Brad Womack’s Seasons 11 and 15 of ‘The Bachelor’: Where Are They Now?
Brad Womack may have had two opportunities to find love as the Bachelor, but his final rose never lasted — if he gave it out at all.
ABC first made Brad the lead for season 11 of the dating series in 2007. During the finale, he made history as the only Bachelor to walk away from his final two — DeAnna Pappas and Jenni Croft — and leave alone.
“I was the girl that everyone thought he was going to choose,” DeAnna told Us Weekly exclusively on our “Here for the Right Reasons” podcast in June 2020. “And then at the last minute, he decided not to choose anyone and that really shifted the way the franchise works. … I was so confused, I don’t know why he did all of this, but now it means so different to me because had he not done that, it would have changed the path of life that brought me to where I am now.”
More than three years after he said goodbye to DeAnna and Jenni, the network brought Brad back for season 15 of The Bachelor. DeAnna told Us that she was “mind-blown” when her ex agreed to be the lead again.
“He had always said to me he would never do it again. He was like, ‘I am so glad to be done with this. I wouldn’t want to do this again. I wouldn’t put my family through this,’” she told Us. “And then, sure enough, I found out he was doing it again because the producers called. In the first episode of his second season, they had Jenni and I come back because we were engaged, both of us, you know, oddly at the same time to be married to someone else. I guess in a way to bring it all full circle. … He went from being the most hated Bachelor to the most loved Bachelor.”
Brad, who revealed on the show that he went to therapy in between seasons to work on his commitment issues, found a connection with Emily Maynard and proposed to the Southern Belle during the 2011 finale. Their engagement was short-lived, however, and they announced their split four months after the show finished airing.
As ABC revisited Brad’s seasons of The Bachelor in July 2020 as part of The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons — Ever!, the bar owner confirmed that he would never look for love on the reality show again.
“I will not do it a third time,” he said in a sneak peek for the episode. “I promise you.”
Listen to Here For the Right Reasons to get inside scoop about the Bachelor franchise and exclusive interviews from contestants!
Scroll through for an update on the biggest names from season 11 and 15 of The Bachelor:
The former reality TV personality owns several bars in Texas and has a longtime girlfriend.
ABC/Edward Herrera; YouTube
DeAnna went on to be the season 4 Bachelorette and got engaged to Jesse Csincsak during the 2008 finale. The twosome split several months after the finale, but Bachelor Nation still helped DeAnna find love as she married Stephen Stagliano, whose twin brother Michael appeared on Jillian Harris’ season 5 of The Bachelorette.
“All the friends, all the opportunities that I’ve had, and then ultimately meeting Stephen and my kids. It all clearly was in the plan for me, you know, so I don’t know that I’m stoked to relive that but I guess hindsight is 20/20,” DeAnna told Us.
The couple share daughter Addison and son Austin. DeAnna, who landed several hosting gigs after her stint as the Bachelorette, created a show called Moms In Cars with her friend, actress Christine Lakin.
Abc-Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock; John Nacion/Startraks
The dancer married Dr. John Badolato, a cosmetic dentist who appeared on Extreme Makeover, in 2010. The couple, who share daughter Mia and sons Taio and Gio, live in Arizona.
Jenni owns an online boutique called Pretty Chic Unique.
ABC/Craig Sjodin; Courtesy of Jenni Croft/Instagram
After finishing in third place on Brad’s first season, Bettina launched a swimwear line called Bettinis. She also still works in real estate.
ABC/Craig Sjodin; Courtesy of Bettina Bell/Instagram
Following her split from Brad, the season 15 winner was named the eighth Bachelorette. And while Emily got engaged to Jef Holm during the finale, their relationship ended several months after the proposal aired in 2012.
Emily, who is the mother of teenage daughter Ricki, went on to marry Tyler Johnson in 2014. The couple, who met at church, share three sons: Jennings, Gibson and Gatlin.
The mother of four wrote about the death of Ricki’s father and her former fiancé, Ricky Hendrick, and her reality TV journey in her 2016 book, I Said Yes: My Story of Heartbreak, Redemption, and True Love.
ABC/Rick Rowell; Courtesy of Emily Maynard/Instagram
Chantal left a mark — and lasting impression — when she slapped Brad during her season 15 limo entrance. After finishing as the runner-up, she met now-husband Jeff Razore in her native Seattle. The pair share two sons.
ABC/Rick Rowell
Brad’s second runner-up was named the seventh Bachelorette in 2011. During the season, Ashley met and got engaged to J.P. Rosenbaum. Fans watched Chris Harrison officiate their nuptials during the 2012 ABC special, The Bachelorette: Ashley and J.P.’s Wedding. The twosome welcomed son Ford in 2014 and daughter Essex in 2016. They renewed their vows in 2018.
While Ashley returned to work as a pediatric dentist, the couple weren’t done with reality TV post-Bachelorette, making appearances on Marriage Boat Camp and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.
In 2019, J.P. made headlines when he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare neurological disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves.
"I can't hug my kids, pick up up my kids, do anything for my kids," he recalled on Good Morning America in January 2020 about his health scare, which left him temporarily paralyzed. J.P. and Ashley confirmed at the time that he was doing better and expected to make a full recovery after intensive physical therapy.
ABC/Rick Rowell; Broadimage/Shutterstock
After Brad eliminated Shawntel during season 15, she returned to compete for Ben Flajnik’s heart but didn’t make it past the first week of season 16.
Shawntel went on to find love offscreen with orthodontist Paolo Poidmore. They wed in 2013 and share three sons: Anthony, Leo and Luca. Shawntel blogs about motherhood and Leo’s rare condition Sturge-Weber Syndrome.
ABC; Courtesy of Shawntel Newton/Instagram
The “villain” of the season, Michelle made a name for herself in Bachelor Nation as she returned for season 2 of Bachelor Pad and season 1 of Bachelor in Paradise. While she found love with Cody Sattler in Mexico, the twosome split after appearing on Marriage Bootcamp: Reality Stars in 2016. Michelle subsequently started seeing Mike Weir. She told Us in July 2020 that they don’t plan to tie the knot, but the golfer asked her to be his “forever girlfriend” with a ring.
Michelle shares daughter Brielle with her ex-husband, Ryan. In March 2020, the teen was in the ICU for several weeks after a skateboarding accident. Michelle confirmed in June 2020 that Brielle was on the mend. “This kid aced her math course online that she had to make up since she was in the hospital!” she gushed at the time via Instagram. “So proud of her! She is doing so awesome!”
Michelle, who spent three years cohosting Good Things Utah, created the Money Method, a makeup, skincare and self-esteem course.
Dave Proctor/Startraks; Courtesy of Michelle Money/Instagram
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