How does The Bachelorette pull off a great show every season? Longtime crew member Nicole Woods talks behind-the-scenes details.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to work on The Bachelorette? We definitely have. All of the behind-the-scenes details are fascinating, from the intense timeline of the season premiere (contestants are up all night!) to how much communication is allowed between competitors and their families (not much at all).
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, longtime producer Nicole Woods opened up about her own experience with The Bachelorette. She also commented on her feelings about Hannah Brown as season lead. The insights were truly intriguing.
Woods has been with both The Bachelor and Bachelorette virtually since the beginning, so she’s been able to see how the series has evolved. She commented on how a show that was once eight one-hour episodes has grown into a sprawling franchise of spin-offs and specials. On our end, it’s easy to see what she’s describing: seemingly every season gets its own wild celebrations, be it the launch party for Colton’s season or The Bachelorette reunion special.
Woods’ role is an intimate one. She describes how part of her job is anticipating what will happen and making way for those moments to appear on camera. It sounds like a lot of work, but after so many years on air, we suspect she has it down to a science. In fact, because of this Woods went on to comment that The Bachelorette requires so much work, it can often feel like the crew is your family.
"We’re all a big family. My whole family lives in LA.. and I see the people that I work with more than I see my family. (Laughs.) We also have people on the show — if you’re single, it’s a little bit hard to date — who are no longer single and who met their spouses on the show."
Her take was upbeat, especially when it came to talking about the current Bachelorette, Hannah Brown. Choosing Brown for the lead came with quite a bit of scrutiny; a large portion of the fanbase felt frustrated that she was “awkward,” but Woods celebrated her imperfections.
"It’s more accessible and well-received now to show your imperfections. It’s so much better to not have everything be just perfect. Because that’s real life and embracing that is what we’re leaning into. Hannah embraces that about herself, which is why it was a good fit for this season."
Personally, we think Woods is spot on here. Hannah may have been under fire before the season began, but it’s exactly this raw honesty and eagerness that has turned out to make her so endearing. She’s the “hot mess express” that we want to see come out on top.
So what’s next for Woods? She’s currently working on Bachelor in Paradise, which she says looks very promising. Meanwhile, while she hits the beach, the rest of us in Bachelor Nation are still dying to learn early details about the new season. We don’t even have a cast list yet!
Are you going crazy with anticipation? This Bachelorette producer may be staying tight-lipped, but we’ll keep you posted when first news about BiP breaks.