An already popular new contestant from The Bachelorette is back in the news for his mugshot and criminal record. See who it is!
Hannah Brown’s tenure on The Bachelorette hasn’t even started yet, but we’re already steeped in the drama! After the show released early images of her suitors, fans across Bachelor Nation were excited to dissect how Hannah’s love life might pan out. Too bad a few of these men are already making a name for themselves in some less than admirable ways.
It was mere days ago that news was breaking about Matt Dione, a contestant who several women online have accussed of harassment via DMs. That scandal is a mess, which you can read all about here. Now, contestant Kevin Fortenberry is coming under fire for something that seems equally unsavory.
Just yesterday, InTouch obtained Fortenberry’s criminal record. Not too long ago, the Bachelorette hopeful was charged with two Class A misdemeanors and one Class B misdemeanor for driving under the influence. You can actually see his mugshot along with the record.
It was back in August of 2017 that Fortenberry was pulled over for having a BAC greater than .08 and driving 26-34 mph over the speed limit. Though Fortenberry claimed that he wasn’t a big drinker, the evidence that he had over-indulged seemed very apparent as the arresting officer took note of his slurred speech and over-explanations.
His punishment? Fortenberry will go to counseling, pay a ton of fines and also have to do some community service. In total, he got 100 hours of community service and 12 months of probation. Get this: he won’t even be done serving all of that until long after The Bachelorette is done filming.
Obviously, there’s a lot to dissect here. Kevin Fortenberry isn’t the first contestant with a mugshot to appear on the hit series. Fan favorite Elyse Dehlbom from Colton’s season of The Bachelor also had a history with DUI and Lincoln Adim from Becca Kufrin’s season of The Bachelorette had been previously convicted of a sex crime. Yikes.
What seems most relevant, though, is the fact that Fortenberry will be appearing on a show that prominently features drinking. The Bachelor has long been mocked for its premiere night cocktail hour and the men of The Bachelorette have a bigger reputation than the women for slamming back those colorful drinks.
The series has made some great strides lately in trying to protect their contestants. Talk of better background checks has floated around and Matt Dione is rumored to have been removed from the show before we ever even see him on screen. So what will be done with Kevin Fortenberry? Will we see him throwing back shots while an unwitting Hannah Brown stands by?