Have you ever watched The Bachelor and thought, “I have yet to see that girl without a glass of wine in her hand”? The dating show is notorious for its subtle, yet heavy drinking contestants. The Bachelor season 21 airs tonight on ABC, and we can’t wait to see which wine-loving contestant Nick Viall falls in love with. He already revealed to US Weekly that he definitely found love this season, but we want to know if any of the girls fell in love with a new bottle of wine. So how much do they actually drink during the 3 months of filming?
Night one of The Bachelor begins with the introduction of the contestants. Each girl will try to do something memorable, as Nick thinks about how #blessed he is for being surrounded by 25 gorgeous women. After meeting Nick for the first time, the ladies are poured a glass (or 3) of wine as they wait to meet the girls who they’ll be competing against. They’re nervous, some wine is acceptable.
As the show progresses, viewers will notice that most of the one-on-one dates and leisure time around the house involves alcohol. While filming the show, the girls are completely cut off from the real world — no Internet, TV, cell phones, or books. Talk about boredom. I would drink too if I were stranded at the house all day with 24 other girls whom I may or may not get along with. And the thing is, the producers encourage the contestants to drink.
The Bachelor season 19 contestant, Jordan branch revealed to TMZ that “producers manipulated contestants by constantly refreshing their glasses.” Which may account for how black out she was during the filming of one hilarious scene during that season. Jordan also suggested that the show should get a “booze babysitter.” As funny as that is, a 24-year old woman should not need a booze babysitter.
Although no one is forcing the contestants to drink on the show, it is supplied by producers. Alcohol helps them open up to the cameras.
“It’s how they get you to be more talkative, more sensitive,” season 17 contestant Leslie Hughes told The Daily Beast. “When I came in for the producers’ weekend, I remember it was like 12 noon, and they were like, ‘You want some champagne, wine?’ And I was like, ‘It’s 12 p.m., noon!’ And they’re like, ‘Welcome to the Bachelor family.’”
So that’s nice, free alcohol for 3 months. Although it can (and does) get a little out of hand. Whether it’s out of boredom, nervousness, or to instigate drama—we can’t be certain how much alcohol is actually consumed by the contestants. But we do know it’s readily available and encouraged to drink. Talk about peer pressure.
If you’re following this season, take note of how many scenes include a glass of wine. It might make more of an appearance than Nick himself.