Okay so.

I've been watching Bachelor shows since high school, and honestly? The success rate is... not great. But here's the thing - some couples actually make it work, and I'm lowkey obsessed with tracking who's still together.

Let me save you the deep dive I just did through Instagram stories and podcast interviews.

The Current Success Stories (Yes, They Exist)

Right now, there are about 10-ish couples from the franchise who are still going strong. I know, shocking.

Rachel and Bryan from Rachel's season of The Bachelorette? Still married. JoJo and Jordan? Living their best life in Dallas. And don't even get me started on Trista and Ryan - they're like the golden couple that proves this whole thing can actually work.

Wild, right?

This breakdown literally had me screaming. The stats are rough.

Why Most Couples Don't Make It

Here's what I've noticed after years of watching this trainwreck (affectionately).

The whole thing is basically designed to fail. You're dating someone for like six weeks, cameras everywhere, you can't even follow each other on Instagram until the finale airs. Then suddenly you're supposed to plan a wedding and move in together?

It's giving unrealistic expectations.

Plus there's the instant fame factor. One day you're a dental hygienist from Ohio, next day you have 500k followers and brands sliding into your DMs. That changes people, you know? I mean, we've all seen how influencer lifestyle shifts relationships.

The Couples Who Actually Made It Work

Let me break down the success stories because they're actually inspiring in a weird way.

Trista and Ryan (2003)

The OG couple. Married for 20 years now with two kids. They literally wrote the blueprint for how to make this work.

Ashley and JP (2011)

Still together, two kids, living in Miami. Ashley's podcast is actually really good if you're into that kind of thing.

Sean and Catherine (2013)

Three kids, still super religious, somehow managing to keep it real on social media without being cringe.

Katie's take on this is honestly everything. The behind-the-scenes reality is so different.

JoJo and Jordan (2016)

Took them forever to actually get married, but they finally did it in 2022. They're flipping houses now which is very on-brand.

Rachel and Bryan (2017)

Living in Miami, both thriving in their careers. Rachel's doing her thing with Extra, Bryan's still in chiropractic. They make it look easy.

Tayshia and Zac (2020) - UPDATE

Okay so they broke up in 2021. But they were together for a hot minute and everyone thought they'd make it. Sometimes I forget who's still together tbh.

Bachelor in Paradise Success Rate

Plot twist - Paradise actually has better odds?

Jade and Tanner are still married with three kids. Evan and Carly? Still together. Raven and Adam made it work. Even Grocery Store Joe and Serena are engaged and seem genuinely happy.

Maybe it's because there's less pressure? Or because they're all already familiar with how the show works? Either way, the dating dynamics on reality TV are fascinating when you really think about it.

The Recent Seasons

Zach and Kaity from his season? Still together, just moved in together. Charity and Dotun? Going strong. Joey and Kelsey literally just got engaged like five minutes ago so jury's still out.

But here's what I'm noticing - the newer couples are way more private about their relationships. They're not posting every single moment, they're not doing all the Instagram Lives and podcast tours immediately.

Smart, honestly.

Ashley gets it. The whole thing is basically a social experiment at this point.

What The Successful Couples Have in Common

After watching all these relationships play out, I've noticed some patterns.

They all seem to:

Keep their relationship somewhat private (not posting every fight and makeup on stories). Have lives outside of being "Bachelor Nation celebrities". Actually move to the same city quickly instead of doing long distance forever. Set boundaries with producers and the franchise.

It's kind of like maintaining real friendships as adults - you have to actually put in the work away from the cameras and the drama.

The Breakups That Broke Our Hearts

Can we talk about the ones that didn't make it?

Arie and Becca (obviously). Peter and whoever he picked (did he even pick anyone?). Clare and Dale - that was a whole mess. Katie and Blake. Michelle and Nayte.

Some of these breakups were messier than my last situationship, and that's saying something.

The thing is, you can usually tell pretty early which couples are gonna make it. There's this energy they have - or don't have. You know what I mean? Like when you're trying to decode confusing text messages from someone and you just know something's off.

Why We're All Still Watching

Look, I know the success rate is terrible. I know it's manufactured drama. I know half the people are there for Instagram followers, not love.

But.

There's something about watching people fall in love (or pretend to) that's just... addictive? It's like our collective guilty pleasure. Every Monday night, we're all hate-watching together, texting our friends about the drama, making predictions.

It's basically group chat culture at its finest.

The Future of Bachelor Nation

The franchise is changing, slowly. More diverse casts, older contestants, different relationship dynamics. Gerry's season proved that people want to see real love stories, not just Instagram model drama.

Maybe the success rate will get better? Or maybe we'll all just keep watching regardless because we're invested in the chaos.

Honestly, I'm here for it either way.

So... Is It Worth It?

For the contestants? Probably not if you're actually looking for love. The odds are not in your favor, and the instant fame comes with a lot of weird baggage.

But for us viewers? Absolutely worth it. Where else can you watch 30 people compete for one person's attention while drinking wine and judging everyone's outfits?

It's perfect Monday night content, and I will die on this hill.

The couples who make it work are genuinely inspiring though. Like, if Trista and Ryan can meet on reality TV in 2003 and still be happily married with kids and a normal life... maybe there's hope for all of us?

Or maybe I'm just a hopeless romantic who watches too much reality TV.

Probably both, honestly.

Are you team "the show works" or team "they're all doing it for Instagram"? Because I change my mind every season and I need someone to convince me either way.