Why Those Awkward 'Bachelorette' Limo Exits Can't Be Blamed On Producers

Viewers already got to meet some of Becca Kufrin's Bachelorette contestants during the season finale of Arie's Bachelor season. But the introductions aren't official until the almighty limo exits occur. With how cringe-worthy some of them are, it doesn't seem possible that Bachelor and Bachelorette contestants pick their own limo exits. As photos of Becca's season tease contestant David in a chicken suit, at least a few limo exits will be as embarrassing as you'd expect when her season premieres on May 28. And although it's not public knowledge just how involved the producers are when it comes to this Bachelor Nation tradition, it seems that plenty of contestants are responsible for their own limo exit fate.

The highly-anticipated limo exits make for some of the greatest — and awkwardest — moments when a new season of a Bachelor franchise premieres. While some contestants just step out and greet the Bachelor or Bachelorette with a corny line, others don costumes to stand out. In recent seasons, Alexis wore a dolphin (well, actually a shark) costume for Nick Viall's Bachelor season. And Adam brought a doll version of himself to Rachel Lindsay's Bachelorette season. Both of these wacky (and creepy — in Adam's case) stunts miraculously ended up being somehow endearing, but that's not always the case.

Back in 2012, one of Sean Lowe's Bachelor contestants had a gimmick that didn't fare as well — and apparently, the producers might be to blame for that. Ashley Palenkas channeled Fifty Shades Of Grey when she pulled a tie out her dress for her limo exit. Sean didn't seem very impressed with the BDSM-themed introduction. After all, he claimed in his book, For The Right Reasons, that he didn't have sex during the fantasy suite dates and The Daily Beast reported that he was a born-again virgin due to his religion. Sean sent Ashley home the first night.

In an interview with her local ABC affiliate, Ashley claimed that the producers had come up with the Fifty Shades Of Grey (ahem) tie-in. "When the producers came to Macomb to my house to film, they saw the book on the nightstand," Ashley said. She said they asked her if she liked the E.L. James book and when she said yes, they said, "OK, well let's go with that." That made sense from a producer's perspective since Sean's season was at the height of Fifty Shades Of Grey mania. But according to Alloy, Ashley said in an interview that she never even finished the book despite the producers making it seem like it was her top passion.

Yet, when Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell were still a couple, they talked to BuzzFeed about how the producers don't explicitly tell anyone what to do for their limo exits. For example, Lauren said she had to figure out her exit all on her own. "I was left alone for what to do out of the limo," Lauren said. "Like, I had no idea."

Ben did say that the producers are there to act as a sounding board though. "Just like a lot of the show, The Bachelor experience producers will definitely give the insight when it's needed," Ben told BuzzFeed. "So when it comes to limo exits and you're like, 'Do I just get out and say hi? Do I do a dance?' ... they would give their opinions, like, 'Hey, this is a good idea. Hey, you might wanna think about not doing a dance.' That kind of thing. They don't tell you what to do." Ben added, "If you see someone have a terrible limo exit, that's their fault."

To Ben's point, what may seem like a totally out there idea for a limo exit can work if the person is charming enough. So when David meets Becca in his chicken suit on May 28, there is a chance that sparks could fly. If not, he'd only have himself to blame — and at least he wasn't (ahem) chicken and put himself out there. Because even if the producers helped convince him to put on the costume, at the end of the day, only the contestants are responsible for how they handle themselves during the limo exits.