‘The Bachelorette’: Trista Rehn Sutter Was Sued Over the Small Fortune She Made By Televising Her Wedding
The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons — Ever! is recapping Trista Rehn’s Bachelorette season tonight. We know that Trista and Ryan Sutter end up tying the knot on national television, but how much did they get paid to let ABC air the big day? Why was the bachelorette sued over the money?
Is the former ‘Bachelorette’ Trista Rehn Sutter still with Ryan Sutter?
Trista Rehn was a contestant on the very first season of The Bachelor. However, she finished runner-up when Alex Michel chose Amanda Marsh over her in the show’s finale.
Fans loved the Miami Heat dancer, so ABC chose her as the star of the first season of The Bachelorette. The pediatric physical therapist hoped she could find love with her own group of 25 eligible bachelors.
On her season of the show, Sutter did get close to two men — Charlie Maher and Ryan Sutter. The first was a financial analyst who quickly developed a strong connection with the bachelorette. However, the star chose the more passionate firefighter. He proposed during the finale, and she happily accepted. The two are still married today, almost 17 years later.
How much did ABC pay Trista and Ryan Sutter to televise ‘The Bachelorette’ wedding?
The Bachelorette couple negotiated a price of $1 million to televise their wedding in a three-part special. The first episode featured Rehn and Sutter choosing flowers and practicing their dance moves.
The second episode highlighted their bachelor and bachelorette parties at Le Meridien Resort on the island of St. Martin. The final event of the ABC special, Trista & Ryan’s Wedding, drew over 26 million viewers.
The couple tied the knot on Dec. 6, 2003, at The Lodge, which is a luxury resort in Rancho Mirage, California. The two currently live in Eagle County, Colorado, with their children, Max and Blakesley.
‘The Bachelorette’ Trista Sutter was sued by her manager for the wedding deal
Although the Sutters’ life looks picture perfect on Instagram, it wasn’t that easy to get where they are today. Three days before the two wed, news broke that Rehn’s manager was suing her over the wedding deal.
Kevin Allyn sued the bachelorette for $200,000, or 20 percent, of the $1 million ABC paid the Sutters. As her manager at the time, he helped to negotiate the deal and wanted his cut.
“While Rehn understandably might want to keep the $200,000 owed to Allyn as a nice wedding present, basic contract law dictates that Rehn should pay Allyn the monies she owes him and let him choose an appropriate gift from Rehn’s wedding registry,” Eonline reported at the time.
The case went on for over two years, but on Jan. 20, 2006, the case was dismissed. The manager did not win his lawsuit, according to Plain Site.
