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Trista Sutter Claims ‘Bachelorette’ Producers Planned Story Lines for Her Televised Wedding Special (Exclusive)

Not all reality? OG Bachelorette Trista Sutter claimed that the show’s producers had a hand in orchestrating story lines during her 2003 televised wedding to Ryan Sutter.

Related: The Most Swoon-Worthy TV Weddings of All Time

During the Tuesday, November 10, episode, of the “LadyGang” podcast, the season 1 Bachelorette recalls how she learned about what producers were allegedly planning behind-the-scenes for the couple’s bachelor and bachelorette parties at Le Meridien Resort on the island of Saint Martin.

Trista and Ryan Sutter in 2003 Trista Sutter Claims Producers Pre-Planned Story Lines for Televised Wedding Special
Trista and Ryan Sutter at the Lodge at Rancho Mirage in California on November 7, 2003. Steinberg/BEI/Shutterstock

“One of the producers left their binder out — like, they forgot their binder somewhere and one of the people who was at the bachelor/bachelorette party picked it up and gave it to us,” the 48-year-old reality star explains during Us Weekly’s sneak peek of the episode. “It had, like, their characters — the story lines for every person. They had all of our friends who were invited to the bachelor/bachelorette parties, and they had all their bios and probably some stuff that they interviewed about. I think they had titles like … ‘the villain’ or ‘the sweetheart.’”

Trista continued, “I know that it has been going on since my season, but that’s TV. That’s what they have to do. The editors need to know who these people are and be able to pull certain clips from their ITMs (in-the-moments). It’s a TV show, it’s always going to be a TV show. It’s getting [to be] more of a TV show, I feel like, compared to how it was back in the day.”

Related: Status Check! Bachelor Nation Couples Who Are Still Going Strong

Rumors about Bachelor producers driving the show’s narrative aren’t unheard of. As Clare Crawley’s journey on The Bachelorette’s 16th coming to an end on November 5, her ex-fiancé, Benoit Beausejour-Savard, alleged on the “Almost Famous” podcast that it is likely that it “wasn’t her ultimate decision” to leave the show early with now-fiancé Dale Moss. Crawley, 39, has been replaced by Tayshia Adams after leaving the show with Moss, 32.

Trista Sutter at the WE tv Marriage Boot Camp: Family Edition Premiere in 2019 Trista Sutter Claims Producers Pre-Planned Story Lines for Televised Wedding Special
Trista Sutter at the WE tv ‘Marriage Boot Camp: Family Edition’ premiere at Skybar at Mondrian in Los Angeles on October 10, 2019. Broadimage/Shutterstock

On the “LadyGang” podcast, Trista says that she would “love” for The Bachelor and The Bachelorette to “be more innocent” like it was during her time on the franchise, but she says returning to its roots would not be an easy feat.

“I just don’t know how you get back to that innocence,” the former Dancing with the Stars contestant said. “You can’t, unless you pluck someone from obscurity and don’t recycle people from older shows.”

Related: The Most Awkward Love Confessions in Bachelor Nation History

Trista and Ryan, 41, got married in a three-part televised special in 2003. They welcomed son Maxwell, 13, in 2007 and daughter Blakesley, 11, in 2009.

Being among the few Bachelor couples to beat the odds, the Sutters have often spoken about putting in the work to foster a lasting marriage. In 2015, Trista told Today.com that pairs who appear on the show “really need to focus your time and energy on each other” instead of getting caught up in “the glamour” upon experiencing a taste of fame.

“It’s just like your job. You have to put in the time and effort and energy that you do into everything else in your life, and I feel like [Ryan and I] do that,” she said at the time. “We’ve had our bumps in the road, just like anyone else, but it’s really about staying focused on each other and dedicating time to each other.”

Trista’s full “LadyGang” podcast episode airs on Tuesday, November 10, on PodcastOne.

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