By Emily Krauser
12:02 PM PDT, August 22, 2023
With 27 seasons of The Bachelor behind us, we've met plenty of eligible singles looking for love -- and a few who've found it for the long haul! With season 28 newest star announced Aug. 2023, it's time to take a look back at every leading man from the franchise, as well as The Bachelor, Joey Graziadei.
Season 1: Alex Michel
The blooming love for all things Bachelor Nation started with this Stanford Business School graduate, who was the first to hand out roses on the hit ABC reality show. As the preeminent Bachelor, he also led the way in not feeling forced to propose on the finale, though he did give a final rose to Amanda Marsh. After dating for a few months, the pair ended up splitting. Now 49, Michel keeps a fairly low profile and appears to still be single. He went back to the business world after his time on The Bachelor and currently works as a media industry executive in New York City.
Season 2: Aaron Buerge
The Missouri banker proposed to Helen Eksterowicz in the season two finale, but they were dunzo just weeks after the 2002 episode aired. Out of the limelight, Buerge walked down the aisle with Angye McIntosh in 2009. The pair has two daughters together, and McIntosh also has one child from a previous relationship.
Season 3: Andrew Firestone
The tire and winery heir rolled into the hearts of 25 ladies in season three. The heart he ultimately won was Jen Schefft's. Though the two got engaged on the show, they ended things a few months later. Firestone went on to marry model Ivana Bozilovic in 2008, and the couple has three children together. The StonePark Capital co-founder saw his fifth hotel completed in San Luis Obispo, California, in January 2019.
Season 4: Bob Guiney
The one that got away from Bachelorette Trista Rehn returned to reality TV to star in season four of The Bachelor. The University of Michigan grad had to decide between Estella Gardinier and Kelly Jo Kuharski, ultimately feeling that Gardinier was a better match for him. He didn't propose to her, however, offering her a promise ring instead and the request to keep dating, but they broke up shortly after the season aired in 2003. He later married All My Children actress Rebecca Budig, divorcing her in 2010, and went on to wed Jessica Canyon in 2016, with whom he welcomed son Grayson in December 2018. The mortgage broker and author has hosted HGTV and TLC shows since his time in Bachelor Nation, and he also performs in a musical group called Band From TV.
Season 5: Jesse Palmer
The hunky former NFL quarterback scored a touchdown when he was picked to be the fifth Bachelor. Though he didn't propose to Jessica Bowlin in the finale, the pair did continue to date before splitting a few months later. In 2017, he began dating model Emely Fardo and asked for her hand in marriage in 2019. As for his professional life, Palmer has stayed in the spotlight, hosting quite a few shows, including Daily Mail TV, ABC's The Proposal and Food Network's Holiday Baking Championship, and acting on shows like Law and Order: SVU.
Season 6: Byron Velvick
The two-time WON Bass U.S. Open champion fisherman was part of the interesting 2004 season where the women handpicked their Bachelor in a "Lady's Choice Ceremony." Lucky Velvick ended up proposing to finalist Mary Delgado, and they stayed together until 2009. Six years later, he wed Belinda Juarez, and the two share a daughter named Kamber. Since his reality fame, the now 55-year-old has worked as a commentator for ESPN2's BassCenter and appeared on the ESPN series Going Coastal.
Season 7: Charlie O'Connell
Yes, Jerry O'Connell's brother was one of the first Bachelors. The self-described fun-loving "good guy" was lucky enough to have his season filmed in his hometown of New York City, but that luck didn't translate to the final rose. Although he didn't propose to finalist Sarah Brice, the two dated on and off, breaking up in 2007 before getting back together in late 2008, but splitting for good in 2010. He went on to marry Anna Sophia Berglund in 2018, and since his run on The Bachelor, he appeared on two episodes of Crossing Jordan alongside his brother.
Season 8: Travis Lane Stork
Oui, oui, doc! This board-certified ER physician was the first Bachelor to have his season filmed outside of the U.S., screening his potential suitors in Paris. In the end, Stork did not propose to finalist Sarah Stone, and they ended things after the finale aired. He has been married twice since, however, first to pediatrician Charlotte Brown from 2012 to 2015, before saying "I do" to attorney Parris Bell in 2019. As for his professional life, the Duke grad is a host on The Doctors.
