10 Best ‘The Bachelorette’ Episodes, Ranked

The Bachelorette is a spin-off reality dating series based on The Bachelor, where one woman is tasked with combing through a group of about 25 men to find her best match at the end of a couple of months. The show’s lead is typically chosen from the contestant pool of the previous season of The Bachelor, making it easy for fans to root for a fan favorite or a contestant they feel deserves to find love of her own. The show ends with a few live segments where audiences get to see where the contestants and the lead are now, as well as see a glimpse into the life of the final couple.

A good episode of The Bachelorette has to achieve the right balance of drama and romance, which requires a likable and strong lead, as well as a fun and interesting cast. These combinations can be hard to come by, but when the elements all mix together perfectly, the show can be addictive even when the ending isn’t necessarily happy. Capturing the real emotions of people who develop strong feelings for one another and can’t be together can be just as entertaining to watch as when the final couple is a no brainer. Whichever outcome a season provides, there is ample opportunity for audiences to enjoy the ups and downs of romantic connections.

10 Season 10, Episode 12 (2014)

Andi Dorfman’s Season

The night before the final rose ceremony of Andi Dorfman‘s season, one of her final two men, Nick Viall, expresses his worries to her about what to expect the next day: a proposal or a rejection. His worries come to fruition when Andi shows up at his door the next day instead of Neil Lane, the franchise’s resident engagement ring expert. Andi sits Nick down and breaks up with him, telling him that during their last date together, she just wanted to have fun and relax, but she couldn’t, and she feels that their relationship would just be too stressful.

During the live segment of the finale, Andi tells Nick that there is nothing wrong with him or their relationship, it’s just that she felt her relationship with her final pick, Josh Murray, was stronger. Nick is left heartbroken as Josh’s proposal to Andi is teased to the audience. The footage of Josh’s proposal to Andi is then played, and the audience gets to see the two interact on stage as a newly engaged, happy couple. This finale featured the natural drama that derives from having two men ready to propose and only allowing one to do so, while also introducing fans to a main player in the Bachelor franchise, Nick Viall.

9 Season 16, Episode 13 (2020)

Tayshia Adams’ Season

The final week of Tayshia Adams’ season sees her choosing between Ivan and Zac, but when Ben, one of the contestants that she sent home during Hometowns returns and tells Tayshia that he loves her and wants her back, Tayshia lets him come back. Ivan and Zac are shocked when Ben arrives at the rose ceremony, but Ivan is the one sent home due to a compatibility issue the two discovered during their overnight date. Once Tayshia picks Ben and Zac, it is time for them to meet her family.

Ben’s leaving the show and then returning confuses Tayshia’s family, while Zac absolutely dazzles them with his charm and his obvious affection for Tayshia. After such a wonderful final date with Zac, Tayshia realizes that her heart is completely with him, and she must send Ben home again. Zac proposes to Tayshia and this wild season, complete with two Bachelorettes and two proposals, ends on a very happy note with a happy couple. The worthwhile proposal as well as the last-minute effort from Ben to try and get Tayshia back made for a good combination of drama and romance in this episode.

8 Season 19, Episode 12 (2022)

Rachel Recchia and Gabby Windey’s Season

The conclusion of Rachel Recchia and Gabby Windey‘s joint season of The Bachelorette was the result of a few outside events that disrupted public perception of their final picks or the strength of their relationships. The show quickly moves through the two’s final rose ceremonies, where Recchia gets engaged to her final pick Tino, and Windey gets engaged to her final pick Erich, so that fans can see what happens after the engagements, where all the drama lies. It’s obvious to fans who paid attention to the live cam on Rachel and Gabby while their proposals were playing that Rachel is not exactly pleased with how her story ended.

