America, it would seem, just can’t get enough reality television and when you throw romance into the drama mix, hold on tight! Memorial Day weekend marked the start of the ninth season of the reality love search that is The Bachelorette, a spinoff from the popular series The Bachelor.
Desiree Hartsock is the latest woman sifting through 25 eligible bachelors in the hope of finding love, while the cameras catch all the action.
After eight seasons, the show has garnered a popular following but hasn’t exactly produced some of the country’s strongest marriages. As Desiree starts out on her journey to find love, it seems only appropriate to take a look back and see where the previous eight women are now. Let’s catch up with them in order from most recent to the beginning.
Emily Maynard
Emily was a sweet, Southern gal with bombshell looks, an adorable daughter, and a sad backstory that made viewers fall in love with her. Her search gained huge ratings on ABC and online viewing sites such as CableNet.net, and many were shocked when she chose entrepreneur Jef Holm in the final episode.
After dating for a few rocky months after the show ended, Emily is back living the single life and has taken a career turn doing a lot of work currently as a blogger.
Ashley Hebert
One of the few success stories from The Bachelorette, Ashley came onto the show as a dental student looking for love. After several weeks of dating her guys, Ashley chose JP Rosenbaum in the final episode. Now, Ashley is a full-time dentist and the couple was married in a televised event.
Ali Fedotowsky
Ali was one of the more memorable bachelorettes, bringing a combination of stunning good looks and a flare for the dramatic to the show. In the final episode she accepted the proposal of contestant Roberto Martinez, but the two have since parted ways.
When she came to the show Ali was working for social media giant Facebook, but now works for NBC as the host of the show 1st Look and is dating a fellow television personality, Kevin Manno.
Jillian Harris
One of the more humble and likeable personalities to have appeared on The Bachelorette, Jillian’s good looks and simple approach made her a fan favorite like many of the others. And just like many of the other bachelorettes, Jillian’s relationship didn’t work out.
After dating for a while post-Bachelorette, Jillian broke up with fiancé Ed Swiderski. Unlike many other contestants however, she returned to her previous career as an interior designer and even appears on the television series Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on occasion. She is currently dating professional snowboarder Justin Pasutto.
DeAnna Pappas
DeAnna was one of the many contestants from the series to parlay her time on television into a new career as a TV personality. DeAnna’s search for loved ended in a proposal from Jesse Csincsak in the finale, but the pair didn’t last long.
In an eerie twist, DeAnna is currently married to Stephen Stagliano whose twin brother Michael appeared on Jillian Harris’ season of The Bachelorette.
Jen Schefft Waterman
Jen’s story is one of the more unique results from a season of The Bachelorette. Numerous seasons have seen the contestant seeking love agonize over who to choose in the final episode, finding it easy to envision a life with both people. Jen ended up rejecting the proposals of both bachelors during her season finale and is now married and the mother of one.
Meredith Phillips
Meredith had perhaps one of the more tumultuous seasons on The Bachelorette. Much like the other seasons that would come after hers, she accepted the proposal of one of her final bachelors, Ian McKee. However, the two have since broken up and Meredith has moved in with a new boyfriend she met during her post-Bachelorette pursuits.
A makeup artist and model prior to the show, Meredith now works as a chef and cookbook author. She met her current boyfriend at the cooking school she attended.
Trista Rehn (now Trista Sutter)
The first and perhaps still the best, Trista is the only bachelorette still with the man she chose on the final day. Ryan Sutter proposed to Trista during the finale of the first season of The Bachelorette, and the pair remain married to this day and have two kids.
Trista was a physical therapist and a dancer for the Miami Heat of the NBA before appearing on the show, and now works as a baby fashion designer and is an aspiring author.
Whether you’ve watched one season or all eight to date, The Bachelorette never fails to deliver on drama and excitement. Whether Desiree follows the path of any of these women or creates one all her own is yet to be seen. Tune in Monday nights at 8pm ET to track her journey for love.
Author Bio: Angela Cullum is a self-confessed television addict. An avid writer, she loves to share her insights on various blogs.