A school counselor and a former Trump aide: Meet the two Palm Beach County women on 'The Bachelor'

Apparently, the South Florida singles scene is a hot spot for Bachelor and Bachelorette contestants.

At least that's where the casting producers of ABC's longstanding reality-TV dating show "The Bachelor" seem to be looking. Delray Beach’s Ellen Goltzer recently had a memorable run on the premiere season of "The Golden Bachelor" before being eliminated the week before hometown dates.

Now, on the upcoming 28th season of the show, Starr Skyler of Delray Beach and Marlena Haddad of West Palm Beach will join 30 other women to take a swing at partnering up with tennis instructor Joey Graziadei, the 28-year-old fan favorite and runner-up from last season of "The Bachelorette."

It marks the first time in "Bachelor" history two contestants from Palm Beach County will be stepping out of the limo in the same season. The show premieres at 8 p.m., Monday, January 22 on ABC and will be available to stream the next day on Hulu.

In the past 10 seasons of the show, there have been four other women from Palm Beach County who have taken their shot at love, with West Palm Beach real estate agent and Dreyfoos School grad Ashley Luebke advancing the furthest, to Week 5 of "Bachelor" Arie Luyendyk's season in 2018.

In the history of the show dating to 2002, Starr and Marlena will be the eighth and ninth women, respectively, representing the county. The previous seven have all returned single.

Here's a closer look at the two current contestants:

Meet Starr Skyler from Delray Beach: A Palm Beach County school counselor

According to her LinkedIn profile, Starr Skyler, 25, is a professional school counselor at the Palm Beach County School District. More research reveals she works at Emerald Cove Middle School in Wellington. She earned a bachelor’s degree in 2020 in psychology and a master’s in 2022 in counselor education, school counseling and guidance services from University of Central Florida in Orlando.

In an Instagram post she wrote on graduation day in August 2022, Skyler shared the heartfelt reason she decided to pursue a career in counseling.

“When I lost my dad, I didn’t always know how I would do it, but I somehow always knew that I would be OK. I always thought to myself, how lucky am I to have my very own Angel guiding me every step of my way? I wanted to turn my situation into a blessing, and that’s just what I did,” the post reads.

“I used my new found strength and resilience to learn to teach others how to use theirs — so that they could thrive well beyond the many challenges we all face that may deplete our happiness. Every day should be seen as a blessing and everyone should feel that this life is truly worth living.

"I found a career that would incorporate my love for kids, my passion for education, and most importantly, that would allow me to embrace my dad’s memory everyday. I want to be the light, to show kids just how strong they could truly be, to be in their corner and to encourage them to be the best versions of themselves.”

Skyler’s official “Bachelor” bio says she is of Brazilian-American decent. Her positive attributes include intelligence, resilience and a positive attitude. After watching friends get engaged and married, Skyler says she is ready for it to be her turn for love.

Her perfect guy is someone who’s ambitious, family-oriented and funny. She also wants to be able to confide in him. Given that she admits she’s always late, a husband who is patient would be a good idea too. According to the website BachelorNation.com, the most romantic thing she’s done is hand-draw all of her and her now-ex’s favorite memories on a giant card to give to him.

The sorority girl pledged Kappa Delta at UCF, so she’s no stranger to being in a house full of women, which could come in handy at the Bachelor Mansion. She was also her high school’s prom queen in 2016, but will she be serving as this season’s drama queen? Well, her bio says she likes spicy margaritas, so on a show where the alcohol is freely flowing, she very well may be.

Once thing’s for certain: If she whips out her Britney Spears impression, she’ll at least keep viewers laughing.

Meet Marlena Haddad from West Palm Beach: From the White House to The Bachelor Mansion

West Palm Beach’s Marlena Haddad knows her way around the White House, so it’ll be interesting to see how she navigates the Bachelor Mansion.

According to her LinkedIn profile, she worked in the presidential personnel office as director of correspondence and director of research from 2020-2021 during former President Donald Trump’s term. Her Instagram includes a group photo standing next to him giving a thumbs-up, as well as photos in the Oval Office.

With a degree in economics from University of Connecticut, the 26-year-old’s most recent job is as a finance writer for SPAC Insider, a website that provides data for investment managers, bankers, legal professionals and more.

"The Bachelor" won’t be Haddad’s first television appearance. While a student, the first generation Arab-American served as a Leadership Institute campus reform correspondent and was interviewed by "Fox & Friends," speaking out about her college’s decision to host controversial guest speakers on campus.

Optimistic, loyal, and resilient, Haddad is looking for a man who is romantic, sensitive and always lets her drive the golf cart. She hopes to be married, have two kids and continue to foster rescue dogs in the next five years.

She looks forward to entering her soccer-mom era. The hopeful romantic told BachelorNation.com that the most romantic thing she’s ever done was get her and her now ex’s names engraved on the bottle of wine they drank on their first date. Haddad’s official "Bachelor" bio says nothing makes her happier than puppies, but here’s to hoping that her connection with Graziadei is stronger than mere puppy love.

Three other South Florida women will compete on 'The Bachelor'

Along with Starr and Marlena, the Sunshine State will be well represented on the 28th season with three other contestants, all from Miami:

• Kyra Brusch, 26. Kyra is a paralegal who loves the Miami beaches, nightlife and comedy shows.

• Samantha Washington, 25. Samantha is a former Miami Dolphins cheerleader, Miss Florida USA contestant, and former Disney princess.

• Jenn Tran, 25. Jenn is a physician assistant student who says she is dedicating her life to helping others and is passionate about working in health care.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Reality TV: Palm Beach County women on The Bachelor 2024 Season 28