The Bachelor starts its 26th season this week but is showing no signs of slowing down, with its cult following running strong since the show began in 2002.

From season to season, Bachelor fans obsess over which contestant will earn herself that final coveted rose and, in some cases, a proposal. We’ve taken a look at the more recent years of The Bachelor, analyzing the past 12 seasons on everything from the traits of the contestants to the cliches that seem to reappear in each new season. 

The image of an eligible Bachelor—and the women who try to win his heart  

Ever wonder what an “ideal” bachelor and Bachelor contestant might look like? Here is a composite image of bachelors of the past 12 years, as well as a composite image of each season’s winner.

Minorities have been underrepresented on The Bachelor, but that’s beginning to change. The past 12 seasons have averaged 20% people of color, with none in 2011 and 63% in the most recent season.

Top professions of Bachelor contestants (2010-2021)

Bachelor contestants have included attorneys, a mortician, and a Radio City Rockette, but these are the most common professions among contestants over the past 12 seasons.

1. Teacher
2. Realtor
3. Nurse
4. Model
5. Student

Dating cliches on The Bachelor

Did she think they “had a connection”? Has he “never felt like this before”? Do these phrases seem to be uttered on The Bachelor a lot more than in real life?

Here are some of the most frequently used phrases on The Bachelor over the past 12 years.

In movies and TV shows, heterosexual couples often have notably wide age gaps, with men significantly older than their love interests. What about on The Bachelor?

Unsurprisingly, the men are older than the women on the show, with a 4.8-year difference on average. For comparison, the average age difference is 2.3 years among married heterosexual couples in the U.S. where the man is older.

Where are the biggest Bachelor fans? 

Bachelor fans are all over the country, but the fans that are most invested in the series tend to live in the middle of the U.S. and in less populated states.

We compared Bachelor fandom in 50 states plus Washington DC, as measured by the volume of Google searches related to The Bachelor over the past 12 years relative to population size. In the heat map below, the darker the color, the higher the search volume.

Full ranking of states (plus Washington DC) by volume of Google searches related to The Bachelor, relative to population size

It’s a (short-lived) match!

After all the roses, the tears, and, often, the rings, the chances of happily ever after are still slim. In the past 12 seasons, only one couple that met on The Bachelor ended up getting married.

Here’s a look at how the resulting relationships fared over the past 12 seasons:

Can’t get enough of The Bachelor? Find out how to stream the new season—and don’t forget to stream with privacy and security with a VPN!