Original network ABC Number of episodes 12 (including 3 specials) | Air date January 7, 2013 Country of origin United States of America | |
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No. of episodes 12 (including 3 specials) Original release January 7 (2013-01-07) – March 11, 2013 (2013-03-11) Winner Catherine Giudici |
The seventeenth season of The Bachelor premiered on January 7, 2013. This season features 28-year-old Sean Lowe, a former Kansas State football player from McKinney, Texas. Lowe placed third as a contestant during the eighth season of The Bachelorette with Emily Maynard.
Contents

Casting

Casting began during the airing of the sixteenth season of the show. First "The Bachelor" approached Tim Tebow, then-quarterback of the Denver Broncos; but he never signed an agreement. Lamar Hurd, a sportscaster from Portland, Oregon, had been another potential candidate, vying to become the first African-American "Bachelor." Other rumored possible candidates included The Bachelorette season 6 winner Roberto Martinez, Lowe's fellow The Bachelorette castmate Arie Luyendyk, Jr. (runner-up from Maynard's season), and eleven-time Olympic medalist Ryan Lochte. Luyendyk dropped out to focus on his racing career. Martinez and Lochte also declined.
Production

This season traveled many places including Montana, the Canadian province of Alberta, St. Croix in the United States Virgin Islands and Thailand. Appearances including Ben Taylor, Eli Young Band and Sarah Darling.
Contestants

This season has been the first time the official website listed 24 new contestants along with one contestant from Bachelor Pad who joined the others, for a total of 25 suitors. In addition to the 25 new contestants, the premier revealed one mystery woman, bringing the total to 26.
Paige Vigil, a "superfan" from the third season of Bachelor Pad is included in the list.

In addition to 25 other women, Kacie Boguskie, 25 and from Clarksville, Tennessee, competes this season. Boguskie competed in Ben Flanjnik's season 16 of The Bachelor and finished fourth. Boguskie had met and befriended Lowe outside of the show and host Chris Harrison invited her back for a shot via a meet-and-greet with the bachelor—after the 25 ladies arrived at the mansion.
Future appearances

Lowe went on to compete on the sixteenth season of Dancing with the Stars as the 12th and final celebrity chosen partnering with Peta Murgatroyd, he finished 6th. Fourth place finalist Desiree Hartsock later was chosen as the star of season nine The Bachelorette. AshLee Frazier, Daniella McBride, Jackie Parr and Sarah Herron were returned for the inaugural season of Bachelor in Paradise. McBride, finished 24th, while Frazier and Parr also finished 7th/12th individually and Herron ended in 5th/6th. Herron ended up returning for the third time in the third season of Bachelor in Paradise, and was eliminated in 25th.