Former Bachelor Stars Who Are Misjudged By Fans

When it comes to The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, and spin-offs like Bachelor in Paradise, there are several reasons why we just can't quit watching: the relationships, the tears, and, of course, the romantic dates — but more importantly, the shows' villains.

While, ostensibly, we watch to see the contestants fall in love with the star of the show, it's the friendships, competitiveness, and bickering between the contestants themselves — not to mention their fun catchphrases and controversial storylines — which are often more compelling, as noted by Refinery29. Over the years, there have been several contestants who are on the show to shake things up, according to Insider, with some of these memorable men and women occasionally the victims of bad editing. However, they're not all bad: Some simply make for great TV and are actually quite nice (or at least slightly more tolerable) in real life.

Here are Bachelor stars who have been misjudged by fans — and who aren't really as villainous as they appeared on TV.

When Clare Crawley was announced as the next star of The Bachelorette, it was seen as a surprising choice, according to The Washington Post, as not only is she the oldest Bachelorette lead ever in her late 30s, but she first debuted on the franchise back in 2014, as noted by Insider.

Back when Crawley was one of the women competing for Juan Pablo Galavis on The Bachelor, their relationship set tongues wagging after the two got intimate in the ocean together at night. However, Crawley set the record straight, telling E! News, "Nothing happened in the ocean." While Crawley knows there was a lot of speculation about it from fans, the reports of the two of them getting close in the waves simply weren't true. She explained, "I was falling in love and I was checking off an item on my bucket list, which was to swim in the ocean and enjoying the moment."

Krystal Nielson first came to viewers' attention on Arie Luyendyk Jr,'s season of The Bachelor, when the baby-voiced blonde was accused by other contestants of being a "mean girl," according to Cosmopolitan. However, Krystal's behavior was at odds with how she perceives herself. "I just felt very misunderstood in this whole entire journey and I got very in my head," she told Entertainment Tonight, saying it was hard to be herself. "I just felt very criticized," Krystal said.

After Nielson realized that she would be portrayed as her season's villain, she was understood, according to Refinery29. "It's what makes a good story," she explained. "You definitely need a hero to overcome evil, in a sense." Krystal knows it "makes for good television."

Following her appearance on The Bachelor, Krystal's Instagram has been full of uplifting content, including thoughtful posts calling for kindness and supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. "Use your energy to spread love, peace, knowledge, and understanding. Use your energy for good," she wrote in one post.

A repeat contestant in the Bachelor franchise, Nick Viall was a contestant on Andi Dorfman and Kaitlyn Bristowe's seasons of The Bachelorette, appeared on Season 3 of Bachelor in Paradise, and was the star of The Bachelor in 2016, as noted by Us Weekly. Some fans saw Nick as a bad guy, according to Us Weekly, stemming in part from his reveal on After the Final Rose that he and Andi had slept together. However, Nick also has fans from within the Bachelor universe, including former contestant Emily Ferguson, who told Glamour, "Nick is a real guy with real emotions," adding, "He's the most genuine guy." According to her, Nick simply wants to find the right girl without settling.

Nick himself told Glamour, "For someone who's gotten a lot of criticism from the beginning of Andi's season as the perceived villain to now being the Bachelor and being considered a 'fan favorite' on Paradise, I'm not that different of a person."

A contestant on Ben Higgins' season of The Bachelor in 2016, according to People, former news anchor Olivia Caridi made a splash as the winner of the coveted First Impression rose. However, Olivia quickly came under fire from the other girls in the mansion, who targeted her breath and the size of her ankles, and she earned a status as one of the most hated villains in Bachelor history.

Despite her hated status, Olivia was one of the show's more inoffensive antagonists. She expressed remorse over how she'd behaved when talking with host Chris Harrison on ABC's retrospective The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons, saying (via People), "I felt terrible that I had hurt people." She went on to describe herself as a "kook."

Ben himself explained how misunderstood Olivia was, calling her a "rockstar." He said, "She laid her heart on the line for love. She tried her best, and yes, it didn't come off perfectly all the time, but none of us did," noting, "I also just want to tell everybody how awesome you are."

On Kaitlyn Bristowe's season of The Bachelorette, J.J. Lane was considered the resident villain, angering the other men when he took Kaitlin away for a talk during a cocktail party, even though he'd already received a rose, according to ABC News. "I know I'm the most hated man in the house, and I apologize, but I'm not sorry," he said at the time.

