Story highlights
Juan Pablo Galavis has had a rapid downfall as "The Bachelor"
It began with homophobic comments and then spiraled with his behavior on the show
His refusal to propose or say the "L" word to the woman he chose has enraged viewers
Juan Pablo Galavis, the latest star of ABC’s “The Bachelor,” has gone from stud to dud faster than he could hand out his final rose.
The former pro soccer player and first Latino “Bachelor” in series history was initially adored by the show’s fan base, who saw Juan Pablo, 32, as a sweet, romantic single father searching for “everlasting love.” His appearance on the 18th season of “The Bachelor,” which debuted in January, was so hyped that ABC dubbed the month “Juan-uary” in his honor.
But even before Monday night’s season finale and surprising “After the Final Rose” post-finale special, Juan Pablo was being called “the worst ‘Bachelor’ ever” – which is saying a lot, because this franchise has had some doozies. (See: Womack, Brad.)
So how did Juan Pablo pull off such a rapid downfall? In six easy steps:
1. Made controversial comments about marriage and sexuality
By the third episode, Juan Pablo was already losing viewers. The reality star, who’d previously appeared on ABC’s “The Bachelorette,” was asked at a network party whether he thought it would be “good at some point to have a gay or bisexual bachelor.”
Juan Pablo then gave a long response that included statements like, “I don’t think it is a good example for kids to watch that on TV,” and, “There’s this thing about gay people. … They’re more pervert in a sense.” We should note that Juan Pablo, who’s lived in Venezuela, does have a language barrier, and when he apologized for offending anyone he said that he’d chosen the wrong words.
Whether his true meaning was lost in translation or not, the comments left a cloud over the rest of the season.
2. Caused one woman to accuse him of being a ‘narcissist’ and an ‘a***ole’
After the scandal over his views on sexuality, Juan Pablo plowed ahead through his options on “The Bachelor.” By the time he narrowed the 27 women vying to be his next bride to the final few, at least one of the contestants, Andi Dorfman, couldn’t stand him.
After spending time in “the fantasy suite” with Juan Pablo, Dorfman said she “could not wait” to get out of the show. “I saw a side to him that I didn’t really like,” she said during that episode. “There’s a difference between being honest and being an a***ole.”
Later, Dorfman explained that she was “turned off” by him and his “borderline narcissistic” perspective.
Watching the ambivalence some of the contestants developed for Juan Pablo – including from Sharleen, another contestant who decided that he wasn’t what she was looking for in a mate – didn’t help the athlete win any “best ‘Bachelor’” awards.
3. Caused another woman to cry
His interactions with the women on the show only went downhill, as one of the final two ladies, Clare, accused Juan Pablo of saying an overtly sexual comment to her when the cameras stopped rolling during a helicopter ride.
“As the helicopter’s landing, we have a rare moment together with no cameras, nobody there with us and Juan Pablo leaned over and whispered something to me,” Clare said. “He chose to tell me something that no woman wants to hear. It was insulting, it was offensive and it just made me feel awful.”
To make matters worse, Clare is also the same woman who broke down in tears after Juan Pablo told her he regretted a late-night swim session with her. Although she made it into the final two, Juan Pablo didn’t propose to Clare – and then commented aloud how glad he was that he didn’t.
4. Didn’t propose during the final show
We already know what happened to Clare, but the other final woman, Nikki, “won” this season only by a technicality. Juan Pablo picked out an engagement ring but then refused to put it on her finger because he wasn’t “100% sure” he wanted to propose. (The ring is now reportedly with “Bachelor” producers.)
5. Refused to say the ‘L’ word
Similarly, Juan Pablo was just as evasive about his relationship with Nikki on Monday’s “After the Final Rose” special. When “Bachelor” host Chris Harrison asked him directly whether he was in love with Nikki, Juan Pablo replied, “I’m not going to answer that question.”
His potential future fiance, at least, isn’t bothered by his inability to express his devotion verbally. “It’s not that he doesn’t tell me – it’s like in his actions,” Nikki said. “I know that he does (love me). I know that he cares about me a lot.”
Viewers at home don’t know that, though. As TV Without Pity put it, “Congrats to #TheBachelor for the most horrifically strange and uncomfortable #AfterTheFinalRose in franchise history.”
6. Got celebrities to hate him
“OMG i want to stab this narcissistic idiot… PAINNNNNNN,” Kirstie Alley tweeted on Monday. “I HATE THIS A***OLE!!! He is a jerk!!!! STRAIGHT UP!!”
Kristin Chenoweth agreed, chiming in, “Isn’t he a disappointment?”
To “Bachelor” fans, apparently so.
