‘Bachelor’ and ‘Bachelorette’ Alums Who Went Back to Their Day Jobs After Appearing on the Show

Credit: Courtesy Ivan Hall/Instagram

‘Bachelor’ and ‘Bachelorette’ Alums Who Went Back to Their Day Jobs After Appearing on the Show

Believe it or not, not everyone who competes on The Bachelor ditches their regular ol’ life to sell SugarBearHair gummies. Some contestants — gasp! — actually end up going back to their real jobs. Since appearing on TV, fan favorites from The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Bachelor in Paradise, The Bachelor Winter Games and even Bachelor Pad (RIP) have passed on opportunities to become social media influencers in lieu of returning to what they know best. Chris Soules made his way back to his farm in Iowa, and Jillian Harris became an interior mogul in her own right. Tanner Tolbert, meanwhile, makes a killing selling cars, while Jake Pavelka flies high in the sky. Many franchise alums who have resumed their careers work in the medical field. For example, Bryan Abasolo is a chiropractor, Whitney Bischoff is a fertility nurse and Ashley Hebert is a pediatric dentist. For more former Bachelor stars who have gone back to their day jobs, scroll through the photo gallery below! [podcast_block]

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

Noah Erb

The Bachelorette alum told Us in May 2022 that he recently completed a nursing contract that started after his stint on BiP season 7.

"I think I'm gonna take a break. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it 'cause I've been doing it for the last, like, seven years," he explained. "My favorite word is indefinitely. I'm obviously still a nurse. I can pick up a contract at any time, but it's been a lot. It's been quite an adjustment, especially post-show, so I think I'm gonna take a break."

Credit: Courtesy Ivan Hall/Instagram

Ivan Hall

"I've always worked as an engineer. I still have the same job. I work from home full-time, so it's very flexible in that regard," the former Bachelorette star said on "Here for the Right Reasons" in June 2022, adding that his boss didn't give him a hard time about appearing on the Bachelorette season 16 or Bachelor in Paradise season 7.

He added: "I definitely make way more in influencing than I do in my engineering job right now, which surprises a lot of people."

Credit: Courtesy of Riley Christian/Instagram

Riley Christian

“I always wanted to be able to do some good in the world. Ya know, help some people that really need it,” the New York native shared via Instagram in January 2022. “I never thought I’d put it together from my living room, but here I am. Christian Law practice coming soon. Wish us luck. We’re going to need it🤞🏾.”

Credit: ABC/Sami Drasin

Michelle Young

The season 18 Bachelorette returned to teaching in Minnesota while her season was airing. "Lesson planning in the hair and makeup chair on your way to a premiere brunch, it's this total double life I feel like that I'm living right now," she said on the "Bachelor Happy Hour" podcast in October 2021. "Being back in a classroom has made me feel so much like myself and it's nice. ... This world can get kind of overwhelming at times. It can get a lot and sometimes you just need to be able to put it down. I feel like being in a classroom, being with my students, I'm there, and I'm truly Miss Young, and I'm able to have that old piece of my routine and my old life with me still. It keeps me balanced in a way."

In May 2022, however, the former basketball player announced that she was stepping back from teaching but would continue pursuing a master's degree in administration. "I think you can talk to pretty much any teacher and they'll you that these last two years have been really difficult with the pandemic," she said during an episode of the "Bachelor Happy Hour" podcast. "Even before the pandemic, the foundation was already starting to crack. And these things keep piling and piling and piling, and honestly we kind of call it this, like, big game of Jenga."

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

Ivan Hall

The season 16 Bachelorette contestant confirmed in August 2021 that he is still making a living as an engineer despite what some may think based on his schedule. “I am still an engineer and plan to continue my day job as an engineer,” he wrote via his Instagram Story ahead of his Bachelor in Paradise season 7 debut. “I do work from home full time and get every Friday off which may cause some confusion. Shoutout to my STEM peeps.”

Credit: Sara Jaye Weiss/Shutterstock

Chris Soules

After competing on The Bachelorette season 10 and starring as the season 19 Bachelor, Soules returned to his farming roots at home in Iowa. He made headlines in 2017 for leaving the scene of a fatal car accident in his home state; he was later sentenced to two years of probation for the incident.

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Arie Luyendyk Jr.

The race car driver works as a realtor in Scottsdale, Arizona, on his off season — and has continued to do so since leading The Bachelor season 22, where he met his now-wife, Lauren Luyendyk (née Burnham).

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Ryan Sutter

The first-ever Bachelorette winner has been a firefighter for nearly 20 years in Colorado, where he lives with his wife, Trista Sutter, and their two children.

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Tanner Tolbert

Since winning Bachelor in Paradise season 2 with Jade Roper, the Kansas City, Missouri, native has continued to have success in the automobile industry as a sales manager.

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Bryan Abasolo

The Miami native returned to work as a chiropractor and wellness coach after getting engaged to Rachel Lindsay on The Bachelorette season 13.

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Jillian Harris

The Canada native worked at an interior goods store prior to becoming the season 5 Bachelorette. These days, she has her own brand of home goods and has appeared on home improvement shows including Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and Love It or List It Vancouver.

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Ben Flajnik

The Bachelor season 16 lead has been making wine since long before he appeared on TV. He is now the founder of Ion Wines.

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Desiree Hartsock

After starring as the season 9 Bachelorette, the Colorado native upped her game from bridal stylist to bridal designer. She now has her own eponymous collection.

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Whitney Bischoff

The season 19 Bachelor winner — and ex-fiancée of Soules — is still a fertility nurse. She even froze her own eggs in 2013 before welcoming son Hayes in 2019 with her husband, Ricky Angel.

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Nikki Ferrell

The Bachelor season 18 winner is so proud of her career that she changed her Instagram bio to read, “Actually went back to that Nurse life post Bachelor life.”

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Jake Pavelka

The season 14 Bachelor returned to piloting after his tumultuous and short-lived relationship with Vienna Girardi played out on TV. He lists Delta Air Lines as his current employer on LinkedIn.

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Ashley Hebert

The Bachelorette season 7 lead did not continue working as a children’s hospital event planner after falling for J.P. Rosenbaum (with whom she now shares two kids), but she did become a pediatric dentist.

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Chris Strandburg

The Bachelorette season 11 fan favorite (lovingly nicknamed Cupcake) is still a dentist after all these years. He even has his own dental Instagram, @toothstagram.

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Clare Crawley

Somehow, someway, the hairstylist still found time for clients between appearances on The Bachelor season 18, Bachelor in Paradise seasons 1 and 2 and The Bachelor Winter Games.

Credit: ABC/Edward Herrera

Michael Garofola

Like Crawley, the Long Island native has stayed busy in Bachelor Nation, but he also makes sure to prioritize his career as an attorney.