Bachelor Franchise Stars Who Got In Trouble With The Law
As of August 2023, "The Bachelor" has aired for 27 seasons, starting with the first one back in 2002. Its counterpart, "The Bachelorette," began in 2003 and has run for 20 seasons. Hundreds of people have appeared on these shows over the years, including a number of former pro athletes and the heir to the Firestone tire fortune.
The "Bachelor" franchise has also had many reality TV spinoffs, such as "Bachelor in Paradise," "The Bachelor: Winter Games," "Bachelor Pad," and more (including many versions in other countries). Its stars have been featured on everything from "Dancing with the Stars" to "The Real Dirty Dancing." A few "Bachelor" contestants have even become legitimate media personalities — like Emmy-winning "E! News" correspondent Keltie Knight, or "Extra's" Rachel Lindsay, who gave up the lawyer life to get into sports and entertainment journalism.
Many contestants have gone on to achieve influencer status, and we can't possibly tally all the books, podcasts, and business ventures that have come from people who have appeared on the franchise. However, while some "Bachelor" stars have permeated the larger cultural landscape because of their accomplishments, there is a subset who have gotten widespread attention for less positive reasons — including offensive photos, troubling comments, or allegations of misconduct. Some have even been arrested, either before the show or after their reality TV stint. Here are 14 "Bachelor" franchise stars who got in trouble with the law.
Chris Soules left the scene of a deadly car accident
Chris Soules started his reality television journey as a contestant on Season 10 of "The Bachelorette," where he vied to be Andi Dorfman's final man standing. While he only made it to number three, Soules was given enough screen time for fans to fall for him. Viewers were thrilled when the Iowa farmer was cast as "The Bachelor" for Season 19.
Soules did not find love on "The Bachelor" — he proposed to Whitney Bischoff, but they split relatively quickly, like many of the show's couples — but he did find a bit of fame. He was even asked to appear on Season 20 of "Dancing with the Stars" soon after wrapping on "The Bachelor" in 2015.
Soules faded from public memory after that until an unfortunate incident brought him an onslaught of media attention. In April 2017, Soules was arrested when he rear-ended a tractor with his pickup truck and subsequently left the scene of the crime. The other driver, Kenneth Mosher, was killed, and witnesses affirmed Soules was the one who caused the collision. They also confirmed he left the site, which led to Soules being charged with leaving the scene of a fatal accident. Soules — who had a previous arrest for intoxicated driving, per E! News — pled guilty to a lesser charge and received a two-year suspended sentence for the aggravated misdemeanor. He and his family also paid $2.5 million in a wrongful death lawsuit brought by Mosher's family.
Victoria Fuller's past DWI was exposed when she went on The Bachelor
Victoria Fuller was a final three contestant on Season 24 of "The Bachelor," where she competed for an engagement to pilot Peter Weber. It makes sense she would come next on our list because Fuller actually dated Chris Soules (see above) after her time on the show. The controversial reality stars became an item in 2020, only a month or two after Fuller's season of "The Bachelor" stopped airing. They were together for four months, after which Fuller went on to date other "Bachelor Nation" stars like Johnny DePhillipo and Greg Grippo (facilitated by her stint on "Bachelor in Paradise"). With nearly 730,000 Instagram followers, Fuller is clearly a popular personality, but she has also courted quite a bit of controversy.
Fuller initially became a polarizing figure when photographs of her modeling "White Lives Matter" clothing were uncovered. This caused Cosmopolitan magazine to cancel a cover they had shot with the reality star. Then there was the uncomfortable date where Fuller and Weber were serenaded by country singer Chase Rice, Fuller's ex. While producers are clearly to blame for that one, Chase has refuted claims Fuller made about being the subject of his songs, which has caused many "Bachelor" fans to doubt Fuller's honesty. Fuller received even more negative press when her 2017 mugshot surfaced online, along with details of her DUI arrest and subsequent probation.
Chad Johnson faced numerous charges after a domestic violence incident
We would be lying if we said that Chad Johnson was a popular reality star — few "Bachelor" franchise personalities are liked less. Johnson got the clear "villain" edit on the show, but reports from after his time on TV also paint him in a bad light. He fought with many people on both Season 12 of "The Bachelorette" and "Bachelor in Paradise," where he was kicked off after only one episode because of his drunken, offensive behavior.
Johnson — who now makes a living mostly through OnlyFans and DIY pornography — has not softened since the show, often targeting other contestants on social media. For instance, he has bashed show alums like Tyler Cameron and Ben Higgins, two big fan favorites, winning no admirers in the process.