When new host and former Bachelor Jesse Palmer speaks to Rachel on stage about what happened with Tino, it is revealed that Tino cheated on her, and the audience gets to see for themselves how her last meeting with Tino went. The meeting was very chaotic, with Tino bringing a journal of things that Rachel said to him that was hurtful and Rachel disputing the validity of it. At the end of this meeting, Rachel gives Tino her engagement ring back and breaks up with him for good. Back in the studio, Jesse brings out Rachel’s runner-up, Aven, who asks Rachel if she wants to get out of there and catch up, in front of Tino. At the time, Gabby was still happily engaged to Erich, but the real chaos of the episode, which made it impossible to turn off, surrounded Rachel.

7 Season 12, Episode 11 (2016)

Joelle “JoJo” Fletcher’s Season

JoJo Fletcher is asking one of her final two men, Jordan Rodgers, how his meeting with her family went when he tells her that he didn’t ask her father for her hand in marriage. JoJo, despite also hearing how much Jordan loved her family and his excitement for the future, is worried about the fact that he doesn’t have her family’s approval to ask her to marry him. Jordan makes it clear that he loves JoJo and only withholds the question because he doesn’t know if it’s him at the end, and he doesn’t want to ask her father’s permission without knowing if JoJo even wants him.

JoJo and Jordan’s conversation was very mature and completely valid in such an expedited and confusing process. It also provides some interesting, but not over-the-top drama for fans. The drama also had a satisfying payoff, as after JoJo sends her runner-up Robby home, Jordan shows up at the final rose ceremony and beautifully asks JoJo to marry him, but not before JoJo finally tells Jordan that she loves him. The happy ending to this season is very satisfying for fans, especially considering the Bachelor couple married in 2022 and are still together!

6 Season 1, Episode 7 (2003)

Trista Rehn’s Season

The first season of The Bachelorette starred Trista Rehn, the runner-up from the first season of The Bachelor, and was an even more expedited version of the show that fans are so familiar with now. In 6 weeks, Trista had narrowed down her cast of men to just two: Charlie, a financial analyst, and Ryan, a firefighter. Throughout the season, a quiet Ryan showed his softer side, writing poetry for Trista, while also developing great chemistry with her.

When the time came for the men to propose to Trista, the first out of the limo, the last sign that a contestant is not the final pick, was Charlie. Ryan got Trista’s final rose, and the two married in a televised wedding ceremony in 2003, and are still happily married, making them the first and longest-lasting relationship of the whole franchise! Trista set the tone for all the Bachelorettes that followed her, providing some entertaining television with a very satisfying and romantic conclusion to the season.

5 Season 9, Episode 10 (2013)

Desiree Hartsock’s Season

There are three men left in the first part of Desiree Hartsock‘s finale, and it is time for fantasy suites. First up are Drew and Chris, whose dates go as well as can be expected, but the real intrigue in this episode is Desiree’s last date with Brooks. Desiree has very strong feelings for Brooks, but unfortunately, Brooks tells host Chris Harrison that he doesn’t want to propose to her because he just doesn’t feel strongly enough for her. When it comes time for Brooks’s date, he takes her to a dock to tell her the hard truth.

Desiree cries while Brooks tries to break the truth to her as nicely as possible. He wishes that his feelings were stronger, but they just aren’t. Regardless of his feelings, Desiree asserts that she loves him, and she doesn’t care that he doesn’t. Even more, Desiree tells Brooks as she’s walking him out that the reason he felt she was conflicted is because she didn’t want to share her heart with anyone else, she wanted to give it to him. The emotional conflict present in this episode is what fans are looking for from the franchise. Audiences want to see a lead who has developed real feelings and has no idea who she wants to choose at the end. It makes for such compelling television. In the end, Chris proposes to Desiree who eagerly says yes, and the two are still happily married today!

4 Season 17, Episode 9 (2021)

Katie Thurston’s Season

It’s Hometowns week for Katie Thurston’s season where, due to the pandemic, contestants’ families are brought to the cast in New Mexico. As Katie meets the family and friends of her final three men, Blake, Justin, and Greg, it seems to all be going to plan until Katie’s desire to stay within the bounds of her role as the Bachelorette by not saying “I love you” to more than one guy, and trying to keep her intentions discrete, causes a huge rift with her self-declared front-runner Greg. Despite the fact that Greg and Katie obviously really cared for each other, when Greg tells Katie that for the first time since his father passed away, he’s been happy, and it’s because of her, her reaction does not give Greg the security he needs, and their relationship quickly turns sour.

