Here's what 'The Bachelor' and 'The Bachelorette' look like in 18 countries
Since 2002, 19 seasons of The Bachelor and 11 of the The Bachelorette — not to mention the spinoffs Bachelor Pad and Bachelor in Paradise — have aired on ABC. (Fusion is a joint venture of Univision and ABC.) On these iconic reality dating shows, more than two dozen attractive singles compete for the heart of an eligible man or woman, who eliminates those who’ve failed to capture his or her interest at a weekly rose ceremony. In the meantime, contestants live together in an opulent mansion and enjoy fairy-tale dates where champagne flows freely.
Unsurprisingly, other countries have tried to replicate the Bachelor franchise’s blockbuster success with programs created in its image. Here’s a taste of the international romance you’ve been missing out on. Now’s as good a time as any to consider renewing your passport.
Der Bachelor (Germany)
Before appearing on the third season of Der Bachelor this year, Oliver Sanne reigned as the winner of the male beauty pageant Mister Germany from 2013 to 2014.
Der Bachelor (Switzerland)
Rafael Beutl is a carpenter and model who placed third in the 2010 Mister Switzerland contest. (America, where are our male beauty pageants?)
The Bachelor New Zealand
Art Green is a co-owner of CleanPaleo, a health food company. He has six sisters.
Sanjski moški (Slovenia)
Damir Alidžanovič, who appeared on Sanjski moški way back in 2004, is a professional poker player.
Burlacul (Romania)
Andrei Andrei (yes: that’s first name Andrei, last name Andrei), a model, made an appearance in the music video for John Legend’s “Who Do We Think We Are.” In the March season finale of Burlacul, Andrei pulled a Brad Womack, rejecting both of the finalists.
In 2012, Burlacul star Vladimir Drăghia was fired and replaced partway through the season when the contestants confronted him about his rude behavior.
הרווק ישראל (Israel)
Dudu Aharon, who starred on the most recent season in 2013, is an Israeli pop star.
The Bachelor Brasil
Gianluca Perino is an Italian-born businessman. He has 80 followers on Twitter.
Ungkaren (Norway, Sweden)
In 2003, the Norwegian and Swedish versions of the show merged partway through the season, with bachelors Max Marius Almaas and Andreas Lauritzen forced to compete themselves. (A Swedish woman won, accepting a marriage proposal from Almaas, the Norwegian man.)
The Bachelor Australia
Blake Garvey, whose father is African-American, is a real estate auctioneer. He also owns a male entertainment company and previously worked as a stripper. Garvey, whose season wrapped up last fall, is notorious among fans for proposing to one woman in the finale, then dumping her to pursue the finalist he rejected — not unlike our very own Jason Mesnick, although it’s worth noting that the American Bachelor did his dumping on national television.
This seems like a good time to reflect on the fact that the United States has yet to cast either a black Bachelor or Bachelorette.
Kawaler do wzięcia (Poland)
Bartek Okowity starred in Poland’s one and only season of Kawaler do wzięcia (the literal English translation of that title is “Single to take”) in 2003. We’ve been able to find out very little about him, aside from the fact that he looks like he could be related to Peter Krause.
Bachelor, le gentleman célibataire (France)
This is Paul, a financial consultant who works in Singapore. Interestingly, the reality show — which most recently aired in 2014 — chose to withhold both Paul’s last name and that of his predecessor, Adriano, though the surnames of the women vying for their affections were apparently revealed. That said, Internet detectives have nevertheless succeed in sussing out this bachelor’s identity.
(We know what you’re thinking: in French, célibataire can mean “single” as well as “celibate.”)
Холостяк (Ukraine)
Sergey Melnik is a professional football player who loves Michael Jackson.
Холостяк (Russia)
Timur Batrutdinov is a stand-up comedian and TV host. He told Russian Cosmopolitan that he dreams of fathering two sets of opposite-sex twins.
The Bachelor Canada
Tim Warmels is a 29-year-old investment banker turned entrepreneur. He also dabbles in modeling and furniture design.
Suomen unelmien poikamies (Finland)
Hannu Koistinen, who appeared on (what translates to) The Bachelor of Your Dreams in 2009, has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.
The Bachelor UK
Spencer Matthews is best known as the womanizing star of the popular reality show Made in Chelsea.
Burlăcița (Romania)
Daniela Crudu co-hosts SuperBingo Metropolis, which — as far as we’ve been able to tell — is a raffle-based game show, in which viewers participate by buying tickets. Crudu has also posed nude in more than one issue of Playboy. On the most recent season of the U.S. Bachelor, it was a matter of some controversy when contestant Jade Roper revealed that she had done the same.
The Bachelorette India
Bollywood star Mallika Sherawat starred in India’s only season of The Bachelorette, which aired in 2013. (As far as we can tell, India is the only country to produce a version of The Bachelorette without also producing its own take on The Bachelor.) A contestant gave her that adorable goat as a gift on their first date. According to winner Vijay Singh, who is 14 years Sherawat’s junior, she eventually stopped returning his phone calls.
Die Bachelorette (Germany)
Alisa lives in Berlin, where she teaches German, math, and sports.
Die Bachelorette (Switzerland)
Frieda Hodel is a model and a health and lifestyle coach.
Sanjska ženska (Slovenia)
Katarina Hrestak, who served as Slovenia’s Bachelorette (on which those keys seemingly stand in for the conventional roses) in 2006, is a former Miss Hawaiian Tropic competitor with an interest in alternative medicine.
The Bachelorette Australia
Remember how the Australian Bachelor ditched his fiancée? That woman is Samantha Frost, who is now signed on to become the country’s inaugural Bachelorette — despite having said four months ago that she “couldn’t think of anything worse than being The Bachelorette.”
Molly Fitzpatrick is senior editor of Fusion’s Pop & Culture section. Her interests include movies about movies, TV shows about TV shows, and movies about TV shows, but not so much TV shows about movies.