Youngest 'Bachelor' and 'Bachelorette' Contestants Ages, Names

The youngest Bachelor and Bachelorette contestants over the years may surprise you. Kit Keenan, Bekah Martinez and more first appeared in Bachelor Nation in their very early 20s while looking for love.

Kit is the youngest contestant to appear across the franchise. She competed for Bachelor alum Matt James’ heart during season 25 at just 21 years old, which is also the minimum age requirement to join the reality dating show.

Despite her age, the New York City native is extremely accomplished. She is a student at NYU, created her own line of hoodies and T-shirts and hosts the “Ageless” podcast with her mother and famed fashion designer, Cynthia Rowley.

Many fans commented on Kit’s age via Twitter throughout the season, considering Matt was 29 while the show aired. Their age gap eventually led to questions about their compatibility.

“Getting married … will probably be pushed a little longer than the other women,” Kit told Matt before she self-eliminated prior to hometown dates. “And I wouldn’t want to have kids until I’m 25, 26. I’m a long-term investment.”

Although they ended things amicably, Kit reflected on the difficult journey during an appearance on the “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast.

“I never cry. I’m a very cold person, emotionally, in my day-to-day life. But I was cracked open,” she said at the time. “It’s a very emotionally taxing experience. You hope that at the end of it it’s all worth it, and you kind of just have to have faith in that.”

Kit isn’t the only former contestant whose age turned into a plotline. Perhaps even more so was Bekah, who was 22 when she appeared as a contestant on Arie Luyendyk Jr.’s season. The Bachelor is 14 years her senior, and she created quite a splash when she withheld her age from him for the first few weeks.

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“I really expected her to be in her mid-twenties,” Arie admitted at the time on Ashley Iaconetti and Ben Higgins’ “Almost Famous” podcast. “I couldn’t deny the fact that there were a lot of feelings toward her … At that point in the show, I was probably the most connected to her, and that made things really difficult for me.”

However, Bekah wasn’t afraid to poke a little fun at the situation. “Ah, yes, 22 really is SO young compared to the other girls,” she tweeted during the season. “Hopefully, one of the many 25/26-year-olds this season can grant me some of their ancient wisdom.”

Keep scrolling to see the youngest contestants in Bachelor Nation history!

Kit Keenan — 21

The fashionista sent herself home during week 7. “I thought I would have the clarity I needed going into hometowns, but hometowns isn’t a figure-it-out situation,” she told Matt. “You deserve someone who is 100 percent sure of you getting down on one knee tomorrow, and that’s not me.”
Kit is a senior at NYU and focused on her future endeavors.

Haley Ferguson — 22

Haley Ferguson appeared with her twin sister, Emily Ferguson, on Ben Higgins’ season. The leading man is five years older than the Las Vegas natives.
After competing on seasons 3, 4 and 6 of Bachelor in Paradise, Haley finally found her guy. She is now engaged to hockey player Oula Palve.

James Clarke — 23

Most of the time, Bachelorette contestants tend to lean a bit older. However, James Clarke was one of just two men in franchise history looking for love in their early 20s.
The Chicago native was set to appear on Clare Crawley’s season, who was 39 during her journey to find love. However, it appears he got bumped from the roster before filming.