What Really Happens In The Fantasy Suite On 'The Bachelor'
Producers Sleep In The Same Building
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In Amy Kaufman's book Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America's Favorite Guilty Pleasure, former production members spill some of the show's secrets - including the fact that, even though the couple may be off-camera in the Fantasy Suite, they're not completely alone. Usually, a producer sleeps in the same building as the pair to keep "an ear" on things.
It's a little creepy, especially since the producer is "just a wall over, where they can literally hear what's going on."
Sometimes Contestants Just Want To Sleep
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The Bachelor filming schedule gets so brutal that sometimes contestants just want to use those precious camera-free hours to rest. Bachelorette Jen Schefft skipped out on sex on her third Fantasy Suite date; she needed to be up in four hours to film and preferred to get some sleep.
Rachel Lindsay felt the same way. During her Fantasy Suite date with Bachelor Nick Viall, she felt so emotionally exhausted she passed out immediately - no talking, no sex. She related, "I did nothing! I did nothing but sleep. I got my best sleep in the Fantasy Suite!”
Producers Manipulate Footage To Make It Seem Like The Couple Gets Intimate
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Much of the Fantasy Suite magic happens in the editing room through a very special trick: the bending of the truth. Former producer Michael Carroll reveals, "There were a lot of girls that would go into the suite with him and then [back] out and be like, 'I’m going. Make sure you show me leaving.' And of course, we may or may not show her leaving."
Producers manipulate Fantasy Suite footage in other ways, too. By splicing in a shot of a light switch turning off or inserting the sound of a door closing, they communicate the idea of a private, wild night of lovemaking (even if the couple just brushes their teeth and goes to bed).
Every Room Comes With Bowls Of Condoms
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Fantasy Suite rooms are decorated and designed with sex in mind - and the producers aren't subtle about it. Besides the standard provisions (rose petals, a giant bed, lots of wine, and usually a bubble bath), rooms are also stocked with bowls of condoms.
Bachelorette Jen Schefft revealed this little detail, saying, “It was like, ‘Oh, OK, so we can be safe if we want to be. But honestly? We don’t need a bowlful.”
Microphones Are Reportedly Placed Throughout The Hotel Rooms
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Anyone who's watched a Fantasy Suite episode of The Bachelor knows that even though the cameras aren't rolling, the microphones are listening. The show's editors never fail to include a soundtrack of sighs and moans to paint a vivid picture in the absence of video footage.
One former contestant who chose to remain anonymous dished the dirt on the microphone situation:
First, there are no cameras filming the sex scenes in the room - but there's never a microphone-free moment. Producers want you to believe you're completely alone and they're giving you privacy, but there are microphones everywhere. They're secretly hoping you open up or say something juicy.
The Fantasy Suite Dates Are Spread Out Over Two Weeks
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Every season, three Fantasy Suite dates are shown in a single two-hour episode of The Bachelor or The Bachelorette. But Andi Dorfman wants you to know the Bachelors and Bachelorettes don't go on back-to-back overnight dates - these one-on-one off-camera romps are filmed over a two-week time period.
She wrote in The Hollywood Reporter, "Sure, most of the time there’s intimacy involved... What people likely don't realize is that the Fantasy Suites are stretched out over a two-week timespan. It does come in one quick episode, but this isn't back-to-back like viewers see."
Female Contestants Initially Felt Uncomfortable With The Concept
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When the Fantasy Suite debuted on The Bachelor, producers received feedback that women weren't entirely on board with it. The idea of one person getting intimate with three partners in the same week was a hard sell. Producer Scott Jeffress revealed:
Women really felt like it was creepy and weird. So you just have to say, "Look, this is just the way the show works. It’s not his fault. Are you feeling it? Do you feel like you’re ready to go to that level yet? Because now’s your chance - just saying." And once they get on the date with him, it all goes away. It’s their world and there’s no one else there.
Producer Michael Carroll says the resistance from the women has lessened with each season: "Girls just got more understanding of what it is. If you come and you’re final three and you want to lock it down, there you go."
Contestants Feel 'Weird' Without Cameras On Them
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After being filmed every second of the day for weeks straight, you might think the Bachelor and Bachelorette contestants would be excited for some alone time off-camera. However, Bachelorette Andi Dorfman says it's not that simple.
In her tell-all memoir It's Not Okay: Turning Heartbreak into Happily Never After, she revealed, "It's the first time you don't have cameras and microphones on you, and it's just a weird feeling."
True Personalities Come Out
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With the cameras finally gone, the couples can exhale and actually get to know each other. Courtney Robertson, The Bachelor villain and winner of Ben Flajnik's season, told Radar Online, "It was like, 'Wow, we’re alone for the first time!' I really got to hear his voice, how he felt about me. You get to see the true personality come through a little more, because people aren't watching what they say as much."
