As a devoted member of Bachelor Nation, you’ve watched Bachelorettes find their perfect match, with some couples lasting and others fading as quickly as they fell in love. To mark the anticipated finale of Jenn Tran’s season, we’ve ranked every Bachelorette winner from best to worst.
The Bachelorette premiered over two decades ago on January 8, 2003. The popular ABC series is a spin-off of The Bachelor, and its first-ever season featured Trista Rehn, the show’s inaugural Bachelorette, who previously competed on The Bachelor. Trista and her season’s winner, Ryan Sutter, are still together, and the adorable couple recently celebrated their 20th anniversary.
Although there are a few success stories in the Bachelorette franchise (shoutout to JoJo and Jordan!), many Bachelorette couples only last a few months or years after their season ends. In two decades, there have been both beloved and disappointing winners, including contestants who joined the show for the wrong reasons, were in a relationship while participating, or engaged in infidelity.
The Bachelorette Winners, Ranked, From Best To Worst
Read on for the ranked The Bachelorette winners, including the most loved and controversial winners to come out of ABC’s reality dating show.
Ryan Sutter – Season 1 (Trista Rehn)
Image Credit: Getty Images One of the best Bachelorette winners is Ryan Sutter, who fell in love with Trista Rehn in the first-ever season of the show. The couple tied the knot in a televised ceremony in December 2003, and more than two decades later, their love remains strong. They reside in Colorado with their two children, Max and Blakesley. To mark their 20th anniversary, Trista shared a heartwarming video on Instagram, captioning it, “Our 20th chapter starts now… and I couldn’t be more grateful.”
Jordan Rodgers – Season 12 (Jojo Fletcher)
Image Credit: Getty Images One of the most beloved couples in Bachelorette history is JoJo Fletcher and Jordan Rodgers, the younger brother of NFL Quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers won the twelfth season of The Bachelorette. Despite having to postpone their wedding twice due to the pandemic, the couple finally tied the knot on May 14, 2022, six years after their engagement.
“It sounds cliché, but I really am marrying my best friend,” JoJo told People at the time. “Everything that’s happened in our relationship has only made us stronger. And we just feel so lucky.” They had a house-flipping TV series in 2019 called “Cash Pad” and co-hosted the reality dating show “The Big D” in 2023.
Dotun Olubeko – Season 20 (Charity Lawson)
Image Credit: Getty Images Charity Lawson found her prince charming in Dotun Olybeko, the winner of The Bachelorette Season 20. The couple left the show engaged and announced in August 2023 their plans to live together in NYC. Dotun stood by Charity’s side as she competed and finished fourth in Dancing With the Stars Season 32. To mark their first anniversary as a couple, Dotun shared a heartfelt tribute to Charity on Instagram.
“April 30, 2023 like it was yesterday,” he captioned the post, adding, “Sitting in my hotel room in Fiji, uncertain of if you would accept me in the moments leading up to my proposal. To taking off my suit in our villa, staring at my new fiancé wondering and hoping that the love we were feeling would continue outside of that fantasy.”
Chris Siegfried – Season 9 (Desiree Hartsock)
Image Credit: Getty Images Mortgage lender Chris Siegfried captured Desiree Hartsock’s heart in Season 9 of The Bachelorette. Despite frontrunner Brooks Forester’s unexpected departure after admitting he wasn’t fully invested, Desiree found lasting love with Chris. The couple married in January 2015 and are still going strong, raising their two sons, Asher and Zander Cruz. Recently, the duo celebrated their ninth wedding anniversary on Instagram in January 2024.
“N I N E years ago today my life changed forever! ❤️,” she wrote in the caption. “I walked down the aisle to my forever! It’s been almost a decade of life lessons, growth, hills and valleys but if there’s one thing for certain, I wouldn’t want to do this life with anyone else. With each passing year our love grows stronger, more vulnerable, and even more tightly intertwined. Always falling forward @chrisrsiegfried ❤️ I love you.”
Shawn Booth – Season 11 (Kaitlyn Bristowe)
Image Credit: Getty Images In 2015, Shawn Booth got down on one knee and proposed to Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe at the end of her season in July 2015. They were together for over three years after the show, but their relationship came to an end November 2018. Years later, Bristowe had only positive things to say about her time with Booth.
“I still like to think of my season and the relationship that came out of it — it was somewhat of a success,” Bristowe said during the “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast in July 2024. “Even though we didn’t get married, we were together for almost four years.”
