Ben Higgins’ Season 20 of ‘The Bachelor’: Where Are They Now?
A perfect Ben? Ben Higgins may go down as one of the most beloved Bachelors in the history of the ABC franchise, but season 20 still had a fair share of drama.
After competing for Kaitlyn Bristowe’s heart on season 11 of The Bachelorette in 2015, the Colorado native went on his own journey for love and fell for Lauren Bushnell and … JoJo Fletcher. During the season finale, Ben came under fire when he told both women that he loved them, but he ultimately proposed to the flight attendant from Portland, Oregon.
“I don’t know if regret would be the right word, because it’s how I felt, which is messed up, and not great when you then break up and propose to somebody in the same day,” Ben told Us Weekly exclusively in June 2020 about dropping the L-word twice. “I think at the time I was naive enough to think that it was a way to reassure them, when they left, that this was the real deal, that I really did care about them both. I just don’t think I chose the right words, and I don’t think it was healthy for the long term and the longevity of either relationship. So, necessarily don’t regret it, because it is how I felt. Don’t think it was the wisest thing to do, especially two days before you broke up with one of them.”
Lauren, who didn’t know at the time that Ben told JoJo he loved her too, accepted a proposal during the March 2016 finale.
“It obviously hurt … it was a lot to take in,” Lauren told E! News at the time about Ben and JoJo. “It felt like a punch in the gut in a way, but it wasn’t anything that made me question him or question our relationship. But it was just more like, ‘Ow, that hurts.'”
While the twosome went on to star in their own Freeform spinoff series, Ben and Lauren: Happily Ever After?, for one season, they called it quits in May 2017.
Three years later, ABC aired a condensed version of season 20 in one-night as an episode of The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons — Ever! Ben told Us at the time he doesn’t keep in touch with Lauren but wishes her well.
“Not Lauren, we haven’t talked [about the show re-airing]. She’s married. I’m happy for her, and she found her partner and it wouldn’t … I mean, if she reached out saying, ‘Hey, how are you going to handle this? This is what’s sensitive me …’ I would love to take that call from her, but I don’t think I’m needed in this moment for her,” he explained. “JoJo and I are good friends. I have a lot of respect for her and Jordan. The same kind of thing, if she has a man and a confidant by her side that she probably leans in on. If I saw her, it would be … I actually saw her in the airport last year. It was awesome to see her and Jordan together, but we don’t keep in close contact. I think just because for me, and probably for them, it wouldn’t be healthy. It’s not smart.”
Scroll through for an update on the most memorable contestants from Ben’s season:
The “Almost Famous” podcast cohost proposed to girlfriend Jessica Clarke in March 2020 after more than a year of dating.
“It’s not hard for me to watch back because I know what to expect. But Jess will not be watching it, she doesn’t have a desire to watch it,” Ben told Us about The Bachelor: GOAT. “She is my partner, and I want her to know that, I don’t want her to feel any sort of heartbreak or sadness from that. So she’ll make an appearance on the show, but she will not be watching it. I think she’s decided … And if she wanted to, I’d let her. I mean, I don’t really want to tell her what to do.”
Ben also created Generous Coffee Co., which donates 100 percent of its earnings to nonprofits and cohosted the Bachelor Live on Stage with former Bachelorette Becca Kufrin before the tour was suspended amid the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
ABC/Craig Sjodin; ABC; Courtesy of Ben Higgins/Instagram
Following her split from Ben, Lauren reconnected with Devin Antin, whom she matched with on a dating app before she joined the Bachelor franchise. After more than a year together, however, Us broke the news of their split in August 2018. Lauren subsequently started seeing country singer Chris Lane. The twosome exchanged vows in Nashville in October 2019.
“I definitely know that he’s the person I want to do life with forever,” Lauren told Us in 2019. “We have so much fun together and it’s been by far the easiest, most natural relationship I’ve ever been in.”
The couple announced in December 2020 that they are expecting their first child.
ABC/Craig Sjodin; Freeform/Vu Ong; Broadimage/Shutterstock
JoJo was named the season 12 Bachelorette and got engaged to Jordan Rodgers during the 2016 finale. While the pair were set to wed in June 2020, their nuptials were postponed amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“6.13.20 ... Happy ‘What would have been Wedding Day’ to us! ☺️,” she gushed via Instagram. “As you guys know, we have spent the last 11 months planning the wedding of our dreams but given the circumstances of 2020, we had to make the difficult decision to postpone our special day. Even though I don’t get to marry you todayyyyy @jrodgers11, I know it will be all more worth the wait. 2021, we 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘭𝘺𝘺𝘺𝘺𝘺 can’t wait for you.”
