Though the purpose of the television show The Bachelor is to find love and ultimately get engaged, in recent years it has become clear that the women are in search of something else entirely: influencer status.

On the show, which has had 24 seasons, one man attempts to find his future wife by simultaneously dating about 30 women over the course of two months. The group is narrowed down weekly and on the final episode, the bachelor proposes to one woman.

The average age of a contestant on the most recent season was 25. In the last two seasons, the final two girls were both only 23. Even before going on the show, many recent contestants have had jobs such as model, fashion blogger, content creator, or pageant queen. So, it makes sense that they’re searching for fame and popularity instead of a husband.

As soon as contestants get off the show, their following count skyrockets. Most gain a few hundred thousand followers, but some get millions. Hannah Brown started as a contestant on The Bachelor, became the next bachelorette, and later won Dancing with the Stars. She has 2.6 million followers on Instagram. Former Bachelor contestant Cassie Randolf has 1.7 million followers.

While this increase in followers may just be a byproduct of appearing on national television, many former contestants take advantage of this newfound fame by partnering with popular brands, making podcasts, and even starting their own companies.

Former Bachelorette Jojo Fletcher has 2.2 million Instagram followers and uses her platform to promote her CNBC show Cash Pad, her online clothing store, and numerous paid partnerships with brands from Estee Lauder to Charmin.

Caelynn Miller-Keyes appeared on season 23 of The Bachelor and later went on the spin-off show Bachelor in Paradise. Her Instagram, which has 1.5 million followers, is filled with sponsored posts and promo codes. She had her own collection with the clothing brand Boohoo and recently started a youtube channel documenting the elaborate brand trips that she attends.

But, while the show gives these women a platform to share their lives, they don’t actually have any expertise. They gained popularity by, hopefully, being themselves and searching for love. So, do viewers actually care what they have to promote?

Political communications major Jess Cunha ‘21 has been watching The Bachelor for over nine years and admits to being influenced by the contestants on the show. Cunha follows several of them on Instagram and has even bought a product from a contestant.

Alexis Waters was on The Bachelor in 2017. She now has 373 thousand Instagram followers and a brand called Hoop Nation by Alexis Waters, which sells hoop earrings. Last year, after seeing an Instagram post from Waters, Cunha bought a pair.

Journalism major Alessandra Guarneri ‘21 is also an avid viewer, but she actually follows the men more than the women. Guarneri points out that the girls are not the only ones who go on the show looking to become influencers. “We have even seen men trying to promote their cologne and liquor businesses,” she says.

Guarneri listens to former bachelor Nick Viall’s podcast, The Viall Files, which is the 53rd most popular Society & Culture Apple Podcast in the United States. She also follows former bachelor Colton Underwood and has even met him. “I once purchased a meet-and-greet for Colton Underwood that came with a fitness class that he led in New Jersey,” Guarneri says. Underwood has 2 million Instagram followers.

It’s clear that those who go on the show are able to gain some form of influence among dedicated viewers; however, while the show reaches 6 million people every season, no former contestant has ever reached 3 million followers on a single platform. Many people simply watch the show and end it there. Not everyone cares about keeping up with the lives of the contestants afterward.

In the end, around 30 contestants appear on the show every season, but only one person actually finds love and gets the final rose. So, it makes sense that those who go on the show are also hoping for exposure and a new profession as a social media influencer. Many viewers love to keep up with the contestants who won their hearts, and social media is the perfect way to do so. However, the hope is that contestants go on the show to find love, with the benefit of followers, and not the other way around.

Bachelorette Or Beauty Influencer