Blake Moynes – Season 17 (Katie Thurston)
Image Credit: Getty Images Blake Moynes was the last man standing on Katie Thurston’s season. However, the couple split in October 2021, three months after their engagement aired on The Bachelorette Season 17. Moynes continued his search for love on Season 9 of Bachelor and Paradise, and Thurston supported her ex’s journey to find his person and appeared on the spinoff to give him advice.
“You saw in the episode, it was a very cordial and mutual mature conversation that allowed us to essentially connect again in the outside world, but in a very friendly manner,” Blake said about their reunion on the “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast. “To the point where now, it just feels supportive. I knew she was going on another show and we were able to connect in the outside world in a way where you can have a healthy relationship with an ex. That’s where that is.
J.P. Rosenbaum – Season 7 (Ashley Hebert)
Image Credit: Getty Images Ashley Hebert and J.P. Rosenbaum were among the most successful relationships in Bachelor Nation history. They found love during Season 7 of the show, were married for eight years, and share two children: a son, Fordham, and a daughter, Essex. H. However, their fairytale romance ended in 2020, when they split after almost a decade together. They both posted statements on Instagram citing irrevocable differences.
“It is with a heavy heart that I share with you that, after months of separation, Jp and I have amicably decided to go our separate ways,” the pediatric dentist wrote at the time. “Our differences have taken a toll on our relationship and after years of attempting to repair the damage, we’ve decided that it is in our family’s best interest to create new and separate lives for our children.”
Roberto Martinez – Season 6 (Ali Fedotowsky)
Image Credit: Getty Images One of the most fan-favorite relationships in the Bachelorette franchise was between Ali Fedotowsky and Season 6 winner Roberto Martinez. But after 18 months of engagement, the couple announced that they had broken up in November 2011, shocking fans of the show. Fedotowsky told People that the pair had been facing challenges for a long time, and they both realized they had different personalities.
“A lot of times what I wanted to do and what he wanted to do didn’t match up,” she revealed. “One of us was always compromising with the other, or we both ended up not doing what we wanted and staying home.”
Jesse Csincsak – Season 4 (Deanna Pappas)
Image Credit: Everett Collection Jesse Csincsak and Deanna Pappas fell in love on The Bachelorette in 2008 during Season 4. Csincsak proposed to the real estate agent with a Tacori 2.3-carat diamond ring, and they set their wedding day for May 9, 2009. However, four months after the finale aired, Pappas called it all off.
“It’s our responsibility to tell you we’re not together anymore,” Csincsak revealed on the couple’s website (according to People). He explained that it was Pappas who ended things, and he tried everything to “make this work.” The former Bachelorette broke things off by telling him, “‘I love you, but I’m not in love with you,’” he said. “She’s a great person but she wasn’t willing to try anymore … That’s a lot to swallow no matter who you are when you’re in love and you put yourself out there.”
Ed Swiderski – Season 5 (Jillian Harris)
Image Credit: Everett Collection During Season 5 of The Bachelorette, Jillian Harris accepted Ed Swiderski’s proposal. However, while the show was taping, several media sites reported that Swiderski had been involved with two other women in Chicago. Following their engagement, both Jillian and Ed denied the cheating rumors. “Jillian and I have been the target of being one of the very few successful couples on the show. We’re clearly being targeted because we’re happy,” Swiderski said on Good Morning America at the time.
One year later, news broke that the couple had split. “It was the last thing I wanted to do,” Harris told US Weekly. “It’s terrible to leave because the other person doesn’t know what they want,” Harris said she “fought very hard” to save the relationship and that Ed’s “not a bad guy,” but he’s not “ready to grow up.”
Jerry Ferris – Season 3 (Jen Schefft)
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC Jerry Ferris was the winner of Jen Schefft’s season of The Bachelorette. But Schefft eventually learned that Ferris wasn’t entirely who he said he was. Jenn later revealed that producers told her that Fettis was an art gallery director when he just worked at an art store in an LA mall. He was also an aspiring actor, but the producer also decided to keep that a secret.
“He misrepresented himself, or they misrepresented him… but it kind of ended with me looking like the bad guy. Things are a lot different than they make things seem to be.” Very interesting…,” Schefft said on the “Reality Life With Kate Casey” podcast 2017.
Erich Schwer – Season 22 (Gabby Windey)
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC Erich Schwer proposed to Gabby Windey in Season 19 of The Bachelorette. Unfortunately, the couple called it quits less than two months after their engagement aired live on ABC. Windey opened up about the split while competing on Season 32 of Dancing With the Stars.
