Looking for Love In All the Wrong Places? ‘The Bachelor’ Is Actually the Worst Reality Dating Show for Relationship Success
Reality TV show contestants who are genuinely looking for love should steer clear of The Bachelor.
While the long-running ABC show is one of the most popular reality dating shows with viewers, cast members rarely walk away with a lasting relationship. The Bachelor is the least successful dating show when it comes to finding a life partner, with a success rate of just 1% over 29 seasons, according to an analysis by Casino.ca. Nearly 800 people have appeared on the show over the years, but only five couples are still together.
The female-focused spinoff The Bachelorette, which has had 600 contestants over its 21-season run, is only slightly more successful, with a success rate of 1.78%.
One dating show that actually works? Netflix’s The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On? has a 47% success rate, with 71% of couples still together. That’s not surprising, considering that cast members come into the show already in a relationship and must decide whether to remain together.
In second place is Married at First Sight. The show, which follows people who are matched by experts and get married without having met in advance, has a success rate of 13.5%. Twelve couples who said “I do” on the U.S version of the show are still together, with a number having started families together. (A handful of others remained married for a year or more after Decision Day but eventually divorced.)
Here’s the full list of dating shows analyzed in the report, ranked by a person’s chances of finding love:
- The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On?
- Married at First Sight
- Bachelor in Paradise
- Love Is Blind
- Are You the One?
- Temptation Island
- Ready to Love
- Love Island USA
- Perfect Match
- The Bachelorette
- Too Hot to Handle
- The Bachelor
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