7 of the most beloved recent Bachelor contestants

THE BACHELOR - "Episode 2301" - What does a pageant star who calls herself the "hot-mess express," a confident Nigerian beauty with a loud-and-proud personality,; a deceptively bubbly spitfire who is hiding a dark family secret, a California beach blonde who has a secret that ironically may make her the BachelorÕs perfect match, and a lovable phlebotomist all have in common? TheyÕre all on the hunt for love with Colton Underwood when the 23rd edition of ABCÕs hit romance reality series "The Bachelor" premieres with a live, three-hour special on MONDAY, JAN. 7 (8:00-11:00 p.m. EST), on The ABC Television Network. (ABC/Rick Rowell)TAHZJUAN, KIRPA, DEVIN, CASSIE, CAELYNN, COLTON UNDERWOOD, DEMI
THE BACHELOR - "Episode 2301" - What does a pageant star who calls herself the "hot-mess express," a confident Nigerian beauty with a loud-and-proud personality,; a deceptively bubbly spitfire who is hiding a dark family secret, a California beach blonde who has a secret that ironically may make her the BachelorÕs perfect match, and a lovable phlebotomist all have in common? TheyÕre all on the hunt for love with Colton Underwood when the 23rd edition of ABCÕs hit romance reality series "The Bachelor" premieres with a live, three-hour special on MONDAY, JAN. 7 (8:00-11:00 p.m. EST), on The ABC Television Network. (ABC/Rick Rowell)TAHZJUAN, KIRPA, DEVIN, CASSIE, CAELYNN, COLTON UNDERWOOD, DEMI
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Bekah Bachelor Arie
Photo Credit: The Bachelor/ABC

6. Bekah Martinez

Right from the start of Arie Luyendyk’s season of The Bachelor, contestant Bekah Martinez was making waves. The biggest factor that caught the world’s attention was her age. . . young Bekah was only twenty-two when she competed for that final rose! While there have been plenty of other young contestants on the show, Bekah’s age was perhaps a bigger issue than usual thanks to the whopping fourteen year age gap between her and her Bachelor.

Somehow, though, Bekah charmed us past the awkwardness. She was an instant hit with fans, well known for being wise beyond her years, having the best facial reactions to competitors’ crazy antics and truly being there for “the right reasons.” We all grew to love Bekah and she might have been the only girl out there that could ever make us forget about how much older Arie was.

Bekah may not have won her season, but she still walked away with our hearts. She’s still popping up in the news today and is quickly becoming a popular reality celebrity.

She made headlines just a few months ago when she announced that she and her new boyfriend, Grayston Leonard, were expecting a child. Her pregnancy has been well-documented on social media; you can follow her story through Instagram or her increasingly popular YouTube channel. She’s as adorable as ever and, even though we didn’t get to see more of her in the Bachelor series, we will never forget her.

Side note: isn’t she going to be the cutest mom ever?!