“The end of our relationship happened because we weren’t completely in step and in sync with each other in our common goals or just the way we approach life,” she told her partner, Val Chmerkovskiy, at the time. Three months after their split, Schwer appeared to be dating model and influencer Elizabeth Turne. Windey is currently in a relationship with her partner, Robby Hoffman.
Zac Clark – Season 16 (Tayshia Adams)
Image Credit: Getty Images By the end of Season 16, it seemed as though Zac Clark and Tayshia Adams were ready to start their happily ever after. Together, they made it through all 26.2 miles of the New York City Marathon. But just a few weeks later, Adams and Clark shockingly ended their engagement, nearly one year after their finale aired on ABC.
While appearing on Ben and Ashley I’s “Almost Famous Podcast,” Clark said he doesn’t regret his relationship with Adams. “In the moment, it felt real, it felt right — it was all those things. I wouldn’t change anything,” he explained. “I don’t live in regret. It’s a very special moment in time and in my life, regardless of what happened.”
Garret Yrigoyen – Season 14 (Becca Kufrin)
Image Credit: Getty Images Becca Kufrin first met Garret Yrigoyen while he was a contestant on The Bachelorette Season 14. He captured her heart (and the first impression rose) and proposed to Kufrin in the touching finale. They officially moved together in January 2019, but their wedding date never came. Kufrin confirmed their breakup in September 2020 after rumors started swirling that the couple had split.
“When we broke up, and there was no chance of that reconnecting, life goes on,” Garrett said on Ben and Ashley I’s “Almost Famous” podcast. “We just want what’s best for each other — at least I want what’s best for her.” Kufrin eventually found love on “Bachelor in Paradise” Katie Thurston’s ex, Thomas Jacobs. They got married and welcomed a baby boy last year.
Ian Mckee – Season 2 (Meredith Phillips)
Image Credit: Getty Images Ian Mckee was the second-ever winner of The Bachelorette. After the finale, he left his New York job in equity research sales to move in with his Phillips in California. But they called things off one year after the show. From day one, he said he could never see himself proposing to a woman on national television or saying the words ‘I love you,”’ Bachelorette co-executive producer Lisa Levenson told People at the time (per EW).
In a statement, the couple said their break up was mutual. ”Our relationship began with great expectations for a happy ending, but unfortunately things didn’t work out as we had hoped,” they said. ”What we experienced together was incredible and we are both sad to see it end. We thank you for your support.”
Jef Holm – Season 8 (Emily Maynard)
Image Credit: Getty Images In 2012, Emily Maynard was searching for her forever person on The Bachelorette Season 8 and narrowed it down to lovable entrepreneur Jef Holm. The couple seemed overjoyed and happy with their engagement in “After the Final Rose.” To the shock of Bachelor Nation, the couple decided to end their relationship a few months after that.
“Meeting Emily on The Bachelorette was an incredible experience, we’ve had quite the journey,” Holm said in a statement after their split. “I’ve never loved someone so much in my whole life, Emily is the best person and mom I have ever met. She opened up her world to me and I fell in love with her, [her daughter] Ricki, her family and the Hendricks.”
Nayte Olukoya – Season 18 (Michelle Young)
Image Credit: Getty Images Nayte Olukoya earned Michelle Young’s first impression role on Season 18 of The Bachelorette, and that lasting impression made it to the finale, where Young said yes to his proposal. The lovebirds planned to move to move to her native Minnesota and get married in the near future. Less than two months later, they split up, and apparently, not in the way you would hope so.
Olukoya allegedly ended his relationship with her over the phone and started having doubts less than two weeks after the finale. “Not every breakup needs to have someone to blame. Yes, many of you seem to paint me as a red flag/ f—k boy … But I’m actually a decent guy, and I only want to continue getting better,” he wrote on Instagram at the time. “As we should all want for ourselves.” Meanwhile, Young admitted the breakup came as a surprise. “I will say this is not something that I foresaw and I’ll leave it there,” she revealed on the “Almost Famous” podcast on July 5.
Dale Moss – Season 16 (Clare Crawley)
Image Credit: Getty Images Clare Crawley had one of the oddest Bachelorette seasons in history. Only 12 days after starting her season, Crawley and Dale Moss left the show as an engaged couple mid-season. “It’s wild that we’re here right now, but when you know, you know,” Moss later explained about their choice to leave, per People. “This is how it was supposed to happen at the beginning. We saw this coming a long time ago.” Crawley added, “We so saw this coming. I felt it. I knew it.”
