
Although “The Bachelorette” began as a spinoff to its male-led predecessor, “The Bachelor,” this female-centric reality show celebrates love in all its complicated glory. From the first limo to the final rose, ABC’s perennial hit puts women in the driver’s seat as each lead embarks upon a journey to find their happily ever after.
The franchise has helped numerous couples find that forever love—and you could be next. Whether you’re looking for audition advice or application details, here’s how to land a role on ABC’s beloved dating show.
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- What is “The Bachelorette” about?
- Who is in the cast of “The Bachelorette”?
- Who is the casting director for “The Bachelorette”?
- How does the casting process work for “The Bachelorette”?
- Where is “The Bachelorette” filmed?
- When does filming for “The Bachelorette” Season 22 start?
- Where can you find “The Bachelorette” casting calls and auditions?
- What are the best audition tips for landing a role on “The Bachelorette”?
Roses smell sweet, but sometimes thorns get in the way—and the same goes for finding love on “The Bachelorette.” On the ABC dating show, one woman meets 25 eligible bachelors (sometimes more) and gets to know them for 8–10 weeks (on average). Each week, the cast heads to exciting domestic and international locations as the lead invites her suitors on dates. While some are lucky to land the coveted one-on-one dates, the others must vie for her attention during the often-dreaded group dates. At the end of each week, the lead doles out roses during the aptly named rose ceremony. Men who do not receive a rose must leave, while those who do get to continue on.
Of course, as with any love story, there are bumps along the road. Drama often arises among the men, as there always seems to be at least one “villain” every season. Tension also usually builds when the lead learns that one or more of her suitors might not be ready for commitment after all. Will there be an engagement at the end? That’s the goal. But hometown dates and fantasy suites are formative experiences that could make or break some relationships. Viewers can only hope each season ends on a happy note—with an over-the-top proposal and a Neil Lane sparkler.
Jenn Tran served as the first Asian American lead during her Season 21 run. She and contestant Devin Strader got engaged on the season finale, but the two split shortly after leaving Hawaii.
While we don’t know who will be the next Bachelorette, here are the 25 men who tried to win Tran’s heart:
- Devin Strader, 28, freight company owner
- Marcus Shoberg, 31, Army Ranger veteran
- Jonathon Johnson, 27, creative director
- Jeremy Simon, 29, real estate investor
- Grant Ellis, 30, day trader
- Spencer Conley, 30, pet portrait entrepreneur
- Sam McKinney, 27, contractor
- Dylan Buckor, 24, medical student
- Austin Ott, 28, sales executive
- John Mitchell, 25, medical student
- Thomas Nguyen, 31, retirement adviser
- Sam Nejad, 25, entrepreneur
- Hakeem Moulton, 29, medical device salesman
- Tomas Azzano, 27, physiotherapist
- Aaron Erb, 29, aerospace engineer
- Brian Autz, 33, aesthetics consultant
- Jahaan Ansari, 28, startup founder
- Marvin Goodly, 28, luxury event planner
- Brendan Barnum, 30, real estate broker
- Brett Harris, 28, healthy and safety manager
- Caleb “Moze” Smith, 25, algebra teacher
- Dakota Nobles, 27, sommelier
- Kevin McDevitt, 35, financial analyst
- Matt Arnold, 27, insurance executive
- Ricky Marinez, 28, pharmaceutical representative
And we would be remiss if we did not include the bringer of date cards, the bearer of bad news—Jesse Palmer. The former professional football player and Season 5 Bachelor lead took over as the series’ host in 2021. Chris Harrison was the “Bachelor” franchise’s original host from 2002–2021.
While the casting team has evolved during the show’s 21 seasons, Sunny Willebrand served as casting producer for “The Bachelorette” from 2009 to 2023. She also occupied the same role on “The Bachelor.”
As Willebrand told MLive during the early days of her tenure, “We’re looking for people who are looking for love and looking to do the show for the right reasons. We want someone who has a sense of adventure and is willing to take a leap of faith.”
Lacey Pemberton, a casting director who worked on multiple seasons of “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” from 2009 to 2014, told ABC 11 that potential contestants must express their authentic selves during the casting process. “When you’re on the show, you can only keep up your party manners so long, so you really need to be yourself and…have a good time with it,” she explained. “This is a show about hopefully finding true love, so you want to be all that you can be—show that person your best self.”
She added that those auditioning for the show should have good energy, a sense of humor about the whole experience, and an elevated optimism. You must be willing to open up and share details about your life because it’s all about “revealing” yourself, and a failure to do so reads as one of the series’ dreaded “red flags.”
If you hope to one day become the Bachelorette, you’re going to need to try your luck on “The Bachelor” first, as recent history demonstrates that “The Bachelorette” leads are chosen from those who won fans’ hearts (even if they couldn’t win the Bachelor’s).
So, everyone must familiarize themselves with the contestant casting process, as that seems to be the point of entry for Bachelor Nation. To become a contestant on “The Bachelor” or “The Bachelorette,” you can either apply or be nominated. (Sean Lowe, who appeared on Season 8, was nominated by his sister, for instance, and ultimately became the Bachelor.)
