The Most Dramatic Bachelor and Bachelorette Finales in the Franchise History

There has never been a shortage of drama on The Bachelor or Bachelorette. In fact, it seems like ABC says that every season will be “the most dramatic one yet.”

Clayton Echard's season really gave that description a run for its money. During the March 2022 finale, Clayton broke up with his final two women — Rachel Recchi and Gabby Windey — and decided to try to pursue a relationship with Susie Evans, who had left after learning the lead had been intimate with both Rachel and Gabby, and said "I love you" to all three.

While Susie initially turned Clayton down during the finale, they continued to explore their relationship offscreen — and on After the Final Rose, shared that they're now dating.

"I never had any intention of hurting anybody," Clayton told PEOPLE. "I felt terrible and I still do. And if they never forgive me, that's something I'll have to sit and live with for the rest of my life."

abc Rachel and Clayton on After the Final Rose

Rachel and Gabby confronted their former suitor on After the Final Rose, saying they felt "misled" and "betrayed," among other harsh words. Following the tense special, they were named the next season's Bachelorettes.

Clayton isn’t the first to experience the highest highs and lowest lows of Bachelor-dom in one night. Here are some of the most dramatic season finales in the franchise’s history, from post-show breakups to final rose freak-outs.

When Peter Weber became the third Bachelor to change his pick after proposing:

Peter’s season was full of drama, but it all came to a head in the two-part finale. Weber was left with two women, Madison Prewett and Hannah Ann Sluss … that is until Madison decided to leave Peter before the final rose ceremony because she didn’t think they would be able to work things out when it came to differences in their lifestyles.

Peter then decided to go all-in with Hannah Ann, proposing to her and giving her the final rose. But weeks later, Peter broke things off with Hannah Ann, telling her that he still had feelings for Madison. There were tears and long, dramatic monologues.

The pair came face-to-face on After the Final Rose, where Hannah Ann told him, “If you wanna be with a woman, you need to become a real man.”

Weber was then reunited with Madison, and the pair announced on After the Final Rose that they were together and working things out, despite Peter’s parents very openly sharing that they didn’t think it was going to work out between their son and his new girlfriend. Days later, the pair announced their split. Weeks later, Weber was spotted hanging with another woman from his season, Kelley Flanagan; the two parted ways after about eight months together.

When Arie Luyendyk Jr. proposed to Becca Kufrin … and then changed his mind:

This one was painful to watch. The race car driver got down on one knee and proposed to Becca Kufrin, but decided after the show ended that he wanted to give it a try with runner-up Lauren Burnham. What followed was an incredibly brutal breakup with a clearly caught off-guard Becca and then a proposal to Lauren on After the Final Rose. Yikes.

Luyendyk is married to Burnham and the pair share a baby girl. Kufrin went on to be the Bachelorette and is engaged to Garrett Yrigoyen.

When Jason Mesnick did the same thing … but broke up with Melissa Rycroft on live TV to get back together with Molly Malaney:

Jason Mesnick waited until After the Final Rose to tell Melissa Rycroft that he wanted to be with runner-up Molly Malaney. Then, Chris Harrison brought out Rycroft to be dumped on television.

“You put a ring on [my] finger, but you don’t want to fight to see if it can work because you’re having doubts over someone else who you already said goodbye to,” Rycroft told Mesnick before calling him a bastard. She told him, “I wish more than anything that last day you would’ve just let me go instead of doing this to me,” adding, “Don’t call me. Don’t text me anymore. Leave me alone, please.”

Then, Malaney came out and Mesnick told her what went down. The pair married in 2010 and share a daughter and a son from Mesnick’s previous marriage.

When Juan Pablo Galavis unceremoniously broke things off with Clare Crawley, so she told him off:

Juan Pablo Galavis is largely regarded as one of the franchise’s worst Bachelor’s and soon-to-be Bachelorette Clare Crawley certainly thought so when she came in second on his season. After Galavis told Crawley that she wasn’t his choice, she delivered an epic goodbye speech that went down in Bachelor history.

