Did ABC Take It Too Far by Airing Becca and Arie’s Split? ‘Bachelor’ Stars Weigh In

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Did ABC Take It Too Far by Airing Becca and Arie’s Split? ‘Bachelor' Stars Weigh In

The finale of The Bachelor was nothing short of shocking, ending with Arie Luyendyk Jr. proposing to Becca Kufrin, only to break up with her a few weeks later. While many understood that Arie changed his mind, fans of the show and Bachelor Nation alike were not happy that the breakup was shown on TV. Becca was blindsided by the cameras and Arie when he showed up to what she thought was a weekend away together to break things off. ABC aired the emotional, unedited clip, which spanned nearly 40 minutes. Us Weekly asked members of Bachelor Nation for their opinion on the controversial scene!

Credit: ABC

Did ABC Take It Too Far by Airing Becca and Arie’s Split? ‘Bachelor' Stars Weigh In

The finale of The Bachelor was nothing short of shocking, ending with Arie Luyendyk Jr. proposing to Becca Kufrin, only to break up with her a few weeks later. While many understood that Arie changed his mind, fans of the show and Bachelor Nation alike were not happy that the breakup was shown on TV. Becca was blindsided by the cameras and Arie when he showed up to what she thought was a weekend away together to break things off. ABC aired the emotional, unedited clip, which spanned nearly 40 minutes. Us Weekly asked members of Bachelor Nation for their opinion on the controversial scene!

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Wells Adams, The Bachelorette 2016

“Yes, ABC is in the business of filming stuff for TV. Do I think Arie should have allowed them to film that? No, that was brutal. This isn't car racing Arie! We're not watching this show for the crashes! I'm kidding, we totally are. Somewhere Luke is like, YESSSSSSSSS!”

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Caila Quinn, The Bachelor 2016

"I think the situation should have been taken care of in private. After a proposal, both parties deserve the respect of a behind closed doors — ahem — unaired conversation and not this ambush. Since they were airing the breakup anyway, I thought sharing it unedited was quite refreshing. Viewers always ask if this is ‘real’ and now they get all of the good & the bad that comes with the full picture. I just wish it wasn't at Becca's expense."

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J.P. and Ashley Rosenbaum

“I think we’ve come to learn with this franchise that production is always redefining the boundaries of what is deemed 'acceptable' by Bachelor Nation. I truly believe that for the most part, much of the production staff cares about the participants, but that they are also constantly torn between their own feelings versus what makes for good TV.  Good TV typically prevails unfortunately and nothing is really 'off limits.' But at the end of the day, no one is holding a gun to anyone’s head saying 'you must do this,' or 'you must say this,' so production can’t be held entirely accountable for the eventual outcome.”

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Robby Hayes, The Bachelor 2016

"Trainwreck. Arie obviously was feeling a little buyer's remorse and possibly wanted more TV time? Who knows. But who in their right mind would film and air a live unedited breakup. This show used to be about finding authentic love and now they've resorted to paying for and flying out an ex to break up a potential engagement in which the entire series prides itself on. Food for thought: Arie, stick to racing your car because you're a cringeworthy reality star."

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Luke Pell, The Bachelorette 2016

"It’s painful to watch the unedited side but if we want to a TV show commit to things and say, ’This is what really happened. These are these people’s real feelings and there’s nothing being hidden here behind a veil,’ then that’s accurate. The closer you can get to being unedited puts more responsibility on the shoulders of the cast members to be true to themselves and be who they’re OK being as a vulnerable person. If people sign up to do the show and they feel like they’re OK being an open book and having their private life put on TV at any point, then I think that they should also understand that they could have all of their private life on TV. I actually think it was OK to have it unedited. I can appreciate that because I just went through a similar experience, which maybe was in a reverse aspect of being edited versus not edited.”

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Bob Guiney, The Bachelor 2003

“I haven’t gotten to see it yet. I’ve obviously heard all about it and am floored. The small part I did see was heartbreaking. I felt so bad for her to have to first hear that kind of news with a camera in her face. It was so sad. With that said, I get it -- we all signed on to do the show ... but she’s still human. Those hurt feelings are genuine and real and brutal.”

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Michael Garofola, The Bachelorette 2013

"People complain all the time about all the editing that occurs and that the show is 'fake,' but then they show a full, unedited human interaction, and it's admittedly uncomfortable to watch. It felt voyeuristic to be watching something so raw and personal ... Having said that, I think it felt wrong to watch Becca be blindsided like that on a happy couples weekend. And despite all that, she handled it with total grace. And I guess she doesn't hate them all that much for it because she's presumably going to be working with them again as the next Bachelorette.”

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Andi Dorfman, The Bachelorette 2014

“I think there's a line between allowing viewers to have a part in the experience by showing them as much as possible versus blindsiding contestants into humiliation and I think that line was crossed last night.”

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Sharleen Joynt, The Bachelorette 2014

"Personally, no [they shouldn’t have filmed]. I think that conversation should’ve been private. It felt a bit exploitative to me."

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Alexis Waters, The Bachelor 2017

"I’m just so confused as to why he proposed to her in the first place and also why it took him three f--king hours to leave that house. I felt like I was watching the movie The Strangers and he was following her around like a creep.”

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Jillian Harris, The Bachelorette 2009

“The show was behind the entire thing. Right from the decision-making. I do think that Arie truly loved them both -- and ABC knew he loved them both. They knew he loved Lauren more. The show has to keep itself fresh. That’s what they were good at! They’ve been one of the highest rated reality shows in the history of television and they needed to freshen it up ... My heart broke for Becca – it was s--tty, but I don’t think Arie is a bad guy. I don’t think the show is bad. That’s just what comes with the territory. I may sound cold but it’s a business! They have to change it up and keep people interested. People need the excitement, they need the adrenaline. It sucks, its cutthroat but they’re smart. Becca is gorgeous, beautiful, smart and amazing. She will find someone that deserves her way more than Arie does!"

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Peyton Lambton, The Bachelor 2007

"I understand why they needed to film the breakup since it happened before the show even aired, but I think we could have gotten the point without seeing 30 minutes of footage. Becca deserves better than that and my heart breaks for her and what she has been put through.”

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Andrew Firestone, The Bachelor 2003

"Full disclosure: I haven't really watched much of this season so I don't know much of the backstory leading up, but with all the hoopla over last night I did watch with [wife] Ivana. So, I will stay out of Arie decision fiasco! However, it's reality television. Usually the complaints are that things are 'too edited' or 'too scripted,' and whatever that was last night certainly wasn't scripted or edited! The reality of relationships is that it ain't always roses and champagne."