Here’s the Deal with Reality Steve, the Man Behind All Those ‘Bachelor‘ Spoilers

From Cosmopolitan

There is only one person who knows Bachelor Nation better than Chris “Somebody Save Me” Harrison, and it's the man, the myth, the legend known as Reality Steve. This dude has accurately predicted almost every Bachelor winner since the dawn of time. He was instrumental in uncovering the truth behind this season's Bachelorette mess, and he's made a literal business out of spoiling the show. Any true Bachelor fan reads Reality Steve’s spoilers religiously, and in my humble opinion, ABC should be paying him for all his free promo...instead of suing him (but lol, more on that in a moment).

So whomst is Steve? It’s time to pull back the curtain on everything there is to know about the man behind your favorite website. Um, other than cosmopolitan.com. 😇

His Real Name Is Stephen Carbone

Thanks to a truly ancient New York Times profile from 2015, we know Steve was raised in Southern California and started out in sports radio. At the time he was single, but now Steve appears to be dating Big Brother alum Kat Dunn. He revealed as much during an Instagram Live, saying “Kat and I have been seeing each other. If people want to know, that's who I've been spending time with, yes.”

Unfortunately, because the internet can be truly woof, some fans were less than kind—prompting Steve to post this:

Kat and Steve are pretty private, but she did appear on his podcast as recently as October 15, sooo...probably safe to assume they're still a thing?

He Has a Super Cute Dog

Meet Luka, everyone!

He's Been Into Roses for a Whiiiiile Now

Presented with out comment:

He Got Into Bachelor Spoilers in the Wildest Way

Here’s the TL;DR version of his origin story. Steve started writing funny emails to his friends about Joe Millionaire. And apparently, said emails were so popular that his friends began to forward them to their friends, creating a Joe Millionaire content spiral that eventually inspired Steve to start his website. But he didn’t begin writing about The Bachelor until Season 13, when he got a tip that Jason Mesnick had dumped Melissa for his runner-up Molly. Things escalated from there, and according to the New York Times, Steve quit his other jobs in August 2011 to exclusively focus on the professional art of ~spoiling~.

^Including this picture because endless breadsticks.

He Has a Weekly IG Live with Ashley Spivey

Steve often drops spoilers, so 10/10 would recommend. Plus, Bachelor Nation alums have been known to drop into Steve's IG Lives to spill tea....

Yes, Spoiling The Bachelor Pays

Most websites make money based on ad sales and total readership, and turns out a lot of people are trolling around RealitySteve.com on any given day. In 2015, Steve told the New York Times that he earns a “comfortable” six-figure income, which is...wild. Again, this all started because he sent some funny emails to his friends. Remember that.

His Network of Sources Is Extensive

Aside from searching around Twitter and Instagram for clues like the rest of us normal Bachelor fans, Steve has a huge network of inside sources. “Ninety-five percent of the stuff I get is legit,” he told Reality Blurred in 2016. “I think people, for the most part, want to help. The bottom line is, I don’t think a lot of people are out to give me misinformation.”

He Doesn‘t Even *Like* The Bachelor

Turns out, Steve does this job because it gives him the opportunity to do what he's actually passionate about: writing. “I’ve always liked to write, and I’ve always liked to be very sarcastic and very snarky about things," he told the New York Times. “This show makes it easier, but if this show wasn’t my job, would I watch it? Absolutely not. I wouldn’t care.”

ABC Tried to Sue Him...Twice

Which is not that shocking considering he’s turning a profit from spoiling their show. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Steve was sued for “attempting to induce contestants into breaching their confidentiality pledges.” Both cases were eventually settled and to this day, Steve is still spoiling.

“I think publicly they hate me,” he explained to the Dallas Observer. “I think privately they love me because they know what I do brings attention to their show. None of [the producers] will ever say my name or reference my name, but they know what’s out there.”

IMO, if anything, Steve is making this show even more buzzy.

Anyway...happy Bachelor-ing!

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