The Untold Truth Of The Bachelor's Victoria Fuller

The Bachelor's Victoria Fuller made her reality TV debut on Season 24 of the hit ABC dating series. The season premiered on Jan. 6, 2020, featuring pilot Peter Weber in the leading role. A frontrunner on Hannah Brown's season of The Bachelorette, Weber quickly became a fan favorite for his calm, drama-free demeanor. However, Weber's own Bachelor season quickly shaped up to truly be one of the most dramatic seasons ever. And, as fans of Weber's season can attest, contestant Victoria Fuller has made a name for herself as one of the most controversial contestants in Bachelor Nation. 

A Virginia native, Fuller captured Weber's interest from the very first night, despite her somewhat awkward introduction. The Bachelor's interest only grew stronger as the weeks progressed, even after Fuller's rumored ex made a surprise appearance on their first one-on-one date.

Interestingly, Fuller's reputation offscreen has been called into question by those who allegedly knew the contestant before her time on The Bachelor. Here's the untold truth of The Bachelor's Victoria Fuller. 

In the fourth episode of Peter Weber's Bachelor season, the pilot asked Victoria Fuller to join him on a one-on-one date in Cleveland, Ohio via a date card that mentioned letting their love "soar to new heights." While excited to spend alone time with Weber, Fuller expressed concern about the possibility of having been chosen for a skydiving date, as noted by Us Weekly. Fuller nearly refused to get out of the car for their date. "I'm very nervous for today. I don't like heights," Fuller confessed. She continued, "I'm [doing] something that I would never normally do. I'm terrified."

However, when Bachelor Nation sleuths unearthed a 2014 Instagram photo featuring The Bachelor's Victoria Fuller on an apparent skydiving excursion, some fans began to call the contestant's fear of heights into question. "If you're going to go on the show and say you're scared of heights, don't have a pic of you skydiving on social media," one viewer tweeted. 

During the fifth episode of Peter Weber's The Bachelor season, Victoria Fuller was chosen, along with several other contestants, to join Weber in the Costa Rican jungle for a once-in-a-lifetime Cosmopolitan photoshoot. After making a bold move and kissing Weber during the shoot, Fuller was chosen by Cosmopolitan editor Jessica Pels to be featured on the digital cover of the magazine's March 2020 issue, as noted by The New York Times.

This wasn't Fuller's first time modeling. In fact, as hardcore Bachelor fans discovered during a social media deep dive, Fuller once modeled for an ad campaign for a reported marlin conservation organization featuring the slogan "White Lives Matter." Unsurprisingly, the controversial modeling gig ultimately cost The Bachelor's Victoria Fuller her magazine cover prize. 

In a statement published on Monday, Feb. 3, 2020, Pels wrote, "Unequivocally, the White Lives Matter movement does not reflect the values of the Cosmo brand." The Cosmopolitan editor continued, writing, "Ultimately what felt right was choosing not to publish the digital cover on our website or social feeds, and simply being honest with you, the audience we respect, about what happened and where we stand."

The Bachelor's Victoria Fuller was a controversial contestant before even appearing on Peter Weber's season, largely due to spoilers released by longtime Bachelor blogger Steve Carbone.

In an October 2019 post published on his Reality Steve blog, Carbone reported that Fuller was one of the final four women competing for Weber's heart and would be hosting the Bachelor for a date in her hometown. However, in a follow-up post, Carbone revealed that Fuller's hometown date with Weber took a dramatic turn when the pilot's ex-girlfriend, Merissa Pence, allegedly made an appearance. 

As reported by Carbone, Pence showed up to the daytime portion of the Virginia Beach date to inform Weber of Fuller's rumored reputation. According to the blogger, Pence revealed to Weber the allegations surrounding Fuller's past, such as rumored romances with her friends' husbands. While the allegations reportedly led to Weber ending his relationship with the contestant before meeting her parents, Carbone claimed on his Reality Steve podcast that Fuller visited Weber the morning after their split and reportedly managed to secure herself a spot as one of the pilot's final three contestants. 

Despite adding to its ever-growing roster of alums year after year, the Bachelor universe appears to be a small world after all. 

