'The Bachelorette' Leading Lady Is Pressed for Time in Her Search for True Love

Citizens of Bachelor Nation have always had some burning questions. But one of the biggest questions is about how long it actually takes to film shows like The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, since over the course of the season they’re supposed to find their soulmate. Throughout the season, the Bachelor or Bachelorette dates around 25 people over the course of weeks, but how many weeks?

The Bachelorette and The Bachelor both work on faster timelines than typical relationships — instead of years together, they have only weeks. Not only that, but when it comes to exploring their physical relationship, they really only have one night. Plus, their entire relationship plays out in front of cameras (except for fantasy suites) ... so how long does it take to film?

The romance in The Bachelorette plays out over a few months on the small screen, but for contestants, the reality is often shorter. In fact, filming the hit reality dating show typically spans from just six to nine weeks.

For instance, in Season 19, which featured two Bachelorettes, filming lasted just 48 days, or about seven weeks, from March 26 to May 13, 2022. Season 20's lead, Charity Lawson, reportedly filmed for about five weeks during spring 2023. Season 21's leading lady Jenn Tran started filming on March 28 and wrapped up on May 7, 2024. Ultimately, it all comes down to how quickly the season lead makes their decisions!

Even with the limited time, the leads have very little time to interact with and get to know the contestants. In 2015, former Bachelorette lead Ali Fedotowsky told Women's Health, "I would say you probably spend about 72 hours tops with the person you wind up choosing, and 12 of that is spent 'sleeping' in the fantasy suite."

So, over the span of a little over six weeks, such as in Jenn's situation, the Bachelorette lead might only spend a total of three days with the suitor she ends up choosing, which is pretty wild to consider.

One brilliant aspect of Bachelor Nation is our pre-existing investment in the season's lead before the show even airs. Having followed Jenn since her appearance on Joey Graziadei's season of The Bachelor, many of us feel it's high time for her to get happily ever after!

So, even though Jenn has only known her contestants for about six weeks by the time one of them is expected to get down on one knee, the pace doesn't feel rushed to us at home.

That's because we witness the entire journey unfold over approximately 10 or 11 weeks on television — actually longer than Jenn has spent getting to know the men! And what we see on screen comprises most of the time the Bachelorette shares with her contestants. While there are undoubtedly unseen moments, their time together is largely visible to us.

The Bachelorette airs on Mondays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC. Stream the next day on Hulu.