Season 9: Lorenzo Borghese
Ciao, signore! The Italian American businessman, who just so happens to be a freakin' prince, did not end up proposing to his finalist, Jennifer Wilson, after The Bachelor: Rome. They did begin an off-camera relationship, but that fizzled out in January 2007. Raised in New Jersey, the Fordham business grad later appeared in the web reality show spoof America's Next Princess and did a stint on the 10th season of Celebrity Big Brother UK in 2012. Looks like he can do reality shows on both sides of the pond!
Season 10: Andrew Baldwin
Paging Dr. Baldwin! The Duke grad is quite the overachiever, boasting the titles of U.S. Naval Officer, ironman triathlete and humanitarian in addition to being a doctor. His reality show season -- dubbed The Bachelor: Officer and a Gentleman -- didn't end up finding him long-term love, as he broke off his engagement to finalist Tessa Horst in the summer of 2007. After appearing on the show, he briefly dated President Donald Trump's ex-wife Marla Maples. We think he's doing OK, however! In addition to participating in multiple races, he has a day named after him in Honolulu.
Seasons 11 and 15: Brad Womack
Maybe he just really, really liked being on The Bachelor -- even if he was long considered the most hated one in history by fans. After rejecting both finalists in season 11, Womack returned to the reality series for a second chance of love on season 15. He ultimately proposed to Emily Maynard in the season finale. Off camera, the pair broke up while the show was airing, got back together briefly and split up for good in May 2011. In 2013, the Texas businessman briefly dated Bachelor contestant AshLee Frazier from Sean Lowe's season. The Atlanta native currently owns four separate bars in Austin, Texas, with his brothers.
Season 12: Matt Grant
The British financier made history as the first international Bachelor. His season, called The Bachelor: London Calling, was also the last to air episodes in 90-minute increments. Though he ended up proposing to Shayne Lamas, the pair broke up in July 2008. A decade later, he wed Rebecca Moring in December 2017.
Season 13: Jason Mesnick
Mesnick's love life was a bit messy after cameras stopped rolling, but in the end, he found a happy ending. A former Bachelorette suitor, the Washington native proposed to Melissa Rycroft, but by the time fans saw that season finale "I do," the two had already broken up, as he was giving it another go with runner-up Molly Malaney. Mesnick and Malaney ended up marrying in February 2010 in a nationally televised Bachelor event. The account executive ended up becoming the first Bachelor star to make it down the aisle with someone he met on the show. The couple welcomed their first child in March 2013. Mesnick also shares a 15-year-old son named Ty with his ex-wife, Hilary Buckholz-Monrean.
Season 14: Jake Pavelka
Did you forget that Pilot Pete wasn't the only Bachelor who knows how to fly high? During his season, named The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love, the Texan pilot proposed to Vienna Girardi, but they split in June 2010. Since then, he's appeared on Bachelor Pad, Dancing With the Stars, Drop Dead Diva and The Bold and the Beautiful, and he briefly hosted a Chippendales Las Vegas show in 2012. The crazy-fit stud has also competed in his fair share of triathlons.
Season 16: Ben Flajnik
The former Bachelorette suitor and Courtney Robertson broke up while season 16 of The Bachelor was airing but reunited and got engaged for a second time before breaking up for good in October 2012. Hailing from California's Wine Country, the reality star has gone on to found Ion Wines and a spirit line called Fernet Francisco, and he currently runs the Yelp SF Community Team.
Season 17: Sean Lowe
The entrepreneur started his Bachelor Nation journey on Emily Maynard's season of The Bachelorette, where he came in third. The second time was apparently the charm because the Texan found love with Catherine Giudici on his Bachelor season finale. The two wed in 2014 -- making Lowe the only male lead to marry his final pick -- and have three children together.