The duo, who live in Dallas, Texas, has hosted a series of reality shows in recent years, including CNBC’s Cash Pad and Paramount Pictures’ Fittest Couple. While Jordan also works as an SEC football analyst, JoJo launched her Fletch clothing line in 2018.
ABC/Craig Sjodin; Matt Klitscher/ABC; Heidi Gutman/ABC
After a stint on Bachelor in Paradise season 3, Us broke the news in January 2020 that the second runner-up got engaged to boyfriend Nick Burrello after two years of dating.
“I feel really lucky because I feel like I wasn’t meant to go on the show to find love there,” she gushed to Us at the time. “I was meant to go on the show to find Nick. If I wasn’t on the show, I wouldn’t ever have met him because I would never have been a blogger and that’s who introduced us and set us up on our first date. So, I think everything happens for a reason and I thank God every day.”
Caila, who lives in New York City, runs a lifestyle blog.
In November 2020, Caila announced that she and Nick set a wedding date and scrapped their plans to wed in Italy.
“We have decided to move our wedding to Sarasota, Florida,” she told The Knot about their nuptials. “It’s where we got engaged. It’s romantic, yet it has an international feel. We wanted to feel like we were at a destination wedding. We booked the Ringling Museum, which was built in the early 1920s and it was built by Italian masons and designers, so it feels like you’re transported.”
The duo tied the knot in May 2021.
ABC/Craig Sjodin; Courtesy of Caila Quinn/Instagram
Amanda, who shares daughters Kinsley and Charlie with ex-husband Nick Buonfiglio, got engaged to Josh Murray while filming season 3 of Bachelor in Paradise in 2016. Their engagement didn’t last, however, and Amanda returned for Bachelor in Paradise season 4. While she had a fling with Robby Hayes, Amanda quit the show during week 4.
Amanda’s first post-Bachelor relationship with was Bobby Jacobs. While the duo moved in together in Laguna Beach in early 2019, they announced their breakup that April. During their relationship, Amanda was arrested for domestic battery after an altercation in Las Vegas, but the case and charges were later dismissed. She detailed her splits from Nick, Ben, Josh, Robby and Bobby in her 2019 book, Now Accepting Roses.
“I was talking to Jen Saviano. We think, as far as we know, we are the only two single people left from our season,” Amanda told Us in April 2020 while reflecting on season 20. “Everyone is either married, has a boyfriend or is engaged. Even people, like, that were sent home earlier on in our season.”
Amanda, who launched her Lani the Label clothing line in 2019, is still friendly with both Ben and Lauren.
“[Ben has] always been super sweet to me and kind. When I was going through a breakup or when my book came out or my clothing line launched, he always, like, texts me and says congratulations or wishes me a happy birthday,” she told Us.
Amanda went Instagram official with attorney Oren Agman in August 2020 after secretly dating for months. As of November 2020, it’s unclear if they are still together.
ABC/Craig Sjodin; Courtesy of Amanda Stanton/instagram
After appearing on season 19 and 20 of The Bachelor, Becca seemingly retired from reality TV. She went on to design a clothing line for Macys in 2019 and hosts the popular iHeartRadio podcast “Scrubbing In” with her best friend Tanya Rad.
Becca, who dated Bachelorette alum Robert Graham from 2016 to 2017, has yet to publicly reveal the identity of her current partner.
“I just think that my relationship that I’m in is just, I like that it’s private and it’s my own,” she told Us in September 2019. “I had a public relationship before and it just felt like I had a lot of people involved.”
During a February 2020 episode of “Scrubbing In,” Becca declared that she is “95 percent” sure that she will marry her significant other.
ABC/Craig Sjodin; Courtesy of Becca Tilley/Instagram
Season 20 marked the first time identical twins competed on The Bachelor. While they both appeared on seasons 3 and 4 of Bachelor in Paradise, Haley returned for season 6 without Emily after she started dating Swedish hockey player William Karlsson. The twosome, who were first linked in 2018, are still together as of June 2020. Haley, for her part, subsequently started seeing a hockey player of her own. She and Oula Palve made their relationship Instagram official in January 2020.
The Fergie twins, who live in Las Vegas, had their own Freeform spinoff, The Twins: Happily Ever After?, in 2017. The show ran for eight episodes.
