Bachelor Nation
Are You the Next ‘Bachelor’ Lead? Here’s How to Apply For Season 30
Sorry to all the Greg Grippos and Jason Tarticks out there who have been patiently waiting for their time in the spotlight, it looks like Bachelor Nation might be outsourcing.
The Bachelor Season 30 is just around the corner, and this season, casting directors are looking to shake things up. According to The Bachelor‘s official casting website, eligible men can apply to be a contestant on a future season of The Bachelorette or to be the lead of the next season of The Bachelor.
Sounds like regular guys who aren’t members of Bachelor Nation (yet) have a shot! We’ve rounded up everything you need to know about The Bachelor‘s audition process, including eligibility requirements for anyone applying or being nominated, as well as some of the most shocking questions on the application.
If you’re ready to ditch the apps and enter the mansion, scroll down to learn how to apply to get cast on The Bachelor.
How do you apply to be on The Bachelor?
You can apply to be on The Bachelor or nominate a friend to join the show on Bachelor Nation’s official website. Per the specific call for contestants on ABC’s casting page: “The search is on for eligible [men/women] who are looking for true love! Do you have the charm, style, class, and culture to be our next star— Or do you know someone who does? If so, APPLY NOW!”
Along with the online application, ABC is known to host multiple Bachelor open casting calls all around the country. While no upcoming in-person casting calls for Season 30 have been announced yet, we highly suggest that serious applicants attend one of these events to ensure they get face time with the casting team.
Alternatively, a recent interview with Jenn Tran proved to us that having a killer social media presence could also count as an audition. According to The Bachelorette lead turned Dancing with the Stars contestant, she never applied for the show. She stated, “I had a TikTok that I was posting on about, like, PA school stuff, my everyday life, and everything, and a casting producer found my PA school TikTok and then had actually reached out to me.” We wouldn’t bet on going this direction, but hey, if it could happen to Jenn, it could happen to you.
Want an indirect boost from the casting team? On July 3, one of the members of The Bachelor‘s new casting team shared the casting announcement for Season 30 in a TikTok video. In the video, casting producer Joy G. stated that anyone who fills out the application after watching her video could put her name down under the question, “If you were approached by a member of the casting team, who was it?”
@castingwithjoy Now casting single women ready for love for The Bachelor season 30! 🌹 #thebachelor #bachelornation #bachelorinparadise #greenscreen ♬ original sound – Joy | Casting Producer
Can you apply to be The Bachelor lead?
Yes, for the first time since Matt James, The Bachelor is considering eligible men from outside of the franchise to lead their next season. The Bachelor‘s casting calls page has opened a new application titled “The Bachelor Lead.” At this time, there is no application to become The Bachelorette‘s leading lady.
Wyldside Media also posted the casting call on Instagram with the caption “🌹Attention Single Men!!🌹 Who’s ready for find your forever girl on the next season of The Bachelor?! 💍 Wyldside Media is now casting the next Bachelor for Season 30! If you or someone you know has what it takes to be the next bachelor, email them at [email protected] or apply directly at BachelorNation.com/apply 🌹” The casting company also quipped in the comments, “Can you rock a tux and a tearful confessional? Say less. We’re casting 💍.”
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Who is eligible to apply for The Bachelor?
The Bachelor‘s application includes seven major eligibility requirements: You have to be 21 (or older); you have to be from the USA or Canada, but you can’t be from Quebec; you can’t hold a political position; you need a passport; you can’t be in a relationship (unless it’s been less than two months and you haven’t been intimate); you can’t have any felonies or restraining orders; you can’t already be affiliated with production or their sponsors.
None of these strike us as out of the ordinary, other than their definition of a relationship. Seeing as multiple contestants have gone down in infamy for having a secret relationship back home (we’re looking at you, Jed Wyatt), the two-month rule may not be strict enough. Guess they had to draw the line somewhere?
What questions are on The Bachelor‘s casting application?
For both contestants and the lead, casting application begins with typical questions, requesting your name, gender, birthday, and contact information. What may surprise some is that, by question five, they’re already asking for you to fill in your height and weight. We don’t know about you, but a dating app has never asked us how much we weigh.
If there’s one thing The Bachelor loves, it’s a backstory. Casting wastes no time by asking if you’ve ever been married or have any children right out of the gate. You’re then asked to share what you do for work, and what your closest big city is.
Finally, it’s time to bust out your reason for wanting to join the show. While we’re pretty certain nobody actually puts “I’m here for the wrong reasons” in this box, we’d love to know what past contestants said for this one.
After uploading a stunning picture of yourself and doing a quick round-up of your social media handles, you’re all set!
What comes after the application?
According to an interview with a Bachelor applicant who went through the casting process but didn’t make it onto the show, the process begins with an email. For this applicant, who was nominated for Nick Viall‘s season of the show, it took two emails and a voicemail from casting for her to believe it wasn’t a scam. (Be careful out there!) However, once she formally applied, she was invited to an in-person interview.
The applicant told Refinery29 that during the 10-15 minute interview, “They asked the most basic questions. Where are you from/Where did you grow up/What do you do/What is dating life like in [your town]?” What surprised us the most was that, during the first round of auditions, “They did not dig for ANY dirt…”
While this applicant did not make it any further into the process, Amy Kaufman’s Bachelor Nation reveals that promising contestants are “invited to come to LA for one of two final audition weekends — all expenses paid — to meet the production team in person.” There, you are told to fill out a “150-question personality test” with questions ranging from “Do you have out-of-body experiences?” to “Have you ever wanted to kill someone?” If that wasn’t shocking enough, Kaufman also reveals that all potential contestants meet with the show’s therapist, a private investigator, and a medical examiner at some point throughout the weekend. Make it past all of that, and producers may finally deem you ready to accept The Bachelor‘s rose.
From all of us here at Swooon, best of luck to all the Bachelor Nation applicants out there. We’re rooting for you and cannot wait to watch your audition on “Bachelor Audition Tapes” a few years down the line!