During an appearance on the Bachelor Party podcast, former contestant Sydney Lotuaco — who Bachelor fans likely remember from Colton Underwood's season, as well as Bachelor in Paradise Season 6 — revealed her alleged connection to one of Peter Weber's frontrunners, Victoria Fuller. 

Speaking with Bachelor Party host Juliet Litman, Lotuaco dished on her feelings about Peter Weber's group of contestants, saying, "It's weird, a girl from my hometown is actually on this season." Lotuaco continued, revealing that Bachelor producers actually reached out to her regarding Weber's contestant, whom she said attended her high school. When asked if she gave the contestant a personal recommendation, Lotuaco hesitantly replied, "Um, I said that she'd be very good for the show."

While Lotuaco didn't name the contestant during her podcast appearance, a Bachelor sleuth uploaded pages from a high school yearbook featuring both Lotuaco and Fuller's school photos, leading many fans to believe The Bachelor's Victoria Fuller was the contestant whom Lotuaco was referring.

While The Bachelor's Victoria Fuller is undoubtedly a controversial figure within Bachelor Nation, her onscreen chemistry with Peter Weber is palpable. There's no question the pilot had major feelings for Fuller while filming Season 24 of The Bachelor — and, according to a post-Bachelor interview, Weber thinks highly of the contestant.

During a BUILD Series interview on Feb. 4, 2020, Weber was asked to comment on the controversy surrounding Fuller's scandalous modeling gig that led Cosmopolitan to pull her cover. "I can't really speak too much on it because I don't know many facts about the whole situation," Weber responded. He continued, saying, "All I can speak on is the time I was able to spend with Victoria throughout this experience, and I truly enjoyed my experience with her."

Calling Fuller a "good person" with "a lot of endearing qualities," Weber added, "I just hope that people can form their opinion on her based on what they see between the two of us and her time on the show. She's not perfect, I'm not perfect, no one's perfect."

The Bachelor has never shied away from using former flames to spark some made-for-TV drama. No one knows this better than Peter Weber, whose season was nearly overshadowed by his lingering feelings for his ex — former Bachelorette Hannah Brown — who appeared on his season twice. However, perhaps the most shocking of appearances happened during Weber's first one-on-one date with The Bachelor's Victoria Fuller, as the contestant just so happened to have a history with the date's surprise musical guest, country star Chase Rice. 

Explaining her connection to Rice, Fuller confessed to Weber, "We dated, but I broke it off with him because his lifestyle doesn't really match up to what I want." However, according to Rice, Fuller's description of their relationship was grossly exaggerated. "[She] was just a girl that I hung out with one time," Rice told Entertainment Tonight. 

While Fuller told a Bachelor producer that Rice had asked her not to go on The Bachelor, the country singer denied having any negative feelings about Fuller's relationship with Weber. "We knew going on there that she was going to be on the show," Rice dished to ET.

While nearly every season of The Bachelor features at least one polarizing, controversial contestant, the backlash against said contestant usually doesn't happen until the season's underway. However, in the case of The Bachelor's Victoria Fuller, pre-season spoilers and rumors regarding her reputation and previous relationships resulted in the Virginia native feeling the need to make a case for herself via social media. 

On Nov. 22, 2019, Fuller took to Instagram to defend herself against disparaging remarks, posting a photo with her dog, Buxton, and writing, "The RUMORS you are hearing are FALSE." The Bachelor contestant continued, writing, "There will be a time [and] place where I can defend myself, but for now I choose to wait." 

Continuing with her caption, Fuller said the bullying she'd received online was neither "okay" nor "fair," and alleged the people speaking negatively of her reputation were "casting judgement and basing opinions upon pure speculation, assumptions, [and] LIES."

According to the official ABC bio for The Bachelor's Victoria Fuller, the contestant "works part time at a yoga studio." However, if her online presence is any indication, Fuller's relationship with yoga extends far beyond a few hours per week. 

