The Secret About The Bachelor You Weren't Supposed To Know

With its 25th season just recently coming to a close, it's no secret that The Bachelor franchise has become a staple on our TV lineup. With spin-offs like The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise, it's likely that most of us have seen at least one or two episodes of the hit series — even if we aren't watching them by choice. Throughout the show, we've seen couples fall in love and create a life together, while others have struggled to make it past the final rose, breaking up before cameras even finish filming.

The latest season, starring Bachelor newbie Matt James, has left a bad taste in some of our mouths. After Matt failed to propose to either of his finalists, scandal broke and took over the remainder of the season (via Variety). And although this season seems flawed compared to earlier seasons of the show, secrets about The Bachelor have been surfacing for a long time.

From more mundane secrets, like the roses being fake or the girls having to supply their own clothing, to scandalous revelations, like contestants being encouraged to drink to cause drama and the worst of them, racism allegations (via Splinter), there has been no shortage of Bachelor-related surprises coming our way. But one secret recently came to light that we weren't supposed to know.

Hometown dates are a favorite among The Bachelor fans. By this point in the season, we are often attached to the contestants and getting an inside look at their families is something we crave. But are we seeing the real thing?

According to Distractify, the homes we see on the show aren't always real. Some families will choose to keep their actual home location private, deciding instead to film at a relative's or friend's home. Andi Dorfman, the Bachelorette on season 10, revealed that this is somewhat common. "I have heard that some people will do their hometown in a different house," Andi told HuffPost, "like an uncle's house or a rich grandfather's house."

But this is not true for every home, and many we see are, in fact, the actual home the contestant grew up in. Even still, production will often add props, such as lighting or decorations, to make the home fit better with their vision. And if your parents aren't big cooks? Production will provide food that looks homemade to create the illusion of a big home-cooked meal. So if you're wondering how every contestant seems to have grown up in luxury, remember not everything is as it seems.