By the simple nature of how reality stars come into our lives, it’s easy for us to get swept up in their stories and feel especially connected to them. That can make it extra hard (for fans) when their beloved celebrities go through breakups. It’s even worse when those couples are from The Bachelor, The Bachelorette or Bachelor in Paradise, because all we want, from the second we meet them, is for those stars to find love.
The past year has been especially rough on romances from the reality dating franchise. From longtime married couples like Evan Bass and Carly Waddell and Ashley Hebert and J.P. Rosenbaum to shower romances like season 23 Bachelor Colton Underwood and girlfriend Cassie Randolph and controversial season 16 Bachelorette duo Clare Crawley and Dale Moss — it seems as though there have been more breakups than ever amid the coronavirus pandemic.
On January 19, Dale revealed he and Clare were ending their engagement after she cut her season short to leave with him after just a couple of weeks. “I wanted to share with you all that Clare and I have decided to go our separate ways. We appreciate the love and support we’ve received from so many people, but this is the healthiest decision for both of us at this time,” he wrote on Instagram.
The news came just one month after another heartbreaking split rocked the fandom. Carly and Evan announced they were separating after three years of marriage. “We have made the difficult decision to separate,” the former couple, who met during season 2 of Paradise in 2015, told People in a joint statement. “We will always cherish our time together and continue to have the utmost respect for one another as we focus on what’s best for the future of our family. We greatly appreciate everyone’s love and support and kindly ask that you please respect our family’s privacy as we navigate through this.” They share two kids, Bella and Charlie.
Some splits have been much messier. Fans were shocked in September when Cassie filed a temporary restraining order against Colton and accused him of harassing her with unsettling texts, showing up randomly at her apartment and parents’ home, and allegedly placing a tracking device on her car to monitor her location post-split. In November, the Huntington Beach native dropped the restraining order she had against him and put an end to the police investigation.
Life & Style spoke to Dr. Cortney S. Warren, a clinical psychologist and former associate professor at the University of Nevada, about why 2020 has seemed particularly hard on couples. It’s a “time of high stress that greatly changes our typical routines and social realities,” Dr. Warren explained, noting that having “little control” definitely adds to the strain.
“Our typical coping outlets may be compromised (from exercising to coffee with friends to time alone) and normal socialization time (from going out to restaurants to making familial or communal meals with loved ones) may be non-existent. These current realities can place great strain on relationships,” she continued.
Of course, there are many more Bachelor Nation couples whose splits completely wrecked us through the years, including Kendall Long and Joe Amabile and more. We’re revisiting some of the most painful Bachelor Nation splits. Scroll through the gallery to see them all!