Despite J.J.'s bravado and bluster, when he later appeared on Bachelor in Paradise, he endeared himself to both the cast and host Chris Harrison, who said, according to TV Guide, "Of all the people you might be pleasantly surprised by on Paradise, it would be J.J."

J.J.'s Bachelor in Paradise cast member Jared Haibon agreed with Chris' assessment. "I've always known J.J. was a great guy," he told TV Guide. "He struggled early on in The Bachelorette, he definitely made some mistakes, but J.J.'s true colors came out in Paradise and I think he'll surprise people with how great of a human being he is."

When Michelle Money was a contestant on The Bachelor in 2011, she became the target of Brad Womack's season thanks to her mean remarks on camera, according to People. According to ABC News, one of her jabs included telling a contestant she hoped they would be "attacked by monkeys or apes."

But while she was accused of "aggression" in the house, as noted by Reality TV World, Michelle explained that it was because she was anxious to get back home to her young daughter. She told Reality TV World immediately after her exit that she was there for the right reasons and wanted to be "remembered as a girl who's loving and who's forgiving and kind and a good mother."

And during an interview with People, she emphasized that only one side was being portrayed of her character and personality. "Once you meet me face to face and have a conversation," she said, "it's very clear that I'm not a villain."

In 2010, Rozlyn Papa, a contestant and single mother on Jake Pavelka's season of The Bachelor, was dramatically kicked off the show after she was accused of having an affair behind the scenes with a producer, according to the Daily Mail. Host Chris Harrison confronted her on camera during a cocktail party and claimed that they'd discovered an "inappropriate relationship" during the filming of the show. According to Entertainment Tonight, another contestant had claimed that she saw Rozlyn and the producer together on the stairs kissing. After facing an accusation from Chris Harrison, Rozlyn pushed back and asked, "What was this physical relationship? I'd like to know all about it, please." However, despite her denials of the affair, she was kicked off of the Bachelor.

However, Rozlyn has always insisted that the drama was manufactured for the show and that she never had an inappropriate relationship. "It was huge ratings for them, and incredibly distressing for me," she said, according to the Daily Mail.

When Arie Luyendyk Jr. was named as the next star of The Bachelor in 2017, fans were flummoxed, with some taking to Twitter to say things like, "'I'm so excited to watch Arie as #TheBachelor' ...is what I would have said 5 years ago..." The New York Times even asked, "Wait, who?"

Once his season aired, complaints about Arie's obscurity — he'd appeared as a contestant on Emily Maynard's season of The Bachelorette (via People) — were replaced by complaints about his lack of sizzle and boring personality, according to Entertainment Tonight. "The one thing about Arie that we've always gotten is he's totally authentic and that, like I said, might be read as boring by some people," said Robert Mills, ABC Senior Vice President of Alternative Series, Specials and Late-Night Programming.

However, former Bachelor contestant Ashley Iaconetti defended Arie to TV Guide, maintaining that he was misunderstood and not actually boring at all. Ashley had Arie on The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous podcast she shares with Ben Higgins, where Arie was, as TV Guide noted, "funny and lighthearted." Ashley said, "If you go ahead and listen to that, you'll feel more attached to him."

Considered the standout villain of Becca Kufrin's season of The Bachelorette in 2018, male model Jordan Kimball was known for his memorable one-liners, such as, "My brand is the pensive gentlemen" and "I can't go home. It wouldn't be fair to Becca," as noted by PopSugar. On the show, Kimball, who was one of several Bachelor contestants who lost it on live TV, frequently got under the skin of other contestants, and he also said rude things about them, calling another man a "clown," according to Newsweek.

However, while he talked "incessantly" about himself, according to Vulture, and was prone to silly, over-the-top sayings, he also demonstrated a surprising amount of pathos and a "tragic backstory," according to Refinery29. His mother had mental health struggles, and, as a result of his parents' love story that sees his father supporting and standing by his mother through her illnesses, Jordan told Becca he was looking for somebody he could love loyally and "unconditionally."

When sales trainer Chris Randone appeared on Becca Kufrin's season of The Bachelorette, he was given the "villain edit," as noted by Vulture. Chris appeared "standoffish" and was prone to "verbal spats" and interrupting other men, according to PopSugar, and he received a roasting on Twitter from fans who disliked him.