With no cameras on them, contestants start to let their emotional walls down. According to Bachelor Sean Lowe, they may ask questions like, "Why did you get that tattoo? Do you really want five kids?"
Seeing someone's true colors isn't always so serious, though. Just take it from Clare Crawley, who saw a completely different side of Bachelor Juan Pablo Galavis in the Fantasy Suite. When he disappeared, she eventually found him in the bathroom "literally doing a body roll, watching himself body roll in the mirror to this music. I was like, ‘Is this for real? Is this really f*cking happening?’”
Born-Again Christian Sean Lowe Didn't Have Sex In The Fantasy Suite
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Of course, not every Bachelor wants to hook up with three women in a row. Take Sean Lowe, nicknamed "The Virgin Bachelor" by the media. Lowe, a born-again Christian, went into The Bachelor saving himself for marriage - and the Fantasy Suite dates were no exception. #BachelorNation was shocked and intrigued by his decision, one that Lowe believes made him appear unique to the audience:
I think a lot of people found it refreshing. Like "Wow, OK So this show doesn’t necessarily have to be on the scandalous side. Here’s a guy that believes what I believe and he’s kind of a stand-up guy. He’s not ashamed to say that he’s not handling the fantasy suites the way that most people do."
Pre-Fantasy Suite Sex Is Allowed, But Not Encouraged
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While there are no hard-and-fast rules about sex before the Fantasy Suite, it's not necessarily encouraged. The few times pre-Suite sex has happened on the show, it's typically led to some serious D-R-A-M-A. When Juan Pablo Galavis and Clare Crawley had sex in the ocean weeks before Fantasy Suites, Galavis turned it around and later told her he needed to set a better example for his daughter. As Willa Paskin of Slate put it:
If Clare had bided her time and waited however many episodes until Juan Pablo invited her into his Fantasy Suite, she would have been celebrated as a woman willing to make herself vulnerable for love. Instead, she got the easy-woman edit and a scolding about sexual propriety from a guy proudly wearing multiple women’s spit.
Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe faced a similar reaction from the public when she slept with contestant Nick Viall after a one-on-one date. Since the act didn't take place in the Fantasy Suite, Bristowe was shamed and threatened via social media for her "promiscuous" behavior.
Sean Lowe Said Having Sex On All Three Dates Is 'Unhealthy'
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Fantasy Suite week is admittedly controversial - even the most sex-positive viewers can get a little weirded out watching one contestant bed three different people in the course of one two-hour episode watched by millions. As it turns out, some Bachelors and Bachelorettes have also found it uncomfortable. Bachelor Sean Lowe, who is also a Christian, went so far as to call it "unhealthy:"
Even if you end up with the fantasy proposal that everybody wants at the end, then you’re left answering questions with your new fiancée about why you did those things. Maybe that’s my personal convictions, but sleeping with three people in three days can’t be good for you.
Bachelorette Desiree Siegfried, also a Christian, agrees. She chose not to have sex on her Fantasy Suite dates, saying, "I would never go have sex with three different guys. I actually wouldn't condone it."
Producers Helped Ali Fedotowsky Make Up An Excuse To Get Out Of Sex
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By the time Fantasy Suites roll around, some Bachelors and Bachelorettes already know what - or who - their hearts want. In Ali Fedotowsky's case, she already felt certain a particular guy was the one and therefore did not want to sleep with any of the other remaining men. What's a girl to do? Ask a producer to intervene, of course!
She told People, "I asked one of the producers to call and make up an excuse for me to be able to leave the room. So if that’s happening to you - if the Bachelor’s leaving the room - you’re probably not getting chosen."
Everyone Gets Tested For STDs Before Filming Begins
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The last thing the producers of The Bachelor want on their hands is a public STD crisis, so all contestants are required to take an STD test prior to appearing on the show. Every single contestant gets cleared before filming begins, which makes the Fantasy Suite date a little less awkward.
Birth control is encouraged, too. Courtney Robertson revealed, "Everyone gets tested before the show and I was on the pill."
'Bachelor In Paradise' Contestants Need To Tell Producers Before They Have Sex
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After an alleged act of sexual misconduct took place during the filming of Season 4 of Bachelor In Paradise, the show set up some ground rules to ensure every sexual act that takes place on set is consensual. Besides logging every cast member's drink orders and capping them at two drinks per hour, contestants who wish to have sex with each other need to seek a producer's permission first.
Cast member Vinny Ventiera revealed that after each party has been filmed giving consent, they're free to hook up.
