Two weeks ago, when Ben Higgins sent Caila home, you could almost hear software salespeople’s hearts break throughout the country. Ben Higgins, a software salesperson, had felt an instant connection to Caila, also a software salesperson. Even in the strange, accelerated world of The Bachelor, having a commonality like this can help kick start a relationship.
This got us thinking: what career choices have led to the most past winners and runners-up?
Is there a certain profession that gives a contestant an edge? Is there an occupation we see more than others?
To answer this question, we sifted through twenty seasons of the hit ABC reality show. We tallied the occupations of the bachelor, the winner of the final rose and the runner-up.
Continue reading to see the breakdown of careers by each season or you can skip ahead to the results and find out what profession is most successful on the Bachelor. Hint: It’s not Chicken Enthusiasts.
Bonus: Check out our FREE job descriptions!
Career Choices that Win The Bachelor
The Bachelor, Season 1
- Bachelor: Alex Michel, Management Consultant
- Winner: Amanda Marsh, Actress
- Runner-Up: Trista Rehn, Miami Heat Cheerleader
The Bachelor, Season 2
- Bachelor: Aaron Buerge, VP of Bank Chain
- Winner: Helene Eksterowicz, School Psychologist
- Runner-Up: Brooke Smith, Student
The Bachelor, Season 3
- Bachelor: Andrew Firestone, Sales Manager for Firestone Family Estates
- Winner: Jen Schefft, Account Manager
- Runner-Up: Kirsten Buschbacher, Merchandiser
The Bachelor, Season 4
- Bachelor: Bob Guiney, Mortgage Company Founder
- Winner: Estella Gardinier, Sales Representative
- Runner-Up: Kelly Jo Kuharski, Unknown
The Bachelor, Season 5
- Bachelor: Jesse Palmer, Canadian American College Football Player
- Winner: Jessica Bowlin, Student
- Runner-Up: Tara Huckeby, General Contractor
The Bachelor, Season 6
- Bachelor: Byron Velvick, Pro Bass Fisherman
- Winner: Mary Delgado, Sales Manager
- Runner-Up: Tanya Michel, Teacher
The Bachelor, Season 7
- Bachelor: Charlie O’Connell, Actor
- Winner: Sarah Brice, Labor & Delivery Nurse
- Runner-Up: Krisily Kennedy, Salon Coordinator, Former Miss Rhode Island USA
The Bachelor, Season 8
- Bachelor: Travis Lane Stork, Medical Doctor
- Winner: Sarah Stone, Kindergarten Teacher
- Runner-Up: Moana Dixon, Distribution Manager
The Bachelor, Season 9
- Bachelor: Lorenzo Borghese, Cosmetics Entrepreneur
- Winner: Jennifer Wilson, Teacher
- Runner-Up: Sadie Murray, Publicist
The Bachelor, Season 10
- Bachelor: Andrew Baldwin, Naval Officer
- Winner: Tessa Horst, Social Worker
- Runner-Up: Bevin Nicole Powers, Assistant
The Bachelor, Season 11
- Bachelor: Brad Womack, Bar Owner
- Winner: None!
- Runner-Up: DeAnna Pappas, Realtor & Jenni Croft, Phoenix Suns Cheerleader
The Bachelor, Season 12
- Bachelor: Matt Grant, Global Financier
- Winner: Shayne Lamas, Actress
- Runner-Up: Chelsea Wanstrath, Pharmaceutical Sales Rep
The Bachelor, Season 13
- Bachelor: Jason Mesnick, Account Executive
- Winner: Melissa Rycroft, Sales Representative
- Runner-Up: Molly Malaney, Department Store Buyer
The Bachelor, Season 14
- Bachelor: Jake Pavelka, Commercial Pilot
- Winner: Vienna Girardi, Marketing Representative
- Runner-Up: Tenley Molzahn: College Admissions
The Bachelor, Season 15
- Bachelor: Brad Womack, Bar Owner
- Winner: Emily Maynard, Children’s Hospital Event Planner
- Runner-Up: Chantal O’Brien, Executive Assistant
The Bachelor, Season 16
- Bachelor: Ben Flajnik, Winemaker
- Winner: Courtney Robinson, Model
- Runner-Up: Lindzi Cox, Business Development Manager
The Bachelor, Season 17
- Bachelor: Sean Lowe, Insurance Agent
- Winner: Catherine Giudici, Graphic Designer
- Runner-Up: Lindsay Yenter, Substitute Teacher
The Bachelor, Season 18
- Bachelor: Juan Pablo Galavis, Former Professional Soccer Player
- Winner: Nikki Ferrell, Pediatric Nurse
- Runner-Up: Claire Crawley, Hairstylist
The Bachelor, Season 19
- Bachelor: Chris Soules, Farmer
- Winner: Whitney Bischoff, Fertility Nurse
- Runner-Up: Becca Tilley, Chiropractic Assistant
The Bachelor, Season 20
- Bachelor: Ben Higgins, Software Salesperson
- Finalist #1: Joelle “Jojo” Fletcher, Real Estate Developer
- Finalist #2: Lauren Bushnell, Flight Attendant
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Results of the most successful careers on The Bachelor
Below is a chart displaying a categorization of all the careers of the runner-up and winners of The Bachelor. We classified all 40 occupations into 24 different categories.
The three most successful occupations for contestants on The Bachelor are:
- Sales & Marketing
- Nursing
- Teaching
There have been five winners working in the field of sales & marketing. In addition to that, two of the Bachelors themselves came from a sales background. Second, with three winners, is the nursing field. Finally, two winners and two finalists throughout the history of The Bachelor have been teachers.
Also, why do you think these career choices are so over-indexed as winners and runner-ups on The Bachelor?