Season 18: Juan Pablo Galavis
The former pro soccer player was one of the franchise's most notorious villains. Though he didn't promise to Nikki Ferrell at the end of The Bachelor's 18th season, the pair decided to continue their relationship. Despite appearing on a season of VH1's Couples Therapy, the two split in October 2014. Galavis has since wed Osmariel Villalobos and now works as a sports and music consultant.
Season 19: Chris Soules
The Iowa native was a fan favorite on the 10th season of The Bachelorette, where he came in third as Andi Dorfman looked for love. Returning to the franchise for season 19 of The Bachelor, he chose from 30 lovely ladies rather than 25 as in previous seasons, ultimately proposing to Whitney Bischoff, though they broke up soon after in May 2015. That same year, he headed back to reality TV twice, coming in fifth on Dancing With the Stars and doing a stint on Worst Cooks in America: Celebrity Edition. In August 2019, he pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident in 2017. His penalty was two years' probation, and he made his first red carpet appearance following that incident that December. The farmer still lives in Iowa and is reportedly dating Bachelor alum Victoria Fuller.
Season 20: Ben Higgins
The cutie pie from Indiana first appeared on the 11th season of The Bachelorette, but despite Kaitlyn Bristowe confessing that she thought Higgins was "unlovable," he took a chance with a new set of suitors in season 20 of The Bachelor. He ended up proposing to Lauren Bushnell, who moved with him to Denver, Colorado, shortly after the season finale, but they split in May 2017 and she went on to marry country singer Chris Lane in 2019. Higgins co-founded a coffee company, Generous Coffee, and co-hosts the Ben & Ashley I. Almost Famous Podcast with fellow Bachelor Nation alum Ashley Iaconetti.
Ben Higgins is a bachelor no more! The 32-year-old Bachelor alum married Jessica Clarke just outside of Nashville, Tennessee, on Saturday.
The pair, who got engaged in March 2020, tied the knot at The Estate at Cherokee Dock. The bride, 25, wore an Anne Barge gown, and the groom opted for a tuxedo by The Black Tux.
Season 21: Nick Viall
After trying to find love in Bachelor Nation four different times, the essential oils salesman finally got engaged on season 21. The then-36-year-old reality star got down on one knee and proposed to Vanessa Grimaldi, though they broke up five months later. The Wisconsin native went on to compete on Dancing WIth the Stars, made his acting debut in 2017 in the Vivica A. Fox Christmas TV movie A Christmas Cruise and launched a podcast, The Viall Files, in January 2019.
The two have since split but now Viall is with Natalie Joy.
After famously searching for love on The Bachelorette and as the star of The Bachelor, Viall will soon be tying the knot with Joy after two years of dating.
Viall, 42, and Joy, 24, both shared the news to Instagram on Thursday evening with a slideshow of intimate and gleeful snapshots -- which featured them embracing, gazing into each other's eyes, kissing, and flaunting her new sparkler.
Season 22: Arie Luyendyk Jr.
We first met the race car driver and real estate agent on season eight of The Bachelorette, when he vied for Emily Maynard's heart. Bachelor Nation was surprised when he was picked to lead season 22, though he certainly made history -- just not in the best way. After narrowing the field of women vying for his attention down to Lauren Burnham and Becca Kufrin, the then-36-year-old Bachelor told both women that he loved them and all but promised both that he was going to choose them -- and in a way, he sort of did. He ended up popping the question to Kufrin before having a change of heart and calling off the engagement. He reconnected with Burnham, proposed to her during the After the Final Rose special, and married her in Hawaii in January 2019. They welcomed their first child, daughter Alessi Ren, that May.
The pair welcomed twins, a boy and a girl, on June 11, 2021 with their son, Lux, coming home shortly after his birth.
Luyendyk and Burnham waited until bringing their little girl home to reveal her unique name. "senna james + lux jacob🤍," Burnham captioned a photo of the twins sleeping beside each other.
Season 23: Colton Underwood
The former NFL pro made history when he was announced as the first virgin Bachelor. Underwood ultimately fell for Cassie Randolph, but when their relationship dramatically derailed, his chance at love seemed to... jump the fence. Though he didn't propose at the end of the series, the pair did reconcile, as the Illinois state grad told Chris Harrison during the After the Final Rose special that they were "in love." Underwood and Randolph dated for a year and a half before splitting up in May 2020, shortly after the Indiana native recovered from COVID-19.