When Rachel Lindsay and Peter Kraus had a too-real breakup just before she gave out the final rose:

Peter Kraus was a fan favorite on Rachel Lindsay’s season of The Bachelorette. When it came time to decide whether or not he would propose, he told Lindsay that he was unsure he was ready, but wanted to be with her. What followed was an incredibly raw and emotional breakup with Kraus telling Lindsay to “go find someone to have a mediocre life with” but begging her to “take a chance,” before Lindsay told him, “It’s not gonna change your mind, you’re just gonna feel pressure to do it.” In the end, Lindsay said she needed a man who knew what he wanted and picked her now-husband, Bryan Abasolo.

When Brad Womack picked no one:

The ending of Brad Womack’s first season (the show’s 11th) of The Bachelor was entirely unexpected: The Bachelor decided that he wouldn’t be picking DeAnna Pappas or Jenni Croft and ended up alone. He got to try for love again on the 15th season of the show.

When Charlie O’Connell proposed to both women:

Sam Bolton/Patrick McMullan/Getty

The season 7 Bachelor (and younger brother of actor Jerry O’Connell) decided that he wanted to take two months to date both finalists, Sarah Brice (pictured above) and Krisily Kennedy, in the real world before making a decision. Not exactly the show’s premise but … okay! On the show’s After the Final Rose special in 2005, O’Connell finally decided to give a promise ring to Brice. Not exactly the proposal that the show usually ends in. The couple dated for two years, broke up, then got back together for another two years, before finally ending things for good in 2010.

When Hannah Brown had to end her engagement to Jed Wyatt because he came on the show with a girlfriend:

America watched as Hannah Brown‘s season unfolded on television while in the real world, we were also learning that her front-runner, Jed Wyatt, had a girlfriend when he went on the show. Wyatt ended up winning Brown’s heart in the end, but Brown called off the engagement after learning that she had been lied to.

When Ben Flajnik chose his season’s ‘villain,’ Courtney Robertson:

Courtney Robertson practically coined the phrase, “I’m not here to make friends,” when she became the villain on Ben Flajnik’s season of The Bachelor. They were attempting to prove everyone wrong, but really ended up imploding. The pair broke off their engagement shortly after the show finished, only to get back together before the After the Final Rose special in March 2012.

“It’s been a rough ride,” Flajnik told host Chris Harrison at the time. “The woman that I saw on TV isn’t the Courtney that I know,” he said, adding, “Those are the moments and the instances that led to Courtney and I not talking for a time while the show aired. We were essentially broken up.”

The pair split months later.

So did Jake Pavelka and … it didn’t work out:

Mark Brendel/ABC/Getty

Jake Pavelka was a fan favorite on Jillian Harris’ season of The Bachelorette in 2009 and became the Bachelor in 2010. Pavelka proposed to the season’s villain, Vienna Girardi, which was a shock in and of itself, but when it really went down was after their engagement, when Chris Harrison sat down with the couple for their brutal on-air breakup.

When Kaitlyn Bristowe rejected Nick Viall … but let him propose first:

ABC

Nick Viall is no stranger toBachelor Nation. He was on The Bachelorette season 10, and when he didn’t win Andi Dorfman‘s heart, he returned the next season to fight for Kaitlyn Bristowe. He made it to the final two (for the second time) only to be dumped once more. The worst part? Bristowe let him go through with his proposal, making it painfully awkward for all of us.

When Ben Higgins told both of the final women that he loved them, causing some serious heartache:

Ben Higgins’ move came as a shock to many, especially because it is an unspoken rule that the Bachelor does not to tell any woman that he loves them until they hand out the final rose. Usually, they rely on the ol’ “I have feelings for you” or “I’m falling in love with you” in the meantime. In an unprecedented move, Higgins told both Lauren Bushnell and JoJo Fletcher that he was in love with them. JoJo was even shocked when he told her he loved her, asking, “Are you allowed to say that?!” The move lead to JoJo being totally heartbroken in the finale.