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Want to Win 'The Bachelorette'? Have One of These Two Jobs

By:
Julia Glum
4 min read
THE BACHELORETTE – “1501” – It’s a tractor…It’s a plane…It’s the self-appointed king of the jungle! Hannah’s search for fierce love is matched with fierce competition as one hopeful bachelor sets a high bar by jumping the fence, while another pops out from the limo, in true beast fashion. At the end of the day, whether he is a golf pro looking to be Hannah’s hole-in-one, a Box King seeking a woman who checks all his boxes, or a man with a custom-made pizza delivery, everyone wants a piece of Hannah’s heart on the highly anticipated 15th season of “The Bachelorette,” premiering MONDAY, MAY 13 (8:00-10:01 p.m. EDT), on The ABC Television Network. - John Fleenor—ABC
THE BACHELORETTE – “1501” – It’s a tractor…It’s a plane…It’s the self-appointed king of the jungle! Hannah’s search for fierce love is matched with fierce competition as one hopeful bachelor sets a high bar by jumping the fence, while another pops out from the limo, in true beast fashion. At the end of the day, whether he is a golf pro looking to be Hannah’s hole-in-one, a Box King seeking a woman who checks all his boxes, or a man with a custom-made pizza delivery, everyone wants a piece of Hannah’s heart on the highly anticipated 15th season of “The Bachelorette,” premiering MONDAY, MAY 13 (8:00-10:01 p.m. EDT), on The ABC Television Network. John Fleenor—ABC

Contestants on The Bachelorette are willing to do whatever it takes to win. They interrupt intimate conversations, arrive in helicopters, tattle on each other's indiscretions and even mud wrestle for love.

But the true secret to scoring the Bachelorette's heart may actually lie in their career choice. Over the past 14 seasons of the romance reality series, two industries have produced six victors. So if you want to receive the final rose — and stage a proposal, become an influencer and start a podcast — choose your next gig carefully.

Correlation is not causation, but men in sales and sports are usually the most successful on The Bachelorette.

There's a lot that makes dating on TV different than dating in the real world, and one of those factors is work. Bachelor and Bachelorette contestants don't get paid for their time on the show, and they tend to avoid talking much about their jobs. (FYI: The 2019 Bachelorette, Hannah Brown, is an interior designer known for her stint as Miss Alabama USA.)

However, every participant is identified on-screen with his name, age and occupation. Patterns emerge when you look at all of the past winners.

The sales trend dates back to 2004, when Ian McKee, who worked in equity research sales, won Meredith Phillips' season. A couple of years later, insurance agent Roberto Martinez was Ali Fedotowsky's final pick. Just last year, medical sales rep Garrett Yrigoyen proposed to Becca Kufrin.

Athletes also do well on The Bachelorette. In 2008, DeAnna Pappas gave snowboarder Jesse Csincsak her final rose. Six years later, Andi Dorfman got engaged to former baseball player Josh Murray, and in 2016, JoJo Fletcher linked up with ex-football player Jordan Rodgers.

Contestants with the infamously goofy job titles aren't quite so lucky.

Jonathan Treece, who was referred to as "tickle monster" on Rachel Lindsay's season of The Bachelorette, only made it to week four. "Pantsapreneur" J. J. O'Brien was eliminated by Dorfman in week six.

Victorious or not, one thing most Bachelor Nation stars have in common is that they don't keep their job titles for long. Once the episodes end, most take other opportunities. Yrigoyen now hosts $2,800 hunting trips, and Rodgers is an on-air football analyst for the SEC Network. Others monetize their now-huge social media followings. Murray, for example, recently posted an ad for CBD gummies.

Because they're sort-of celebrities, it's not easy for contestants to return to the office after looking for love on TV. As The Bachelor's Taylor Nolan told Money last year, "the experience of the show is all-consuming" — and it can be tough to keep regular hours when they're balancing appearances, travel and interviews.

Bekah Martinez, who was on the 2018 season of The Bachelor, ran into money troubles due to the time off. She told Glamour that she was "definitely pretty broke" when she was done filming.

"I’ve been nannying for the past five years, and whenever I moved to a new place I was always able to find a new job easily," Martinez said. "But I didn’t realize how difficult it would be coming back."

The Bachelorette kicks off tonight at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC.

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