| The Bachelor | |
|---|---|
| Season 1 | |
 Promotional poster | |
| Starring | Alex Michel |
| Presented by | Chris Harrison |
| No. of contestants | 25 |
| Winner | Amanda Marsh |
| Runner-up | Trista Rehn |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 7 (including 1 special) |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | March 25 – April 25, 2002 |
| Season chronology | |
The Bachelor was the first season of ABC reality television series The Bachelor. The show featured 31-year-old Alex Michel, a Harvard educated management consultant from Charlottesville, Virginia. The season premiered on March 25, 2002, and concluded on April 25, 2002 with Michel choosing to pursue a relationship with 23-year-old event planner Amanda Marsh. They broke up several months later.
Contestants
The following is the list of bachelorettes for this season:
| Name | Age | Hometown | Job | Eliminated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amanda Marsh | 23 | Chanute, Kansas | Event Planner | Winner |
| Trista Rehn | 29 | St. Louis, Missouri | Miami Heat Dancer | Runner-up |
| Shannon Oliver | 24 | Dallas, Texas | Financial Management Consultant | Week 5 |
| Kimberly Karels | 24 | Tempe, Arizona | Nanny | Week 4 |
| Cathy Grimes | 22 | Terre Haute, Indiana | Graduate Student | Week 3 |
| Christina Stencil | 28 | Bonita, California | Attorney | Week 3 |
| LaNease Adams | 23 | Playa Del Rey, California | Actress | Week 3 |
| Rhonda Rittenhouse | 28 | Woodward, Oklahoma | Commercial Real Estate Agent | Week 3 |
| Alexa Jurgielewicz | 27 | Beverly Hills, California | Special Ed. Teacher | Week 2 |
| Amy Anzel | 28 | Yonkers, New York | Production Coordinator | Week 2 |
| Angela Lowery | 25 | Avondale, Arizona | Hooters Waitress | Week 2 |
| Angelique Madrid | 27 | Burbank, California | Actress | Week 2 |
| Katie Sapienza | 23 | Malden, Massachusetts | Power Tool Sales Rep. | Week 2 |
| Melissa Reese | 25 | Tempe, Arizona | Photographer | Week 2 |
| Tina Chen | 27 | Plano, Texas | Graduate Student | Week 2 |
| Amber Johnson | 29 | Los Angeles, California | Business Development Director | Week 1 |
| Daniela Ferdico | 30 | Seattle, Washington | Neuropsychologist | Week 1 |
| Denise Kellaher | 30 | Honolulu, Hawaii | Doctor | Week 1 |
| Jackie Hucko | 22 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Bar Manager | Week 1 |
| Jill Gosser | 31 | Chicago, Illinois | Retail Manager | Week 1 |
| Kristina Jenkins | 27 | Chelsea, New York | Advertising Executive | Week 1 |
| Lisa Gold | 29 | Dallas, Texas | Attorney | Week 1 |
| Paula Oliveira | 24 | Swansea, Massachusetts | Insurance Representative | Week 1 |
| Rachel Lanzilotto | 29 | Eastchester, New York | 6th Grade Teacher | Week 1 |
| Wendi Plotnik | 26 | Dallas, Texas | Technology Specialist | Week 1 |
Future appearances
Trista Rehn was chosen to be the Bachelorette for the first season of The Bachelorette. Shannon Oliver appeared in episode 3 of the first season of The Bachelorette to give Trista advice.
Amy Anzel appeared in Trista's wedding mini-series and would go on to act in several projects, most notably having a role in Kick Ass 2. She also competed in the UK version of The Apprentice in 2022.
Elimination Chart
| # | Contestants | Week | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | ||
| 1 | Kim | Amanda | Shannon | Amanda | Trista | Trista | Amanda |
| 2 | Cathy | Cathy | Amanda | Shannon | Shannon | Amanda | Trista |
| 3 | Trista | Trista | Cathy | Kim | Amanda | Shannon | |
| 4 | Denise | LaNease | Rhonda | Trista | Kim | ||
| 5 | Amy | Tina | Christina S. | Cathy Christina S. LaNease Rhonda |
|||
| 6 | Alexa | Christina S. | Kim | ||||
| 7 | LaNease | Katie | Trista | ||||
| 8 | Rachel | Alexa | LaNease | ||||
| 9 | Tina | Angelique | Alexa Amy Angela Angelique Katie Melissa Tina |
||||
| 10 | Angelique | Amy | |||||
| 11 | Wendi | Melissa | |||||
| 12 | Rhonda | Angela | |||||
| 13 | Christina S. | Kim | |||||
| 14 | Jill | Shannon | |||||
| 15 | Katie | Rhonda | |||||
| 16 | Amanda | Amber Daniela Denise Jackie Jill Kristina J. Lisa Paula Rachel Wendi |
|||||
| 17 | Lisa | ||||||
| 18 | Angela | ||||||
| 19 | Amber | ||||||
| 20 | Daniela | ||||||
| 21 | Paula | ||||||
| 22 | Jackie | ||||||
| 23 | Melissa | ||||||
| 24 | Kristina J. | ||||||
| 25 | Shannon | ||||||
- The contestant won the competition.
- The contestant was eliminated at the rose ceremony.
Episodes
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) | Rating/share (18–49) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Week 1" | March 25, 2002 | 101 | 9.90[1] | 4.0/0[2] |
|
There were no dates during the first week. Amber, Daniela, Denise, Jackie, Jill, Kristina, Lisa, Paula, Rachel, and Wendi were all sent home in the first rose ceremony. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Week 2" | April 1, 2002 | 102 | 10.20[1] | 4.4/11[2] |
|
There were three group dates. Five women were sent on each. Alexa, Amy, Angela, Angelique, Katie, Melissa, and Tina were eliminated at the rose ceremony. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Week 3" | April 8, 2002 | 103 | 9.40[1] | 4.2/10[2] |
|
One-on-one date: Amanda. One-on-one date: Trista. Group date: Cathy, Christina, Kim, LaNease, and Rhonda. One-on-one date: Shannon Cathy, Christina, LaNease, and Rhonda were eliminated at the rose ceremony. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Week 4" | April 15, 2002 | 104 | 11.10[1] | 4.6/12[2] |
|
Hometown Visits: Kim – Tempe, Arizona; Shannon – Dallas, Texas; Trista – Miami, Florida; Amanda – Chanute, Kansas. Kim was eliminated at the rose ceremony. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Week 5" | April 22, 2002 | 105 | 13.10[1] | 5.7/14[2] |
|
Overnight Dates: Amanda (New York), Shannon (Vermont), and Trista (Hawaii). Shannon was eliminated at the rose ceremony. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "The Women Tell All" | April 25, 2002 | N/A | 10.80[1] | 3.6/9[2] |
| 7 | 7 | "Week 6" | April 25, 2002 | 106 | 18.20[1] | 7.3/17[2] |
|
Meeting Alex's Parents and Final Dates: Amanda and Trista. Trista's limo pulled up to the altar first, where Alex sent her home in a limo, brokenhearted. Amanda then came to the altar, where Alex declared her his chosen woman and entered into a relationship with her. | ||||||