However, Chris isn't as loathsome as he might have appeared on The Bachelorette. He displayed self-awareness and maturity after watching himself, posting to his Instagram page that he understood why fans were saying negative things and that he took full responsibility for his comments. "I spiraled down and let my emotions get the best of me. To put it best, I failed." Chris admitted that seeing his behavior on TV helped him understand his flaws and gave him a path to "become a better version of myself."

Chris ended his post with an apology to Becca, saying, "You're an incredible person and I'm happy to know you found someone that's amazing."

The star of Season 11 of The Bachelorette and a contestant on Chris Soules' season of The Bachelor, Kaitlyn Bristowe, who has had a stunning transformation, was a "fan favorite" according to Marie Claire, thanks to her season's "crazy, crazy drama," and her "no-holds-barred, tell-it-like-it-is personality," as noted by Flare.

However, Kaitlyn famously came under fire from fans who questioned her integrity and called her "awful, awful names" after she and contestant Nick Viall slept together during the show, according to an article she penned for Glamour. Kaitlyn wrote in the Glamour piece how viewers questioned "my integrity and character" because of her personal decisions. She wrote, "It blew my mind how awful people could be just for a choice — having sex — that millions of people make every day."

After fellow Bachelorette Hannah Brown experienced similar problematic and regressive shaming, but publicly fought back, Kaitlyn felt like she had helped paved the way. She wrote in Glamour, "I get goose bumps when I hear people say, 'Kaitlyn walked so Hannah could run.'"

During Nick Viall's season of The Bachelor, contestant Corinne Olympios immediately garnered the spotlight for her attention-grabbing antics — such as putting Nick's hands on her breasts during a photo shoot — and bold confidence, according to Bustle. She's also known for her killer catchphrases like, "My heart may be gold but my vagine is platinum," which made her incredibly memorable, but also turned her into that season's "baddie," as noted by E! News.

However, Corinne isn't just the bubbly bold airhead she appeared to be. She's also a savvy businesswoman and is entrepreneurially minded. According to Entertainment Tonight, Corinne capitalized on her time post-Bachelor franchise by getting busy working on two television shows — one "a scripted reality show" about millennial dating and the other following her day-to-day life — as well as a book, a clothing line, a line of swimwear, and a sunglasses line. She's charity-minded, as well, allotting a portion of the proceeds from her sunglasses line to ChildHelp.org, according to ET.

An interior designer who first made her mark on Colton Underwood's season of The Bachelor, Demi Burnett was that season's designated villain but was more of a "mansion nuisance," according to InStyle. Her reported crimes included stealing Colton away from conversations with rival contestants, massaging him in her bedroom, and accusing older contestants of being insecure and jealous of her.

Despite these issues, Demi is actually "multidimensional" and a "sweetheart," according to Refinery29, citing her fluid sexuality and a relationship with a woman that was showcased on Bachelor in Paradise. Burnett displayed vulnerability around her sexual identity while on Paradise, saying, "I'm coming to terms with everyone knowing who I am. Knowing this part of me that I've been scared to talk about. Scared to share with people." She explained that she'd been surrounded by people who make her feel bad about herself her entire life.

Following episodes airing Demi's struggle, her ex-boyfriend Derek Peth defended her on Twitter, writing, "I want to ask that you have as much empathy as you can for Demi." He noted she'd always been open and honest with him.

While on the Bachelor franchise, Ashley Iaconetti, who first appeared on Chris Soules' season of The Bachelor and later on shows including Bachelor in Paradise (via Us Weekly), made a name for herself thanks to her frequent crying outbursts and her sensitive nature, according to People.

Crying aside, Ashley is actually surprisingly mature. According to Flare, she made the adult decision to break up with Kevin Wendt, with whom she appeared on The Bachelor Winter Games, because she didn't see a future for the two of them. "I think after three months you know if this isn't my person, my soulmate, my future husband, you have to let it go," Ashley explained on The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast.

On the podcast, Ashley also revealed that she chooses to stay friends with her exes, rather than cutting them out of her life — another mature decision. As she told her co-host, "It didn't work out romantically for some reason but it doesn't mean that you can't still be friends."