But you’ll have to meet an array of eligibility requirements. According to Insider, casting recommends submitting a video, as it’s the “best way” to show off your personality and make sure you’re seen by the casting team. Semi-finalists will then have to fly to Los Angeles for additional interviews and photo shoots. Potential contestants will also have to undergo a background and medical check.
According to Vulture, Amy Kaufman, author of “Bachelor Nation,” revealed that potential contestants must sit down with a psychologist, who will uncover any history of mental illness or infidelity. Simultaneously, a private investigator trained to dig up any skeletons in your closet will explore your personal history.
If you hope to audition during an open casting call, however, those for “The Bachelorette” typically take place during the months that “The Bachelor” airs. You’ll need to fill out the application, whether ahead of time or at the event itself. But as an inside source told E! News about the casting process for “The Bachelor,” “Only a couple women get picked from actual casting calls. It’s a very small percent. Most of the women are either cast from videos they send in or referrals, or they find their own way on.” The source added, “The producers don’t actually confirm that you’re on the show until about two weeks before you have to pack your stuff up and travel to L.A.”
But some contestants never even apply. Instead, they’re scouted by the casting team. Lee Garrett, who vied for Rachel Lindsay’s heart on Season 13, said casting came to him. “I got a message on Facebook from one of the show scouts saying, ‘Lee! What would you think if I asked if you would be interested to try out for “The Bachelorette”?’ It kind of shocked me. I thought, Me? I had never seen the show before, so I was honest and told them I don’t know much about it,” Garrett told the Hollywood Reporter. “I don’t see myself as the type of guy to really go on a show like that—because you think it’s a bunch of guys that are dashing and I’m a Mississippi boy. It wasn’t something that I ever thought I’d be doing. But I told them it intrigued me, and then it went from there into six months of interviews and all kinds of things.”
“The Bachelorette” typically starts each season filming at the iconic Bachelor mansion in Los Angeles. From there, contestants who weren’t eliminated during the first few weeks of competition join the lead as they travel the country and the world, visiting historical U.S. cities and tropical destinations. (Of course, Tran’s season shook things up, filming Night 1’s introductions at California’s Hummingbird Nest Ranch and taking the contestants on an international romp right after.) During hometown dates, the lead visits her final four suitors’ cities of origin to meet their families and gain insight into who they are in everyday life. The final three then join the lead in a picturesque locale that’s ripe for a pretty proposal (hint, hint).
Based on past seasons, “The Bachelorette” won’t begin filming Season 22 until the upcoming season of “The Bachelor” finishes airing. Season 29 of “The Bachelor” stars Grant Ellis and debuts Jan 27.
So, production for “The Bachelorette” Season 22 most likely will start in March or early April 2025. Once filming begins, the season will take approximately 8–10 weeks to shoot, with a premiere date likely to be set for July 2025.
As noted above, hopeful contestants for “The Bachelorette” must apply or be nominated. However, once in a while, the series does issue traditional casting calls like this one posted to Backstage. Although the ABC show appears to have completed its latest round of casting, there’s no harm in submitting an application (and maybe even a video), as the casting team will keep your submission on file for future seasons. Plus, there’s a chance casting will ramp up once again as the next season approaches, so keep all your social accounts up-to-date and remain vigilant in case casting comes scouting.
Of course, if you’re eager to dive into reality TV sooner rather than later, you should explore our roundup of similar gigs.
Kaitlyn Bristowe (“The Bachelor” Season 19, “The Bachelorette” Season 11) knows what it’s like to be on both sides of the process, so she understands firsthand the level of scrutiny that comes with becoming a public figure.
“We always joke and say don’t do it,” Bristowe told Cosmopolitan in an interview with her then-fiancé Shawn Booth, whom she got engaged to during the finale of her season. “If you have thick skin, do it. Because you go from being a regular human being to, like, everyone judging your every move and harsh social media people. Even going through the process of the show, it’s very emotional for everybody involved.” She added, “It’s traumatic. You can ask anyone who’s ever been on the show. If they’re honest, they’ll say that, too. But we also found each other out of it, so we’re grateful [for] it as well.” (Bristowe has since split from Booth.)
Similarly, Katie Thurston (“The Bachelor” Season 25, “The Bachelorette” Season 17) was both a contestant and a lead during her time with the franchise. She offers insight into how applicants can stand out to the casting team through social media.
“This is your one and only shot to make a great first impression. On that application, it lists social media as being optional—list all of them. And not only should you list all of them, you should make sure your social media is public. I think that’s where a lot of people mess up…. If they can’t see what you look like, how you engage with your viewers, what your activities of interest are—they don’t have time to waste,” Thurston explained to her Instagram followers.
“Also, make sure your social media is up to date. If you have old photos or outdated love interests on there…it’s time to do a little sprucing of your social media. Are you natural on camera? Can you talk to people? Can you handle interviews? [Make] sure you have a good variety of pictures of you, and [they should be] unfiltered. Take off the sunglasses,” she added. “Really highlight who you are as a person, and make that shown and known in your social media.”