We're not here to talk about Johnson's general nastiness, though, so much as one specific incident that led to criminal charges. The star was arrested in 2020 after a fight with his then-girlfriend Annalise Mishler. Mishler claimed Johnson drunkenly punched a wall, got physical with her, and stole her phone when she tried to call the police. Johnson was arrested and faced a slew of charges including battery, corporal injury, trespassing, vandalism, and intimidating a witness. Though he subsequently took to Instagram to deny getting violent and blame the incident on alcohol, he eventually pled no contest to the vandalism and intimidation charges in exchange for the others being dropped.
There have been no updates since Joshua Tylerbest was charged for a serious crime
We wish we had more details to provide on Joshua Tylerbest's case, but nothing has surfaced since initial reports of the reality star's arrest. Tylerbest was taken into custody by Miami police in February 2023 after it was determined he was in possession of illegal pornographic images of minors. He faces 15 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material, per NBC News.
The investigation began when the police tracked 50 images to a Google account owned by Tylerbest. After a search warrant was executed, police found he had 15 illegal files on his phone, some showing children under age 10. People reported that Tylerbest was due in court in June 2023, but there have been no updates from the media since the initial arrest.
Tylerbest has not spoken publicly since his arrest, which is predictable. In a more surprising move, most "Bachelor" alums have also been very quiet about the situation. Tylerbest was a contestant on Katie Thurston's season of "The Bachelorette," which aired in 2021. Though he lasted until week four, Tylerbest was rather forgettable, and would probably not be remembered at all if not for his arrest.
Victoria Larson felt liberated by the release of her mugshot
Victoria Larson was a polarizing contestant on Season 25 of "The Bachelor" (starring Matt James), followed by "Bachelor in Paradise," also in 2021. Though she owned a business when she appeared (spray tan company Jet Set Glo), the producers listed her job as "Queen." She was also reportedly a realtor, Pilates instructor, and more, so we have no idea why she branded herself in such a way. She really went for it though, referring to herself as "Queen Victoria" and showing up with a tiara and throne. We have to assume Larson thought she was being fun, but it's not a shock that viewers had trouble warming up to the reality star after that.
While she was on the show, viewers also felt that Larson was a bully toward her fellow contestants. The tone-deaf contestant — who told "Good Morning America" she expected to be "well-received" by America — was quickly branded the villain of the season. Even her family and friends were reportedly shocked by her cruelty, according to an article in The Sun.
Since people love to see a villain taken down, fans reacted strongly when Larson's mugshot surfaced online. The reality star was arrested in 2012 after stealing makeup from a Florida Publix. She pled guilty in exchange for six months of probation, a ticket to theft school, and some fees. After the release of her mugshot, she told Good Morning America she felt "liberated."
Arie Luyendyk Jr. was arrested for driving with a suspended license
Arie Luyendyk Jr. first showed up on our screens during Season 8 of "The Bachelorette," where he competed for Emily Maynard's heart (unless you count a random appearance he made on "Hell's Kitchen" a year prior). He came in second place during that 2012 season, but the handsome, charming Luyendyk won when he was named "The Bachelor" for the show's 22nd season almost six years later. He became rather controversial when he ditched Becca Kufrin, to whom he gave the final rose, for his runner-up Lauren Burnham, but he is also one of the few "Bachelor" men to actually wed their choice (he and Burnham have been married since 2019).
Luyendyk was a race car driver before he became a reality star. In fact, he is the son of a famous racer, Arie Luyendyk Sr., an Indy 500 winner who was nicknamed "The Flying Dutchman." But though the younger Luyendyk knows his way around a car, he has not always shown respect for the rules of the road.
Following the end of his season as "The Bachelor," the Daily Mail published details about Luyendyk's 2008 arrest alongside his mugshot. The reality star was booked for driving with a suspended license after an officer pulled him over for following another car too closely and unsafely changing lanes. His license was originally suspended because of a slew of previous driving infractions including speeding and not obeying traffic signals.
Amanda Stanton's domestic battery case was dismissed
Amanda Stanton was a contestant on Ben Higgins's season of "The Bachelor" (Season 20) and she made it all the way to the final four before getting the heave-ho. Much of Stanton's story revolved around her being a 25-year-old single mother, with her two daughters from a previous marriage causing Bachelor Ben to question whether he was ready for a built-in family.
