#4 is wild.
Ah, fantasy suites. The Bachelor and Bachelorette’s version of overnight dates involves the lead inviting their top three contestants to spend the night with them sans the cameras and producers. That said, these unfilmed dates are one of the most mysterious (and steamy!) parts of the franchise. Plus, these dates determine who is left in the top two — and narrows down the possibilities of who might receive that final rose. TL;DR: In the Bachelor world, fantasy suites are a pretty big deal.
Plus, these dates often determine who will be the franchise’s next lead. Remember Hannah Brown and Peter Weber’s fantasy suite date when they had sex four (I repeat four) times in a windmill? Weber ended getting sent home right after, but really, he couldn't have asked for a better Bachelor audition.
All in all, these overnight dates tend to stir up a lot of feelings for the people on the show and a lot of questions for the people watching at home. And although Bachelor Nation alum have given fans some idea of what happens during these overnight dates — usually a combination of emotional and physical intimacy — there are still way more questions than answers.
So what actually goes down in the fantasy suites? I went on a Bachelor Nation deep dive to find out, and I have to say: some things are better off left in the fantasy suite.
The fantasy suites are the one opportunity the couple gets for some quality time off-camera, but they still aren’t getting total privacy. Apparently, producers keep close quarters with the couple.
“Producers almost always know what goes down behind closed doors because oftentimes, they sleep in the same two-room villa as the special couple—just a wall over, where they can literally hear what’s going on,” Amy Kaufman, author of Bachelor Nation, explained in a piece for Vanity Fair. Cringe.
Just because someone agrees to go to the fantasy suite, doesn’t mean they spend the entire night together. “There were a lot of girls that would go into the suite with him and then puss out and be like, ‘I’m going. Make sure you show me leaving,’” Michael Carroll, a former producer for The Bachelor and Bachelorette, explained, according to Kaufman. “And of course, we may or may not show her leaving.” (Ew.)
Not every fantasy suite date gets steamy. Often, the couple uses the time to have more serious conversations. “I can't speak for anybody but myself, but I think the women appreciated [just talking],” Matt James told WSJ. Magazine in May 2021. “Because I did learn things about them that I hadn't gathered — that I don't think I would have learned if I hadn't used that time to really dive deeper into something that they might not have been comfortable talking about on camera.”
Courtney Robertson, who won Ben Flajnik's season of The Bachelor, explained her experience of fantasy suites to Radar Online, “It was like, ‘Wow, we're alone for the first time!’ I really got to hear his voice, how he felt about me. You get to see the true personality come through a little more, because people aren't watching what they say as much.”
In Jan. 2020, Entertainment Tonight asked Chris Harrison about the, ahem, condom situation for fantasy suites — specifically for Peter Weber’s season. (When he became the Bachelor, Weber was already well-known for his stamina.) “As many [condoms] as are needed," Harrison said when asked for a number. “I think with Peter we had to up our game. Knowing what we had going in, we had to at least have half a dozen. We know four is on the table, so you gotta be safe further than that.”
In Kaufman’s book, she explains that contestants also have to be tested for STIs before appearing on the show. If they have any, they are taken out of the running to appear on the franchise.
Whether the contestants reveal what went down in the fantasy suites is completely up to them, but plenty of them are happy to share. Becca Kufrin recalled her fantasy suite night with her (now ex) fiancé, Garrett Yrigoyen, during a Bachelorette reunion special, per People. “The night that Garrett and I were together, we may have broken the bed,” Kufrin explained. “Sorry Mom!” 👀
Deep conversations during fantasy suites are pretty standard — and they just might determine whether you stay another week or not. This isn’t exactly a surprise for loyal fans of the show. On Season 16 of The Bachelorette, when Tayshia Adams sent Ivan Hall home, she cited religious differences as a factor — even though fans never saw that conversation. Apparently, it happened during the fantasy suites.
“This past week, we've talked about some important subjects... There are some things that kind of posed concern,” Adams told Hall, per Entertainment Tonight. “I wish I could say that there were a lot of red flags prior to this week. And there haven't been. It's just like, at the end of the day, religion's part of my morals and my beliefs.” It all worked out for Adams though, who is still engaged to the winner of her season, Zac Clark.
In many people’s minds, fantasy suites equal sex. But that’s not necessarily true. According to previous Bachelor and Bachelorette contestants, a lot more goes into these overnight dates. Of course, they can — and often do — take the opportunity to explore their relationship on a physical level, but they definitely don’t have to (especially if they are worried about the producers one room over).
At the end of the day, the main purpose behind the fantasy suites is giving the contestants an opportunity to make sure that the relationship is strong enough to keep going. It’s all part of the ~journey~. 🌹
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