Josh Seiter Reveals His True Thoughts On The Bachelor Franchise - Exclusive
You may know Josh Seiter from his Instagram platform or even his high-profile presence on OnlyFans, but you may not know that the outspoken mental health advocate made a quick splash on "The Bachelorette" back in 2015. We're going to take you back in time and set the scene. Chris Soules had just wrapped up his experience on "The Bachelor," and left two fan favorites in the running for "The Bachelorette": Kaitlyn Bristowe and Britt Nilsson. In a surprising (and really dated turn of events), Bristowe and Nilsson found themselves competing with one another to be the leading lady, and the male contestants made their voices heard by voting between the two women. Seiter was one of the men vying for the ladies' hearts, and when the role ultimately went to Bristowe, the OnlyFans star was among the hopefuls.
Bristowe and Seiter must've not hit it off, because the former male dancer only found himself in the house for a couple of episodes. Unlike other stars of the franchise, Seiter ultimately said goodbye to the series and its multiple spin-offs, never making a return to "Bachelor in Paradise" or "Bachelor Winter Games." So how did Seiter turn the experience of on-screen rejection into a lucrative media career? Nicki Swift sat down for an exclusive interview to get all the answers.
The Bachelorette 'lit a fire' under Josh Seiter
A quick glance at Josh Seiter's Instagram shows an in-shape, smiley, and confident guy with over 200,000 followers. You may think that a lot of those fans came from his time on "The Bachelorette" — after all, Seiter did strip during his limo entrance, certainly leaving an impression on the viewers and leading ladies of the season. But that assumption about Seiter's social media success is wrong; he actually gained all those followers on his own, and his time on "The Bachelorette" only left him more motivated to seek social media success on his own terms.
"I was definitely disappointed with how short my time was on that because it is the most-watched reality show in the world," Seiter said of his brief arc on the series. "I think at the time, there [were] 25 million viewers every episode, and so for me, as an exotic dancer in Chicago, having the platform of being on 'The Bachelorette' had the potential to change my entire life. But I came off the show with only 600 more Instagram followers, So at the time, I had 5,000 Instagram followers and I got up to 5,500," he explained.
So how on earth did Seiter gain an additional 200,000 followers? His experience on the show "lit a fire underneath" him, and after feeling "so shafted" by his time on-screen, Seiter committed himself to organic growth. "I felt like I had so much to offer," he continued, "that I said, 'I am going to become big on Instagram with or without "The Bachelorette." This is not the end of me. They're not dictating my story.'"
Josh Seiter thinks there are more authentic ways to build a career
So is Josh Seiter still disappointed that he found neither love or fame on "The Bachelorette?" After reflection and growth on his own time, Seiter told us that not fitting into the franchise's box is something he's proud of. "They talk about a very narrow range of issues, and I realized, I don't really fit that narrative that's on there about love and family and everything they talk about," Seiter reflected. He recalled that after he was eliminated, he asked himself, "Do you want to be remembered as one of 25 men on one of 20 seasons of 'The Bachelorette?'" Seiter's answer was an unequivocal "no," and he set off on an authentic, self-made social media career.
When we asked Seiter if he watches the show all these years later, he told us that outside of an episode here and there, he certainly isn't a member of Bachelor Nation. Speaking in a slightly reserved manner (hey, we totally get it), Seiter shared his thoughts on the franchise, explaining that his personal experience on "The Bachelorette" was ultimately "not authentic."
"If you look at most of the couples, they post very cheesy, corny, what sounds like scripted posts on Instagram after the show, and then about six months later, almost all of the couples are broken up," Seiter said. "There are some exceptions, but it seems to follow a boilerplate progression. And to me, it comes off as fake, and that's a reason I don't even watch." Speaking about authenticity in the media, Seiter shared, "I think that shows like 'The Bachelorette' are becoming less and less popular because people want to see things that feel real, and it just doesn't feel real."