A famed cliché of reality television is “I’m not here to make friends,” and nowhere is that more apparent than on The Bachelor. It’s a bunch of women competing for the heart of one man. The whole premise of the show pits women against one another, so it’s not exactly the most nurturing environment for fledging friendships. That all being said, so many former Bachelor contestants share bestie status with at least a few women from their season. Statistically, you have, what, a 1 in 25 chance of going home with the Bachelor? If you’re into the numbers game (and lifelong friendships), you actually should go on The Bachelor to make friends.
The Bachelor: The Women Tell All specials are usually full of screaming and crying, but that’s only a result of being in a pressure cooker of romantic entanglement for three months. In reality, there’s a lot of down time on a show like The Bachelor. You’re not allowed television, books, phones, or, well, anything to occupy your time. You’re allowed to talk to your fellow contestants and drink alcohol. That’s how many friendships on the show start — sunning by the pool and drinking white wine while the Bachelor woos another lady from your season.
True best friends are harder to come by than romantic partners, and being stuck in a house with a bunch of women who you would want to be friends with sounds like a good idea if you’re in the market for some pals. These Bachelor contestants sure found best friends, not necessarily love, in a hopeless place.
Jade Roper & Carly Waddell
These two were instantly joined at the hip during Chris Soules’ season of The Bachelor. After filming, Jade even moved to Nashville to join her BFF Carly. They were on the second season of Bachelor In Paradise together, and Carly sang at Jade’s recent nuptials to fellow Bachelor Nation guy Tanner Tolbert.
Andi Dorfman & Sharlene Joynt
After Andi Dorfman broke up with Josh Murray, she set her sights on moving from Atlanta to the Big Apple, where her bestie Sharlene Joynt resides. Their social accounts show these lovely ladies enjoying everything the city has to offer. They obviously have much more in common than just Juan Pablo.
Desiree Hartsock & Renée Oteri
Renée and Des were not on the same season of The Bachelor, but Bachelor Nation being what it is, they met and became fast friends. They go shopping a lot together, and these girls’ trips are always documented social media. According to Us Weekly, Des even threw Renée a baby shower in 2014.
Amber James & Samantha Steffen
Bachelor In Paradise Season 2 was kind of a disaster for Samantha Steffen (she got caught lying about dating, like, every guy on the show... it was a lot of drama), but at least she got a best pal out of the idea. Amber and Sam hang out all the time, partying and apparently hanging out with magician David Blaine.
Amanda Stanton & Lauren Bushnell
Lauren may have just won Ben Higgins' heart on The Bachelor, but she also picked up a buddy, too. Amanda and Lauren probably aren't hanging out too much at the moment as Lauren is on her Bachelor victory tour, but that doesn’t mean they can’t send messages to each other via social media. How sweet.
Look at all of these friends! I may sign up for The Bachelor just to expand my squad.
Image: Kelsey McNeal/ABC
