Original network ABC | Country of origin United States of America | |
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No. of episodes 13 (including 3 specials) Original release January 4 (2016-01-04) – March 14, 2016 (2016-03-14) Winner Lauren Bushnell | ||
The 20th season of The Bachelor premiered on January 4, 2016. This season features 26-year-old Ben Higgins, a software salesman from Warsaw, Indiana.
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Higgins attended Indiana University where he was graduated with a BS in business administration and management through the school of Public and environmental affairs (SPEA). In addition, he was also a member of Delta Upsilon's Indiana chapter where he served as the vice president of external affairs. He placed third on the 11th season of The Bachelorette featuring Kaitlyn Bristowe.
Casting and contestants
Casting began during the 19th season of the show. On August 24, 2015, during season one, episode four of Bachelor in Paradise: After Paradise, Ben Higgins was announced as the next Bachelor.
The cast includes season 19 runner-up Becca Tilley and fellow contestant Amber James, news anchor Olivia Caridi from WCYB-TV and Joelle "JoJo" Fletcher, who is a half-sister of Ready for Love star Ben Patton.
Production
The season traveled to many places including Las Vegas, Nevada, Mexico City, Mexico, Pig Island in The Bahamas and the state of Indiana. With appearances from rapper Ice Cube, comedian Kevin Hart, soccer players Alex Morgan, Kelley O'Hara, comedian Terry Fator, and Indiana Pacers basketball player Paul George.
Contestants
The season began with 28 contestants, including a set of twins.
Future appearances
Caila Quinn was originally chosen to be the bachelorette for season twelve of The Bachelorette, but the producers dropped her just days before the official announcement to Joelle "JoJo" Fletcher instead. Quinn, Lauren Himle, Tiara Soleim, Jami Letain, Shushanna Mkrtychyan, Jennifer Saviano, Isabel "Izzy" Goodkind, Lace Morris, Jubilee Sharpe, Leah Block, Haley Ferguson, Emily Ferguson, and Amanda Stanton were chosen to compete for the third season of Bachelor in Paradise. Sharpe and Block were eliminated in 28th/29th. The Ferguson sisters quit in 22nd/23rd. Quinn quit in 18th place, along with Bachelor alumnus, Jared Haibon. Goodkind quit in 16th place. Mkrtychyan quit in 15th place. Letain, Himle, and Soleim were eliminated in 11th/13th place. Saviano quit in 7th/8th place, alongside Nick Viall. Morris and Stanton finished as co-winners with Bachelor Nation alumni, Grant Kemp and Josh Murray.
Outside of Bachelor Nation franchise, Higgins and Lauren Bushnell appeared in their own reality series Ben and Lauren: Happily Ever After? in the sister network Freeform. The Ferguson sisters will also appear in Freeform reality series The Twins: Happily Ever After?.