But the couple experienced many ups and downs in their relationship, including a brief split. They officially called things off for good in September 2021. “I was in a relationship that was not healthy for me … it crushed me,” Crawley said on the “Almost Famous” podcast in August 2023. “That relationship brought out the worst in me. It crushed me. It crushed my spirit. It crushed in so many ways who I was as a woman.”
She also detailed an upsetting interaction she had on her last day with him. “The very last day that I saw him was the day I was gonna have to go say goodbye to my mother because she was really really sick,” she added. “He basically said, ‘That’s not my problem.’ I begged him to please not leave me in that moment.”
Bryan Abasolo – Season 13 (Rachel Lindsay)
Image Credit: Everett Collection Attorney Rachel Lindsay met chiropractor Bryan Abasolo on Season 13 of The Bachelorette. He caught Lindsay’s eye at the start of the season, earning the coveted first-impression rose. Unsurprisingly, when Absasolo got down on one knee during the finale, the Dallas native said yes. They tied the knot 2019 and were together for four years before Abasolo filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.
Lindsay revealed in June that Abasolo texted her that he had filed for divorce, which she was “shocked” by. Lindsay is now in the midst of a contentious divorce with Abasolo, who is seeking spousal support. In a now-deleted Instagram post, he called their split a “difficult decision” but added, “Sometimes loving yourself and your partner means you must let go.”
Jed Wyatt – Season 15 (Hannah Brown)
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC Hannah Brown met and fell in love with Jed Wyatt in her season of The Bachelorette in 2019. They got engaged, but just weeks after his proposal, Nashville-based musician Haley Stevens told People she had been dating Wyatt for four months before he went on the dating show.
“We spent the night together the night before he headed to L.A.,” she said. “He told me [the show] was just an obstacle and we’d be stronger on the other side because of it.” Stevens revealed that Wyatt said going on The Bachelorette would be a huge “opportunity” for his career. “‘I’m only doing this for my music,’” he reportedly told her before filming began.
Ultimately, Hannah said she couldn’t move forward with her relationship with Jed. “You were really selfish in this,” Brown told Wyatt during the season finale. “I just feel like right now, my decisions, my choices, were all tainted.”
Tino Franco – Season 19 (Rachel Recchia)
Image Credit: Getty Images Tino Franco was the literally last man standing out of Rachel Recchia’s men on The Bachelorette. He got down on one knee and proposed to her in the emotional finale. “I truly could not imagine spending my life with someone else,” Recchia said in a clip. “This is the happiest moment of my life.” But their romance was short lived after Recchia revealed to her co-bachelorette Gabby Windey that Tino cheated on her and didn’t apologize. She alleged at the time that Tino only cared about his self-image.
Months later, Franco finally addressed the cheating controversy that left Recchia heartbroken. “I want to put it to bed — we weren’t on a break. I don’t know where that came from. We were not separated or anything like that,” Tino told Nick Viall on the “Viall Files” podcast in October 2022. “When I acted out, I felt like … we were starting to check out. We were just in a really dark place. Like, it’s hard to describe because even looking back on it, it takes me to a place where, like, I really wish I just didn’t do that and just didn’t act out.”
Franco continued, “I do not stand by what I did at all. It was not cool. It wasn’t fair to Rachel. And it haunts me daily, still. It’s something I’m ashamed of. And certainly, like, wish I could have done it differently, like, a million times over… I’m trying to go through and unfold and figure out why my insecurities, my ego could just take over my actions like that and just led me down this path to go to rock bottom.”
Josh Murray – Season 10 (Andi Dorfman)
Image Credit: Getty Images Twenty-nine-year-old Andi Dorfman fell for financial adviser Josh Murray in Season 10 of The Bachelorette, accepting his engagement proposal after eight weeks. They ended their nine-month engagement the following January, and she went on to pen her experience in her 2017 book, It’s Not Okay: Turning Heartbreak into Happily Never After
. Dorfman described her relationship with Murray as “the most volatile an“ f–ked-up relationship of my life.”The former assistant district attorney added that her ex was jealous and emotionally abusive and that sometimes during fights, he would call her a b-tch or a whore. She also pointed out how he was upset with her overnight date with runner-up Nick Viall. “That one sexual escapade would become a power play used by my fiancé to justify his mistrust in me. It would be an excuse to call me a whore. And it would eventually lead to the demise of my engagement.”
