6 Of The Worst Breakups In 'Bachelor' Franchise History
Some Bachelor Nation splits broke our hearts.
Instagram "The Bachelor" and its many spin-offs have brought us love stories, marriages and even babies but for every happy ending the show created, there have been many more not-so-happy outcomes.
Bachelor Nation couples have absolutely broken some hearts over the years — each other's and fan's.
Here are 6 of the most shocking Bachelor Nation breakups:
1. Ashley Herbert & JP Rosenbaum
Ashley Herbert and JP Rosenbaum got engaged on the finale of season 7 of "The Bachelorette" in 2011.
The couple tied the knot in 2012, according to People magazine, and the wedding, held in Pasedena, California, aired in a television special a few weeks later.
"Today is all about our friends and family. It’s about standing with J.P., looking around at all the people we love in the same room there to celebrate our love," Herbert told People at the time.
Herbert and Rosenbaum welcomed their son, Ford, in 2014, Us Weekly reported, and daughter Essie made them a family of four in November 2016.
"I feel this sense of completeness," Herbert told People magazine after giving birth the second time around. "We’re very happy with our cute little family," she added.
In December 2019, Herbert revealed that her husband had been diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome.
"He is in treatment and doing well. It may be a long road to full recovery, but we are so grateful to everyone that has helped us get to a speedy diagnosis and treatment," she wrote on her Instagram Stories, according to screenshots shared by Us Weekly. And while Rosenbaum did go on to make a full recovery, his marriage to Herbert fell apart.
Less than a year after Rosenbaum's diagnosis, Herbert shared a heartbreaking Instagram post announcing the split.
"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," she captioned a post. "We’ve decided that it is in our family’s best interest to create new and separate lives for our children," she added, asking the public for privacy -- and leaving Bachelor Nation completely shocked.
2. Carly Waddell & Evan Bass
Carly Waddell and Evan Bass seemed like an unlikely match on "Bachelor in Paradise," but they ended up falling in love in Mexico. The two got engaged on the BiP finale in 2016 and got married the following year. The wedding was officiated by former "Bachelor" franchise host, Chris Harrison.
"Evan and I had a dream wedding on Saturday. It was truly the perfect day with friends and family in Mexico. There was no better way to celebrate the start of our forever journey together. I’m so happy and SO in love with this man," Waddell captioned an Instagram post at the time, according to Us Weekly.
In February 2018, Waddell and Bass welcomed their daughter, Bella, and their son, Charlie, was born the following year.
However, a year later, the two separated. "We tried for a really long time to make it work," she explained, according to People magazine.
"We focused a lot more on the kids than we focused on ourselves and ultimately I think that was probably our biggest downfall. The kids came at the top of the pyramid and we never put ourselves at the top."
"The last two years have just been really hard," she continued. Their divorce was finalized a short while later.
3. DeAnna Pappas & Stephen Stagliano
DeAnna Pappas first appeared on "The Bachelor" in 2007, competing for the attention of Brad Womack. The following year, on "The Bachelorette," she ended up getting engaged to Jesse Csincsak in July 2008, but they split the following year. Back on the market once more, Pappas was set up by Stagliano's twin brother, Michael, who appeared on season 5 of "The Bachelorette."
In 2011, they exchanged vows in Pappas' home state of Georgia, according to People magazine.
On January 19, 2023, Pappas revealed that she and Stagliano were ending their marriage.
"It is with immense sadness, Stephen & I have decided to end our relationship as a couple. We have been working hard for a long time — both as a married couple & as individuals — & have come to the conclusion to remain separate," she captioned an Instagram post.
Pappas and Stagliano will co-parent their two children, Addison, 8, and Austin, 6.
4. Kaitlyn Bristowe & Shawn Booth
Photo credit: Instagram
Kaitlyn Bristowe started her "Bachelor" journey on Chris Soules's season of the show, after her friend sent producers photos and videos to try to get her on the show.
Bristowe didn't win Soules' heart but did wind up getting her own chance to find love. On the season 11 finale of "The Bachelorette," she accepted a proposal from Shawn Booth. The two moved in together in Nashville, OK! magazine reported at the time. Everything seemed to be going great for the couple, but wedding plans just never came to be.
In November 2018, they announced their decision to split.
"After three incredible years, we have decided to go our separate ways. This difficult decision comes after thoughtful, respectful consideration. Even though we are parting as a couple, we’re very much committed to remaining friends and we will continue to support each other. Due to the nature of how we met, our relationship has always been very public, and we have enjoyed sharing it with all of you, but we ask that you respect our decision and our privacy at this time," Bristowe and Booth said in a joint statement given to People magazine.
5. Becca Kufrin & Garrett Yrigoyen
Becca Kufrin has one of the most complicated stories in all of Bachelor Nation. After getting engaged to Arie Luyendyk on his season of "The Bachelor," Kufrin ended up getting her heart broken when he realized he was in love with Lauren Burnham — his runner-up.
Kufrin then met Garrett Yrigoyen on season 14 of "The Bachelorette" before quickly getting engaged.
However, in 2019 it appeared their rapid relationship had slowed somewhat with Kufrin saying marriage was a "distant future" plan for the two.
"I think once we buy a place and are actually settled somewhere and not just renting, we’ll probably get to that next step," Kufrin told Us Weekly about her wedding plans in October 2019.
In 2020, speculation mounted surrounding Kufrin and Yrigoyen's relationship as he became outspoken about his support for the police during the Black Lives Matter protests following the death of George Floyd.
At first, Kufrin sounded like she was going to stick by her guy, though she made it clear that she disagreed with his point of view.
"Garrett is my fiancé and I love him to his core. I believe that he is a good person. I don't think he meant it in a malicious way…I do think it was tone deaf and it was the wrong time, and message, and sentiment," she said on the "Bachelor Happy Hour" podcast in June 2020.
Three months later, however, they broke off their engagement.
"After many conversations, we came to this decision. It wasn’t something that we just arrived at one night. It wasn’t based solely off of one Instagram post or somebody else’s opinions or comments. There’s much more to it," she said on the September 1, 2020, episode of the "Bachelor Happy Hour" podcast. "I will always look back at this time in my life with so much gratitude and love," she added.
6. Michelle Young & Nayte Olukoya
In 2021, "The Bachelorette" star Michelle Young fell for Nayte Olukoya, an account executive at software development company who lived in Texas.
Olukoya got down on one knee on the "Bachelorette" finale, and seemed over the moon in love with Young, a school teacher from Minnesota.
During the "After the Final Rose" special, Young and Olukoya put their love on display for the public, showing the world that they were the real deal. For the first time in "Bachelor" franchise history, the couple was gifted a check for a whopping $200,000 that was meant to be a downpayment on a house, according to E! News.
Young and Olukoya made it clear that they wanted to get married soon.
"No shade to anybody who wants a long engagement, but that's not us. We're like, cool, you're my person, I'm your person. We're ready," Young told People magazine in December 2021.
After a couple of months, however, things started to shift. While Olukoya kept saying that he couldn't wait to move to Minnesota with Young, the move just never happened — and the love between the two quickly fizzled. In June 2022, Young shared the sad news on her Instagram Stories.
"I'm struggling to say that Nayte and I will be going our separate ways, but I stand with him in knowing the heaviness that is present in both of our hearts as this relationship has been very real for us," she said at the time, according to People.
Effie Orfanides has been reporting on celebrity and entertainment news since 2009. She is the former Director of Operations of The Inquisitr and currently has bylines at People, NickiSwift, The List, and Heavy. In 2022, she released her first mobile app called beacheo.