The Bachelor franchise has given us no shortage of awkward, cringe worthy, want to look away but just can’t, peeking through our fingers, uncomfortable moments.
The most awkward television is always live, which is exactly why After the Final Rose has given us the kind of moments we need a whole lot of boxed wine to get through.
The one constant through it all is our very own Chris Harrison, guiding us through treacherous seas of tears. Perhaps that infamous couch will sell big on Ebay one day?
1. Nick Viall reveals he and Andi Dorfman had sex in the fantasy suite
Nick Viall calling out Andi Dorfman for having sex with him and then dumping him will forever go down as the most awkward After the Final Rose moment in Bachelor history.
Nick made the declaration in what was the equivalent of a drive by shooting. He asked Andi in a (fake) emotional voice why she “made love” to him in the fantasy suite if she wasn’t going to choose him.
Andi was understandably pissed. Even more so than the morning after she was forced to watch Juan Pablo’s old soccer highlights on YouTube.
Andi went on to explain herself while Nick stared at the floor, telling him the sex reveal was “below the belt.”
Somehow, Nick still managed to carve out a career for himself within Bachelor Nation, despite his (kind of?) villain status.
2. Chris Harrison brought Ben Higgins’ pastor on stage
Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell were happily engaged, gushing over each other on the After the Final Rose couch, and doing their job within the Bachelor franchise.
However, like a nosy great aunt at Thanksgiving dinner, Chris Harrison would not stop talking about Ben and Lauren getting married. As in, right then and there!
The pair giggled awkwardly and tried to play along, but it was obvious they were uncomfortable. Chris Harrison and producers clearly could not take a hint and just kept pressing.
They even flew out Ben’s pastor from Indiana! Hopefully, they gave him a first-class ticket and a hotel with a bible on the nightstand.
3. Jason Mesnick dumps Melissa Rycroft
Jason Mesnick dumped Melissa Rycroft live on After the Final Rose, and if that isn’t the worst way to be dumped, what is? (Well, other than on camera in an unedited scene in an Airbnb, right Becca Kufrin?)
Not only did Jason dump Melissa live on television, but he then proceeded to ask out Molly Malaney, who he had already dumped on TV. Are you keeping up?
It was one of those uncomfortable After the Final Rose moments where the live studio audience is just silent. Melissa was pissed, telling off Jason while she talked about herself in the third person.
Chris Harrison looked like the villain in a Hallmark Christmas movie, twiddling his fingers together, thinking about the ratings this was going to get.
4. Juan Pablo doesn’t love Nikki Ferrell
Juan Pablo Galavis’ season of The Bachelor will go down as one of the worst.
Every scene made half of the viewers clench their fists in frustration, holding their wine glasses so tight they were on the verge of shattering. The rest were too drunk after taking a sip of wine every time Juan Pablo said “eeees okay.” (Sorry you had to hear that Andi Dorfman.)
But, the irritation didn’t stop after Clare Crawley told off Juan Pablo during the finale. Juan Pablo and Nikki Ferrell brought us one of the most awkward After the Final Rose moments ever.
Chris Harrison put on his ‘great aunt at Thanksgiving’ hat again, and grilled Juan Pablo as he refused to declare his love for Nikki while she sat there giggling. He asked the couple multiple times, while they avoided the question. They unsurprisingly split later, but not before a stint on VH1’s Couples Therapy.
5. Nick Viall and Shawn Booth awkwardly chat
Kaitlyn Bristowe must have been biting her fingernails backstage as she watched her fiance and ex-boyfriend sit on a very cozy couch to chat.
Shawn Booth and Nick Viall clearly won’t be best friends anytime soon, so Bachelor producers thought it was a great idea to have them talk to each other in an awkward After the Final Rose moment.
Chris Harrison asked them if they wanted to “hug it out” at one point, which made viewers question his credentials as Bachelor Nation’s resident therapist.