Greg’s demeanor immediately changes, and he becomes defensive, eventually proclaiming that they have a fundamental disconnect. Meanwhile, Katie is desperately trying to make amends for her lackluster reaction, but Greg has stopped listening and leaves. Katie locks herself in a bathroom and the episode ends with her telling temporary co-host Kaitlyn Bristowe that she wants someone to book her flight home. This episode was such a riveting and heartbreaking watch, and it even divided Bachelor Nation over who was in the right, Katie or Greg.

3 Season 13, Episode 11 (2017)

Rachel Lindsay’s Season

In an unconventional lineup for a finale, there are three men remaining: Eric, Peter, and Bryan. Eric is eliminated first, leaving Peter and Bryan, two men that Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay has had very strong chemistry with all season long. But now she has to make the decision of who she wants to get engaged to. Before the final rose ceremony, Rachel sits down with Peter where they discuss the possibility of an engagement the next day. Peter, unwilling to get down on one knee more than once in his life, is hesitating, making the painful decision that Rachel has to send him home because he’s not ready, painfully clear.

The breakup between Peter and Rachel is one of the most emotionally raw breakups of the franchise. The two clearly cared a lot for each other, even saying “I love you” during their final goodbye. They kiss and hug and cry and are so reluctant to leave one another, but know that they don’t want the same things. This finale kept viewers on their toes, rooting for either Peter or Bryan to be the one Rachel finally picks, but in the end, it’s the man who was willing to fully commit, Bryan, that gets Rachel’s final rose.

2 Season 16, Episode 4 (2020)

Clare Crawley’s Season

In a season with two separate Bachelorettes, set in the middle of a pandemic, one episode completely stands out, and that is the episode where the first lead, Clare Crawley, decides that she’s ready to fully commit to one of her men after only a few weeks. Dale Moss caught Crawley’s eye from the very beginning, so much so that just a few weeks into her season, she couldn’t help but prioritize Moss so much that production had to step in. Chris Harrison asks Crawley to honestly admit if this process is over for her, to which she responds yes, that she has found her person.

So, four weeks in, Dale and Clare have a fantasy suite date, after which Dale gets on one knee and proposes to her. Meanwhile, the other men are waiting in limbo for Clare, only to be told by her that she is saying goodbye because she has chosen Dale. Luckily for the men, another Bachelorette, Tayshia Adams, is on her way so that they can continue the process, leaving a lot of the men annoyed and also questioning if they even want to stay. In the words of Chris Harrison, Crawley had just blown up The Bachelorette, and it was impossible to look away.

1 Season 15, Episode 10 (2019)

Hannah Brown’s Season

So many dramatic moments that had been teased all season long were revealed in this episode, making it one of the most riveting episodes of The Bachelorette. Throughout the season, it was teased that Bachelorette Hannah Brown would be having sex with one of her men multiple times in a windmill, and when Hannah’s fantasy suite with Peter Weber included a stay in a windmill, fans went wild with the knowledge that Peter was finally confirmed as the man from the windmill. However, this moment was topped by the long-awaited realization from Hannah that Luke P. really was as bad as everyone said he was.

After Hannah’s fantasy suite dates with Peter, Tyler C., and Jed, it’s time for her last date with Luke. As the two attend the night portion of their date, Luke wants to talk about sex and starts to tell Hannah that he would have to leave if she had sex with one or more of the other men. At this moment, Hannah finally snaps out of her blind affection for Luke, and she does an amazing job of standing up for herself and her faith when Luke questions it regarding her sex life. After explaining to Luke that he has exhibited several sins in his behavior and he shouldn’t cast her off just for one, he refuses to get in the van to leave, which is when Hannah tells him that she did have sex on this journey and “Jesus still loves me.” This moment was so amazing for fans to watch because it solidified how great of a lead Hannah was, and it also gave audiences the joy of seeing the villain of the season told off in such a satisfying way.

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