Can The Bachelor say “I love you” to the contestants?

We’ve seen over the years The Bachelor or The Bachelorette leads falter when contestants have told them they are falling in love with them. Some of them have been brave enough to respond back (ahem, Arie Luyendyk Jr. and Ben Higgins), while some have opted to wait until the finale/proposal.

But for those that hesitate to reciprocate their feelings, we can’t help but wonder, is there a hard rule about not saying “I love you” to the contestants? Will the production team promptly end the season if the lead confesses they too are falling in love?

Well, not exactly, in fact, apparently, not at all!

Yes, I’m just as surprised as the rest of you because I’ve always thought they were absolutely not allowed to say anything at all. Which is why I’ve always been shocked when a lead decides to do it anyway. I mean, Ben Higgins said it to multiple women, Arie Luyendyk Jr. didn’t hesitate to share his feelings with three of the contestants, and now Clayton Echard apparently said it to more than one contestant as well.

So, where did this “rule” come from?

The Bachelor leads could say “I love you”–but are advised not to

For dramatic purposes, the lead is usually advised not to say “I love you” or respond back with it until the finale. I want to believe that the production would want this for the sake of the lead and the contestants, but it is purely for viewership purposes.

They also love to take advantage if a lead does say it and makes a huge deal out of it (we have so many examples of this but the latest is Clayton Echard). So yes, they can say they are in love, but it is advised that they reserve that confession until the very end.

Despite this unwritten rule, many leads have decided to be daring and say their “I love yous” anyway. Has it ended well for them? Eh, not really, but it has always made for fun, dramatic television!

Are you on Team “I love you” or Team “Wait until the finale!”?

Share your comments below–we’d love to read what you think about this!