Stanton's divorce was finalized in June 2015, only three months before filming for "The Bachelor" began. Though she did not win Higgins's heart, she did later get involved with a different "Bachelor Nation" man, Josh Murray. The pair got engaged while appearing on Season 3 of "Bachelor in Paradise" but broke up less than six months later in December 2016.
A couple of years after her time on reality TV, Stanton made the news when she was arrested on battery domestic violence charges. Per TMZ, Stanton was in Las Vegas for a co-ed Bachelorette party and partying alongside her then-boyfriend Bobby Jacobs when the arrest went down. She allegedly shoved Jacobs so hard that security called the police, but her reps called it all a big misunderstanding. Stanton pleaded not guilty in October 2018 and, in December 2018, the case was dismissed by the courts. Jacobs broke up with Stanton in April 2019, but it had nothing to do with the incident. She married a man named Michael Fogel in September 2022 and the pair are expecting a child in January 2024.
James McCoy Taylor was ridiculed online for his poor decisions
James McCoy Taylor joined the "Bachelor" family in 2016, appearing on "The Bachelorette's" 12th season which starred JoJo Fletcher (one of the few "Bachelorettes" to actually marry her final choice, Jordan Rodgers). Almost five years later, the former contestant angered Bachelor Nation when he tweeted that ABC and its producers supported his attendance at the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the United States Capitol. Taylor's January 11 tweet claiming he had the support of the network has been denied by insiders, and it drew the ire of many other franchise alumni like Ben Higgins and Rachel Lindsay.
Even show creator Mike Fleiss piped in, tweeting, "Whoever that former cast member/idiot jerkoff is that went to Trump's treasonous rally, got a message for ya...You are officially exiled from #BachelorNation!!!" Since many in attendance that day faced criminal charges, it would be easy to assume that Taylor's participation in the insurrection is why he has a record — but his issues with the law actually came more than a year after the January 6 debacle.
In September 2022, Taylor was arrested in Texas for driving while intoxicated (DWI) and unlawfully carrying a weapon. The police report stated the officer first noticed Taylor when he was urinating in a parking garage, after which he claimed he would find alternate transportation. It also noted that he, then age 36, was with a heavily intoxicated 18-year-old college freshman who was not in a state to make informed decisions.
Jubilee Sharpe got her DUI charges dropped
Jubilee Sharpe was a fan favorite when she appeared on "The Bachelor's" 20th season, where she was vying for Ben Higgins' final rose. She was so popular that fans rallied to try to get her to be the next "Bachelorette." "If I were to ever be asked, I would probably say yes — but at the same time, there are obviously pros and cons. You have to think about it," she told Glamour amidst rumors of her consideration for the role.
The charming army vet won fans' hearts with her personality and tragic backstory — reality show fans are suckers for those! So it's not surprising that she returned for "Bachelor in Paradise" on two occasions, although she didn't last long on either Season 3 or Season 5 of the show.
"Entertainment Tonight" listed Sharpe as one of their "50 unforgettable 'Bachelor' contestants" in 2020, noting her vulnerability in sharing how she was adopted by an American family after the death of her family in Haiti, as well as her military service. A less applauded part of Sharpe's story, though, is her February 2020 arrest for driving under the influence (DUI) after a night out in Palm Beach, Florida. Sharpe accepted a plea deal in exchange for her DUI charge being dropped and received a year of probation after pleading guilty to reckless driving and refusing to sign and accept a summons or citation.
Samuel Minkin was caught up in a large-scale drug bust
Samuel Minkin might not be a familiar name for American "Bachelor" fans, but anyone who knows the Australian wing of the franchise will surely recognize him. The fallen reality star made international news when he was caught up in a drug bust in May 2021. Operation Ironside — a joint investigation between the Australian Federal Police, Europol, and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation — led to the arrest of hundreds of individuals involved in the drug trade. Minkin was arrested when police pulled him over with over 300 pounds of cannabis.
Minkin — who appeared on only one episode of Season 6 of "The Bachelorette," where he was credited as a musculoskeletal therapist — was charged with possessing a prohibited drug as well as taking part in supplying a prohibited drug beyond the allowed amount. Marijuana is still illegal in most Australian states. Though it is legal to use the drug for medicinal purposes, one can only possess 25 kilograms for commercial purposes. Minkin's haul was 144 kilograms, including nine boxes and over 300 vacuum-sealed packages.
Given the punishments he could have faced, Minkin got off rather easily. After pleading guilty, he was sentenced to a two-year intensive corrections order during which he needs to complete 400 hours of community service. Though police also found ketamine, Minkin faced no additional punishment for it.
