Bachelor Nation
11 ‘Bachelor’ Stars Who Didn’t Get Engaged at the Final Rose Ceremony
While a proposal is always the end goal on The Bachelor, it’s not always guaranteed. In fact, in the show’s 28 seasons, there have been 11 times where the final couples didn’t get engaged on the show.
In most cases, the pairs still gave their relationships a go in the real world, even without an engagement ring. Of course, there’s also the infamous case of Brad Womack, who chose not to pursue a relationship with either of his final two women on Season 11.
Scroll down to see all of The Bachelor stars who didn’t get engaged on the show.
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Alex Michel (Season 1)
The very first season of The Bachelor ended without Alex Michel getting down on one knee. Instead, he and final pick Amanda Marsh decided to try dating in the real world, only for the relationship to end a few months later.
Bob Guiney (Season 4)
Bob Guiney didn’t give Estella Gardinier an engagement ring at the final rose ceremony, but he did present her with a promise ring. However, the relationship only lasted for three months after the Season 4 finale aired.
Jesse Palmer (Season 5)
Years before Jesse Palmer was the host of Bachelor Nation, he was the show’s Season 5 lead. He and Jessica Bowlin stayed together after the finale, but split just weeks after it aired.
Charlie O'Connell (Season 7)
Charlie O’Connell‘s final pick was Sarah Brice. They did not get engaged but did agree to keep dating after the show. The two stayed together for more than two years after Season 7 aired but split in 2007.
They eventually reconciled about a year later, only to end things for good in 2010.
Travis Lane Stork (Season 8)
Travis Lane Stork and Sarah Stone tried to make it work, but they broke up just one month the finale of Season 9 aired in 2006.
Lorenzo Borghese (Season 9)
Lorenzo Borghese and his final pick, Jennifer Wilson, briefly dated after their season ended. After they split in January 2007, he dated runner-up Sadie Murray, but that relationship also ended a few months later.
Brad Womack (Season 11)
Womack made history as the first Bachelor to not choose anyone at the final rose ceremony. He rejected both DeAnna Pappas and Jenni Croft.
However, when he was chosen as the lead for a second time four years later, he did get engaged to Emily Maynard, but they eventually broke up.
Juan Pablo Galavis (Season 18)
Juan Pablo Galavis and Nikki Ferrell dated after The Bachelor and even went on Couples Therapy to try and make things work, but they split before the end of the year that their season aired.
Colton Underwood (Season 23)
Although Cassie Randolph left The Bachelor ahead of the final rose ceremony, Colton Underwood begged her to give him a second chance after he dumped the other two remaining women. The two continued dating after their finale aired in March 2019, but they broke up just over a year later.
Things briefly got messy when she was granted a restraining order against him later that year, but the situation was eventually resolved and dismissed.
Matt James (Season 25)
Matt James wasn’t ready for an engagement on The Bachelor, but he and final pick Rachael Kirkconnell agreed to give their love a shot in the real world.
Although they briefly split as the season was airing, they reconciled by April 2021 and were together for nearly four years before calling it quits in January 2025.
Clayton Echard (Season 26)
Clayton Echard didn’t propose to Susie Evans at the final rose ceremony, but she still rejected the opportunity to be in a relationship with him. However, by the live finale, the two had gotten back together and confirmed they were dating.
Unfortunately, they split just six months later.
