handed her not only a final rose but an engagement ring. The couple obviously didn't last, but our fond memories of Courtney dominating that season will!

No. 4: Arie Luyendyk Jr., "The Bachelor" season 22

If this ranking was based on likability, Arie Luyendyk Jr. would have been a lot farther back, but we can't deny that 2018's season 22 of "The Bachelor" was phenomenal television. It all started out with Bachelor Nation wondering why Arie was even picked considering he hadn't been on the franchise since 2012. Despite his head-scratching selection, we certainly weren't disappointed by his antics. Arie infamously proposed to Becca Kufrin only to take it back a few months later, making sure "The Bachelor" cameras were on hand to catch the painfully awkward breakup. And then to add insult to injury, he pulled a Jason Mesnick and proposed to runner-up Lauren Burnham — live on "The Bachelor: After the Final Rose"! Needless to say, though Arie wasn't a fan favorite, his season sure kept us on the edge of our seats!

No. 3: Trista Rehn, "The Bachelorette" season 1

The very first season of "The Bachelorette" delivered the most successful love story in franchise history! Trista Rehn, who had been the runner-up on Alex Michel's season, got the female-led version of the show started back in 2003 and found real, true love with contestant Ryan Sutter. The two are still happily married with two children and continue to give hope to all prospective "Bachelor" franchise participants everywhere.

2. Colton Underwood, "The Bachelor" season 23

Beauty queens fighting, a virgin bachelor and a frontrunner choosing to go home on fantasy suite night? Colton Underwood's season of "The Bachelor" certainly lived up to the "most dramatic season ever" hype! By the end of its run, his season had become the first to not feature a final rose ceremony between two women. Though Brad Womack's first time around the block saw him become the first "The Bachelor" star to not pick either of his two ladies, Colton made history by sending two of his top three home early… after being dramatically dumped by his No. 1 pick, Cassie Randolph. Colton eschewed tradition, jumped a fence and truly went rogue after Cassie opted to head home. He tearfully dumped the other two ladies, Tayshia Adams and Hannah Godwin, and vowed to follow his heart and still go after Cassie (despite the beauty have explicitly told him she wasn't on the same page — dude, she's just not that into you!). Season 23 provided the most unorthodox and shocking ending yet in what can only be described as appointment TV: Colton inexplicably won Cassie back, but there was no engagement: they just dated until they ultimately split in 2020 in a contentious breakup that involved a restraining order.

No. 1: Juan Pablo Galavis, "The Bachelor" season 18

Did you want romance? A couple who found true love? Then our top pick is not the right "The Bachelor" season for you! But if you wanted jaw-dropping, must-see TV, Juan Pablo Galavis' insane installment of "The Bachelor" is the best choice! The season started off innocently enough: Fans cheered when handsome single dad Juan Pablo on Desiree Hartsock's season was selected to helm the franchise's season 18. But after a few episodes, the tables turned and he became the most hated star of "The Bachelor" in the show's history. A few of his more cringeworthy moments? Saying something so offensive to contestant Clare Crawley that she cried and wouldn't repeat it on television; being so rude and narcissistic to contestant Andi Dorfman that she "couldn't wait" to leave the fantasy suite; and refusing to propose or say the word "love" when it came time to pick his final lady, Nikki Ferrell. Needless to say, the couple later did time on VH1's "Couples Therapy," but even another stint on reality television couldn't help this doomed relationship. They split a few months later.