Georgia Tripos and her friend ran a drug syndicate
Here we have yet another Australian "Bachelor Nation" alum getting caught up in another drug bust. This one, however, happened years earlier and under entirely different circumstances. Tripos appeared on the Aussie version of "The Bachelor" back in 2016, where she was featured as a contestant for the show's fourth season. Her most memorable moment on the show came after her elimination, where she unleashed a nasty tirade against a few of her fellow contestants who had just arrived. She went on to claim that producers forced her to speak badly by threatening her and had told her cameras were off (per New Idea).
Tripos did not come off especially well on camera, but that was nothing in comparison to how she came across in news coverage of her 2017 arrest, one year after her reality show stint. Police alleged that Tripos and a friend ran a drug syndicate where they sold both cocaine and amphetamines, marketed on the street as "ice."
Officers first became aware of the duo by way of suspicious online advertisements and then had them on the hook after Tripos' friend sold a bag of cocaine to an undercover officer. Though Tripos could have gotten 15 years in jail after pleading guilty to trafficking cocaine and ethylpentylone, as well as knowingly dealing with proceeds from the crime, Tripos was sentenced to a three-year community corrections order and 150 hours of unpaid labor.
Lincoln Adim didn't tell producers about conviction for assault and battery
Lincoln Adim was a controversial figure even before his arrest on charges of assault and battery became public. As soon as the guy popped up on Season 14 of "The Bachelorette," online gossip started about a gross habit of his: pooping on the floor. Yes, the man allegedly pooped on the floor at work on a regular basis, and there are countless Reddit threads and even news articles — like this one in Life & Style — about it.
It turns out that Adim is not just gross, but also a convicted criminal who lied to ABC and the show's producers about his charges. In May 2018, Adim was convicted of indecent assault and battery after he groped and assaulted a female passenger on a cruise ship two years earlier. He was sentenced to one year in a house of correction, which was then converted to two years of probation.
The case would have been fresh in Adim's mind too, considering his conviction came only one week before his season premiered in late May 2018, which means that the case was still ongoing when he was cast. Producers told People they had no idea about the charges because they (somehow) did not show up on his background check and because Adim lied to them when asked about criminal activity.
Mary Delgado was arrested three times
When it comes to "The Bachelor," contestant Mary Delgado was a winner. She appeared on Season 6 of the show, which aired nearly two decades ago (in 2004) and feels almost like a different era. The season only had eight episodes — not including "The Women Tell All" and "After the Final Rose" episodes — and is most notable for being the season where the women voted on who would become the bachelor after being given two candidates. Delgado received the final rose from leading man Byron Velvick and accepted his proposal in the season finale, and the pair stayed together until 2009. They didn't get married, but that's still a solid run as far as "Bachelor Nation" is concerned.
It was when Delgado was with Velvick that she first ran into issues with the law. The former pro cheerleader was first arrested in 2007 after a violent altercation with her then-fiancé, where she hit Velvick in the face and split his lip. As People noted at the time, this incident occurred the same evening the couple was featured on TV as a "Bachelor" success story.
Though those charges were ultimately dropped, Delgado was arrested again the following year when she refused to leave a Texas bar. She was charged with public intoxication, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct, but even that was not enough to keep her out of trouble. In 2010, Delgado was booked for driving under the influence (DUI), another misdemeanor charge.
Multiple women have accused DeMario Jackson of sexual assault
DeMario Jackson hasn't yet been arrested or charged with a crime, but multiple women have accused him of sexual assault. Jackson is being sued by two anonymous women who claim he "used his notoriety and public persona to lure the unsuspecting plaintiffs" into meeting him so that he could assault them (per Page Six). Both are alleging sexual assault, false imprisonment, and the intentional infliction of emotional distress. DeMario responded to the lawsuit in a 2022 statement to "Entertainment Tonight," denying any wrongdoing and assuring fans he planned to clear his name.
This story received even more attention than usual because this was not the first time Jackson was accused of a sex crime. Five years prior, Jackson appeared on "Bachelor in Paradise" as part of the show's fourth season and a huge scandal erupted when fellow contestant Corinne Olympios accused him of sexual misconduct. The show halted production but ultimately found no evidence of misconduct after an internal investigation was completed. Jackson first joined "Bachelor Nation" as a contestant on Rachel Lindsay's season of "The Bachelorette," which aired the same year as his "Bachelor in Paradise" episodes. There have been no public updates about Jackson's court case since the news first broke.