Emily announced her engagement to Karlsson in December 2020. “I SAID YES! I get to marry the man of my dreams ❤️💍,” she gushed via Instagram. “This is a moment I’ve dreamed of since I was a little girl and it’s more than I could have ever imagined because it’s truly with my perfect person. I can’t wait to grow old and laugh with you forever 12/11/2020.”
Five months later, Haley announced that Palve proposed to her after dating for more than one year. "I am ENGAGED to the man of my DREAMS! @oula7 thank you for choosing me. Will I ever stop crying/smiling...probably not!" she wrote via Instagram in May 2021.
ABC/Craig Sjodin; Courtesy of Emily and Haley Ferguson/Instagram(2)
Jubilee appeared on seasons 3 and 5 of Bachelor in Paradise but failed to find a love connection on the show.
The Army vet, who lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was booked in February 2020 for driving under the influence.
While Jubilee keeps her social media accounts private, she took to Instagram after fans were upset that The Bachelor: GOAT didn’t include her for a follow-up interview.
“That was ENTIRELY my own choosing. I declined the interview / camera appearance,” she wrote. “That being said, than you ALL for time and time again always being so good to me. ... And my life update is that I’m good! I’m still here. Y’all know I just like to fly under the radar.”
ABC/Craig Sjodin(2)
While Leah returned for Bachelor in Paradise season 3, she left Mexico unlucky in love. The Denver, Colorado, native came under fire in 2017 when she compared Rachel Lindsay’s season of The Bachelorette to an episode of Love & Hip Hop. She subsequently apologized.
The social media and events specialist has been seeing boyfriend Ryan Smith since 2018.
ABC/Craig Sjodin; Courtesy of Leah Block/Instagram
During Bachelor in Paradise season 3, Jen found a connection with Nick Viall. The twosome went their separate ways, however, during the finale and Nick went on to be the next Bachelor. While Jen returned for season 6 of BiP in 2019, she was eliminated during week 3.
Jen runs a Nashville, Tennessee, lifestyle blog and hosts a podcast called “Whinning.”
ABC/Craig Sjodin; Courtesy of Jennifer Saviano/Instagram
After her stint on The Bachelor, Olivia was open about how the show affected her mental health. "It took me so long to get over the whole thing. I was messed up for a long time after that," she said on an episode of her “Mouthing Off” podcast in 2018. "I was suicidal. I've had depression my entire life. When the show was airing, I was getting messages saying I should kill myself, and, you know, you're not worthy of living. I really, truly felt bullied on the show.”
In addition to her podcast, Olivia started a new career with Delta post-Bachelor. While she confirmed in February 2020 that she was off the market, Olivia announced in June 2020 that she was single. In August 2020, she started grad school at New York University.
ABC/Craig Sjodin; Courtesy of Olivia Caridi/Instagram
Lauren H., who appeared on season 3 of BiP, announced her engagement to a fellow real estate agent named Doug in December 2019. The twosome are set to wed in Petoskey, Michigan, in September 2020.
ABC/Craig Sjodin; Courtesy of Lauren Himle/Instagram
While she quit Ben’s season, Lace found love with Grant Kemp on season 3 of Bachelor in Paradise. The twosome, who infamously got “Grace” tattoos during the season, called off their engagement in November 2016 after several months.
The realtor met current boyfriend Russell on Bumble in 2017.
ABC/Craig Sjodin; Courtesy of Lace Morris/Instagram
LB didn’t last long on Ben’s season, but she made headlines in November 2018 after Lauren stepped out with now-husband Chris for the first time. A source told Us that the “I Don’t Know About You” crooner actually dated LB before he started seeing now-wife Lauren.
LB, who never publicly confirmed her relationship with the singer, started seeing her current boyfriend, Hunter, in 2019. They reside in Nashville.
ABC/Craig Sjodin
After a quick stint on Ben’s season, Izzy found love with Vinny Ventiera during season 3 of Bachelor in Paradise, but their romance didn’t last.
The graphic designer and creative director, who works in the wedding industry, lives in New York City. Izzy also owns her own apparel company called THE GOODKIND.
ABC/Craig Sjodin; Courtesy of Isabel Izzy Goodkind/Instagram
While the chicken enthusiast was sent home during night one, she returned for Bachelor in Paradise season 3. Tiara was eliminated during week 5.
Tiara, who resides in Seattle, Washington, is close friends with Olivia and documents her love for horses and hiking via Instagram.
ABC/Craig Sjodin; Courtesy of Tiara Soleim/Instagram
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