The Biggest 'Bachelor' Finale Shockers Ever: See Them All!

While everyone who goes on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette hopes to ride off into the sunset madly in love at the end, the reality of what unfolds is often much more dramatic. From shocking switcheroos to blindsiding breakups, the most shocking finales in Bachelor Nation history will make your jaw drop.

One of the most famous finales gone wrong happened during season 13 when Jason Mesnick proposed to Melissa Rycroft but later broke things off with her to pursue a relationship with runner-up Molly Malaney. It was the first time something like this happened on the reality dating show, and it was hard to watch.

In the end, things worked out for all of them. Jason and Molly wed in February 2010 and welcomed their daughter, Riley, in 2013. The Michigan native is also a stepmom to Jason’s teenage son, Ty, from his first marriage.

Melissa is now married to her longtime love Tye Strickland, who she actually dated before going on the show, and they have three kids — Ava, Beckett and Cayson. The former pro dancer opened up to Life & Style in August 2020 about her devastating public breakup with Jason.

“It landed us both exactly where we’re supposed to be. That relationship was not going to last. I mean, I don’t think anyone would be shocked to hear that now. I bet he probably regrets how it ended but … [I have] no regrets now, just a little embarrassing,” Melissa explained at the time. “Jason and I — I think — went on four dates, and I couldn’t have told you at the time what he did for a living [or] where he wanted to be in five years. I mean, you’re not able to have the conversations one would think you would need to have before you decide to spend your life with somebody.”

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Melissa confirmed Jason was “contacting” Molly after they got engaged during the season finale in New Zealand, which she acknowledged didn’t help if he was “questioning” his decision in the first place.

“You know, it is what it is. I was a little bit was angry at him. I just felt like he could’ve given me just a little bit of a heads up,” she said. “But, the more I’m in the industry, the more time that goes on and the less and less I truly care about it all — it’s not his fault. I think he got played by production in the show just like everybody else did, you know? So, no, I think Jason is a great guy. I think he and Molly totally should have been together from the start and yeah, there’s no hard feelings whatsoever.”

Keep scrolling to see the biggest Bachelor finale shockers!

Season 20: Ben Higgins

Ben Higgins shocked fans when he told both of his finalists, Lauren Bushnell and JoJo Fletcher, that he was in love with them. This made his split from JoJo particularly devastating during the finale. He went on to get engaged to Lauren, but they broke up over a year later.

“Maybe I’m confused, but when I started this experience no one gave me a playbook or rules to follow,” Ben told E! News about dropping the L-bomb twice following his finale. “They say, ‘Do this how you think you should do this,’ and you don’t always know the best answer to questions and sometimes you do develop feelings you don’t expect. What I committed to was expressing those feelings, but no one ever said, ‘Don’t do that, don’t do this!’”

Season 15: Hannah Brown

Bachelorette alum Hannah Brown got engaged to Jed Wyatt during her finale. However, they split less than a month later after the musician’s ex-girlfriend Haley Stevens revealed they were still dating when he left to compete on the reality dating show, and he only went to boost his aspiring career.

Season 18: Juan Pablo Galavis

Juan Pablo Galavis‘ season came to end when he ended things with Clare Crawley during the finale. The hairstylist was upset because she gave him multiple opportunities to tell her how he was feeling and even offered to self-eliminate if his heart wasn’t fully invested. However, the former soccer player encouraged the Sacramento native to stick around. Clare told off the leading man during the final rose ceremony.

“I thought I knew what kind of man you were,” she snapped at the Venezuelan reality star. “I lost respect for you. … What you just made me go through — I would never want my children having a father like you.”

Season 22: Arie Luyendyk Jr.

Arie Luyendyk Jr. blindsided Becca Kufrin after he broke off their engagement following the season finale because he was still in love with runner-up Lauren Burnham.

Becca went on to become the Bachelorette, where she got together with ex-fiancé Garrett Yrigoyen. Arie and Lauren got married in January 2019 and welcomed baby No. 1, daughter Alessi, the following May. In December 2020, the couple announced Lauren is pregnant with twins.

Season 24: Peter Weber

Peter Weber couldn’t make up his mind … three times! He got engaged to Hannah Ann Sluss during the finale, but they broke up shortly after because he still had feelings for runner-up Madison Prewett. The two briefly explored their romance following their appearance together during After the Final Rose. Days later, they announced their “mutual” breakup.

The pilot shocked fans when he began quarantining in Chicago with contestant Kelley Flanagan amid the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020. The reality couple made their romance Instagram official one month later but split in January 2021.