Underwood came out as gay in April 2021. The former football player’s journey was documented during his Netflix docuseries, Coming Out Colton. In November, Underwood confirmed that he was seeing someone, and while it was serious, he wanted to keep it private.
Colton Underwood is engaged to political strategist Jordan. C. Brown. The Bachelor star shared the news via Instagram, with a picture of him and his man. “life is going to be fun with you ♥️,” the 30-year-old wrote. Brown also shared the news with a picture of him and Underwood popping champagne.
Season 24: Peter Weber
The Delta pilot was a fan favorite from Hannah Brown's season of The Bachelorette, though his appearance on the show wasn't without scandal. His ex, Calee Lutes, came forward to ET in July, alleging that he ended their serious relationship to appear on the dating series. In his season finale, Pilot Pete got engaged to Hannah Ann Sluss, only to reveal that he still had feelings for runner-up Madison Prewett. By March 2020, Weber and Prewett had already broken up, and two months later, he said new ladylove Kelley Flanagan had "caught me."
The pair had broken up but have been seen together again.
Peter Weber and Kelley Flanagan are spending some time together. A source tells ET that the exes "started hanging out again as friends and in groups with other Bachelor people, but they still have a lot of love for each other."
"They are seeing where things go again and they're both happy," the source says.
Reconciliation rumors between the pair started in August, when they were spotted at a Chicago Cubs game together, more than a year after their split.
Season 25: Matt James
When season 25 of The Bachelor premieres in 2021, the franchise will have its first black star. The 28-year-old real estate broker, entrepreneur and community organization founder hails from North Carolina. A Wake Forest University grad, he played wide receiver on his college team before going pro; after retiring, he moved to New York City, where he finds creative ways to help kids from underserved communities. In past years, the franchise has cast a standout from a previous season as its next lead, but the coronavirus pandemic changed the upcoming season of The Bachelorette's entire production structure, so James never met Clare Crawley. Still, he is familiar to many in Bachelor Nation because he's best friends with Tyler Cameron, who starred on Hannah Brown's season of The Bachelorette.
Matt James opened up about how he and Rachael Kirkconnell reconciled. Cosmopolitan published an excerpt of the former Bachelor's upcoming book, First Impressions, in which he details how he and his girlfriend found their way back to each other after several controversies.
Season 26: Clayton Echard
This bachelor joined season 26 and met Susie Evans. The couple revealed why they called it quits. On the latest episode of Kaitlyn Bristowe's Off the Vine podcast, the Bachelor-alums shared the reasons behind their split in an emotional joint interview.
The pair announced their breakup Sept. 2022, following a tumultuous relationship in which Susie rejected Clayton after his Fantasy Suite actions, before rekindling their romance post-show. As such, the romance was met with lots of criticism on social media, which came at an already uncertain time for Clayton.
Season 27: Zach Shallcross
Zach Shallcross is the next Bachelor! During part 2 of The Bachelorette finale on Tuesday, host Jesse Palmer announced that the 25-year-old tech executive from Anaheim Hills, California, will be taking on the leading role for season 27.
"There’s no words. I’m just taking this in right now. This is pretty incredible," he said. "This is once in a lifetime, awesome, incredible opportunity."
Zach appeared on the current season of The Bachelorette, during which time he vied for Rachel Recchia's heart.
Season 28: Joey Graziadei
Joey Graziadei is your new Bachelor! During the season finale of The Bachelorette, host Jesse Palmer announced that the 28-year-old tennis pro will serve in The Bachelor's leading role for its upcoming 28th season.
"It's definitely surreal. It's sinking in very slowly, but I'm trying my best just to enjoy it, but this is crazy," Joey said of being the one to hand out the roses. "... Crazy stuff, but excited."
Joey's happy news comes after he suffered a major heartbreak when Charity Lawson sent him home before she got engaged to Dotun Olubeko. While Joey admitted that the devastation of that breakup was real, he assured fans he's ready to jump back into the dating pool in a big way.