Nick and Shawn apparently left things “amicable,” at least as far as Chris Harrison was concerned, though it’s clear they won’t be grabbing margaritas together anytime soon.
6. Arie Luyendyk Jr. proposes to Lauren Burnham
After breaking up with Becca Kufrin, Arie Luyendyk Jr. raced back to Lauren Burnham (get it? Because he’s a race car driver.) Lauren opened her door and embraced Arie like he had never dumped her and sent her home in a black SUV.
The pair clearly wasted no time getting back together, and feeling he made a mistake, Arie wanted to propose to Lauren right away. On television. At After the Final Rose. With his ex-fiance in the same building. Sounds like he put a lot of thought into that.
It came off as uncomfortable, distasteful, and not good timing. However, Arie and Lauren are now married with a daughter, so they obviously made the right decision.
7. Becca Kufrin watches Lauren and Arie reunite
The only thing worse than getting dumped in an Airbnb while cameras and Bachelor producers get up in your face is having to watch it back. What’s even worse than that?
Cameras filming your reaction as you watch your ex-fiance get back together with the girl he dumped you for. Yeah, in Bachelor Nation, it all gets pretty complicated. After Arie Luyendyk Jr. dumped Becca Kufrin, he went back to Lauren Burnham while cameras filmed it all.
During the awkward After the Final Rose taping, Becca was forced to watch Arie tell Lauren, “It’s been the hardest month and a half without you.” Ouch!
8. Nick Viall and Vanessa Grimaldi’s uncomfortable body language
In a romantic Bachelor finale surrounded by snow and candles, Nick Viall and Vanessa Grimaldi got engaged. But, like many Bachelor couples before them, it only took a couple of months while the show was airing for Nick and Vanessa’s relationship to have some sort of breakdown.
The After the Final Rose live studio audience usually expects to see a newly engaged couple who are gushing over each other and giggling while Chris Harrison looks at them as if he’s Cupid.
But, when Nick and Vanessa sat on the infamous cozy couch, it looked as if they had brought the snow from their engagement with them. There was an obvious iciness between them that even the most romantic Bachelor date in Mexico could not thaw.
Vanessa told Chris Harrison, “I’m not going to sugarcoat things, some days are tougher than others.”
Clearly, Vanessa didn’t realize the producers love to sugarcoat just about everything on this show.
9. Hannah Brown asks out Tyler Cameron
Hannah Brown and Jed Wyatt went through their fair share of drama after their engagement on The Bachelorette. After it was revealed in the press that Jed had a girlfriend when he went on the show, Hannah broke up with him on camera at her house.
Viewers felt vindicated after Hannah dumped runner up Tyler Cameron, shattering our collective hearts. It was obvious Tyler was the fan favorite and many felt Hannah made a mistake. Plus, Tyler can pull off a salmon suit!
On After the Final Rose, Hannah tried to somewhat pull a Mesnick and ask Tyler out since things didn’t work out with Jed. Basically, she wanted to eat her own sloppy seconds.
Of course, Tyler agreed, since he was on live television, what choice did he have? But, it was uncomfortable and Hannah came off looking a little desperate.
10. Peter Weber’s mom shades Madison Prewett
Peter Weber’s mom does not like Madison Prewett. That shouldn’t surprise anyone who watched Peter’s season of The Bachelor.
When Peter’s mom first met Madison, it seemed as if they were dueling enemies in a past life. Yet, when she met Hannah Ann Sluss, it seemed as if they were already best friends.
It was obvious Peter preferred Madison and was devastated when she eliminated herself (not enough to keep him from proposing to Hannah Ann of course.)
On After the Final Rose, Barbara Weber went in hard on Madison, claiming things wouldn’t work out for her and Peter, and glaring at her as if she’s already wronged Barbara’s son.
Unsurprisingly, things didn’t work out for Madison and Peter, and they split just a few days later. Now, he’s dating Kelley Flanagan, another contestant he sent home early on (so, Peter pulled a Mesnick 2.0.)