On the small screen, dating shows have been all the rage for years. Married at First Sight has given us successful couples, Love is Blind has led to some doomed romances, and other shows have all brought forth some wild drama. Few of these dating shows, however, have come close to matching The Bachelor.
During its 20-year run, The Bachelor has seemingly done it all. In fact, the show's popularity gave way to a number of spin-off shows, including Bachelor Pad.
Don't remember Bachelor Pad? Well, it didn't last long. Turns out, one contestant led to its downfall. Let's take a look at what led to its cancellation.
Why Did 'The Bachelor' Spin-Off 'Bachelor Pad' Get Cancelled?
For 20 years, The Bachelor has been one of the most popular and celebrated reality shows on TV. It has endured thanks to a genius premise and its ability to cast interesting contestants who were all looking for love.
Through the years, the show has been a mainstay on TV, and it has given way to a number of iconic moments. While fans love what the show continues to do, it all stems from the foundation laid during its inaugural season.
The reality show was an instant hit, and in the years to follow, the show would steadily develop into a powerhouse franchise on the small screen.
The Bachelorette was the first spin-off series made, and it debuted in 2003. Much like its predecessor, The Bachelorette became a massive hit, and it continues to be one of the most popular reality shows on TV.
While there have been several successful spin-off shows, the truth is that not all of them have turned into modern classics. In fact, one spin-off was only able to last for three seasons before getting axed by the network.
'Bachelor Pad' Was A Spin-Off In 2010
The 2010s kicked off with a bang when Bachelor Pad made its debut on ABC. The spin-off series premiered with a fresh premise and a desire to establish itself as a popular show for fans to enjoy.
Bachelor Pad featured former Bachelor and Bachelorette contestants competing for a $250,000 grand prize.
"In order to actually win the grand prize, you need to do quite a bit of lying, manipulating, and did we mention lying? Each week, the cast would get smaller and smaller as someone had to be voted out of the house. It was crucial that the person you wanted to vote out wasn’t aware of your plan or naturally, it could backfire, hence the lying. In order to vote, each cast member had to go into a secluded “voting room” and drop the headshot of the person they wanted to go home into a wooden box," Life & Style summarized.
The show seemed to be moving along nicely, eventually getting to its third season. This, however, is where everything fell apart. It was during that fateful season that a loophole on the show was exposed, which lead to its cancellation.
A Loophole Ended The Show
So, why was Bachelor Pad cancelled? Well, during the show's third season, one contestant found a loophole that completely destroyed the premise of the game, effectively ending the show in one fell swoop.
According to Life & Style, "A majority of the cast — including former Bachelor and Bachelorette favorites like Michael Stagliano, Rachel Truehart, Ed Swiderski, and Jaclyn Swartz — plotted to vote out Erica Rose who, by the way, is f–king fabulous, hilarious, and also appeared on Bachelor Pad in Season 2. The twist was, they were going to make Erica think Chris, who wasn’t well liked by the cast, was the one scheming against her, in hopes that she’d eliminate him."
Here's the kicker: the group had no idea that Chris was going to show Erica that he was not voting for her. This was a first, and Chris' actions shut down the planned coup against him. Not only that, but it also highlighted a glaring hole in the show, as contestants were never forbidden from doing this.
Thanks to this maneuver, Chris survived, and the show's glaring issue reared its ugly head.
In an interview, Chris said, "I’m a gamer and that was so much fun. It was scary… it literally changed the game. Do I regret [pulling Erica into the voting room]? No. Absolutely not. It was the best decision ever. Bachelor Pad can’t even happen now, they’d have to make a whole new show.”
So, there you have it. One contestant making a brilliant play led to the demise of an entire series.
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