Before stepping into the spotlight as a contestant on Peter Weber's season of The Bachelor, Fuller would often take to Instagram to post photos from her day-to-day life, featuring outings with friends, sunny beach days, and moments with her adorable animals. Along with these slice-of-life pictures, Fuller's feed is sprinkled with photos of the contestant in various yoga poses. In a July 2014 photo, Fuller can be seen standing on one leg against a beautiful beach backdrop, grasping her foot as she gracefully extends her other arm. "Thank you for this day," Fuller wrote in the caption.

Another photo shows Fuller performing a crosslegged headstand on a yoga mat, with dog Buxton sitting patiently by her side. Fuller captioned the impressive photo, "Got into grad school, quit my job, Buxton loves me, [and] it's only Tuesday."

While many people in their 20s might feel the urge to spread their wings and fly away from their hometown, The Bachelor's Victoria Fuller seemingly prefers to stay as close as possible to the coastal city in which she was raised. 

According to her official ABC bio, Fuller was born and raised in Virginia Beach, Va., and she is also "very tied into her local community." In addition to working part time at a local yoga studio, Fuller is also a medical sales rep, as noted on the reality star's Instagram. Her ABC bio also mentions Fuller's career in medical sales, saying she "works super hard" at her job, which she considers to be her "true passion."

Fuller also attended college in Virginia Beach, graduating in 2015 from Old Dominion University with a degree in Economics, as noted by Hollywood Life. According to her Instagram bio at the time of this writing, the Bachelor contestant is working toward obtaining her M.A. in Economics, as well.

While her time in the Bachelor spotlight might be proving to be a giant thorn in her side, Victoria Fuller had a life before reality television fame that was seemingly much more cute and cuddly. 

As evidenced by Fuller's Instagram presence, the controversial Bachelor contestant has quite a soft spot for animals. Along with her cat, Fuller's dog Buxton is a prominent, recurring figure on Fuller's feed, often pictured staying close by her side. In a November 2019 Instagram post, Fuller gushed about Buxton, revealing how her pup was helping her deal with the backlash she faced online. "He makes me smile when I am mad. Licks my tears when I am sad," Fuller wrote, calling Buxton her best friend. 

The Bachelor's Victoria Fuller continued, revealing that her beloved black lab was even in training to become a therapy dog. "Life will throw you curveballs, but sometimes all you need is some love [and] loyalty from a [four] legged friend willing to catch those curveballs for you," Fuller wrote. 

Chris Harrison is a Bachelor staple, serving as host for the franchise's various spin-offs since the show's 2002 premiere. Through the years, Harrison has become popular amongst Bachelor fans for his steady, calming presence, as well as for his insistence that every Bachelor season will undoubtedly be "the most dramatic season ever." In other words, Harrison is pretty much a seasoned expert in drumming up anticipation for each season.

Of course, Peter Weber's Bachelor season was no exception. In a December 2019 video, Harrison personally introduced each of Weber's contestants to Bachelor Nation, providing key insight and knowledge about the group of women along the way. When it came time to speak about The Bachelor's Victoria Fuller, Harrison took a deep, dramatic breath before asking viewers to "forget all the superlatives" he'd said about the other contestants. "Victoria [Fuller] is the most... everything," Harrison ominously revealed. 

The Bachelor host continued, saying, "I'm not sure I've ever seen a single woman on this show go through as much during her time on this show as Victoria [Fuller]."

On Oct. 28, 2019, Bachelor blogger and longtime spoiler of the show Steve Carbone took to his Reality Steve blog to report some shocking allegations regarding Victoria Fuller's reputation. "I can honestly say in all my years doing this, I have never had so many negative stories and as many people contact me about one person than I have this season with Victoria Fuller," Carbone wrote. The blogger continued, telling readers he started receiving emails in September 2019 allegedly calling Fuller out for being romantically involved with married men. 

"The info I was receiving was talking about her having done this three or four times," Carbone wrote, explaining he'd looked into the situation himself, spoken to women accusing Fuller of breaking up their marriages, and found it "to be true." In another bombshell revelation, Carbone even alleged that the wives of the men in question had actually been friends with Fuller. 

"If Victoria didn't do this, I wouldn't report it," Carbone stated. Added the blogger, "She did. Ask the other women involved whose marriages were affected by Victoria's relationship with their then husbands." Of course, these claims have not been confirmed by The Bachelor's Victoria Fuller herself.