Exclusive: What Makes the Perfect ‘Bachelor’ Contestant? These Stats Might Surprise You

Every season of The Bachelor promises to bring with it a new and diverse group of women. But most times on introduction night, fans watch a troupe of people genetically modified to vie for the heart of the square-jawed protagonist — all inexplicably named Lauren — climb out of that limo.

But what makes a successful Bachelor Nation? The team over at Homes.com, which helps people looking for the next or first home, were wondering just that. So they compiled data on every Bachelor contestant since season one, and did a statistical analysis that might surprise you.

Grant Simmons, the VP of Search Marketing for Homes.com, spoke with PopCulture.com exclusively to explain some of what his team found while looking at the numbers. (The full results are explained in handy little graphics on the following slides, so keep scrolling!)

Some of what they found was surprising, and some results won’t surprise dedicated fans of Bachelor Nation.

For example: “If you want to win, you would be a 36-year-old nurse named Jennifer who lives in Atlanta,” Simmons said. “And that’s based on the roses they get.”

While some of those data points are surprising, Simmons explained when looking at the average of the numbers presented, sometimes the most common answer isn’t the true mean. So just because there are a bunch of women who fit a certain mold, it doesn’t mean they end up going farthest on the show.

“Statistics don’t lie, but they can be misleading,” Simmons said.

Other stats fall more in line with what fans might imagine — the most popular name on the show is Lauren, and the most popular profession is a teacher.

While Chicago, Illinois is the most popular city of origin, California is the most popular home state, and contestants are most likely to be 25 years old.

Simmons said it was a shock to see cities like Atlanta and Salt Lake City make the top 10 on some of these categories, as it’s a conception that “all the good looking people come from California.”

“It was a really fun project,” he continued. “We do like having fun [at Homes.com] and we like to help people find their next or first home!”

Keep scrolling to learn more about the team’s findings and see where your hometown, profession, age or name might fit into The Bachelor world.

Most popular contestant first names

No surprise here! There have been 15 Laurens on the show since season one, making it by far the most popular name on the franchise. Sarah, Ashley and Amber all tie for second with two-thirds the number of Laurens, while Jennifer squeaks in at third with nine contestants.

 

Cities that breed the most bachelor contestants

The Windy City should change its name to The Bachelor city! There have been 19 contestants from Chicago, Illinois since season one, followed by Los Angeles at a distant second with 13 contestants. And what is Salt Lake City doing on here?

 

States that breed the most Bachelor contestants

Here’s where California gets to shine! The Sunshine State has had 103 Bachelor contestants as residents, followed at less than half that by Florida, which had 50 contestants. But don’t sleep on the Midwest! Ohio, Illinois and Michigan also make an appearance on the top 10.

 

The age breakdown of Bachelor contestants

Are you in your mid-twenties and looking for love? Then make your way over to The Bachelor, where you might even run into some of your peers. A 25-year-old is most likely to appear on the dating show, followed by 26-year-olds and 24-year-olds. Only one 39-year-old has appeared on the show, in contrast.

 

10 most common Bachelor contestant professions

Teachers aren’t looking for an apple a day, they’re apparently looking for a rose! Educators are the most likely to appear on The Bachelor, followed fittingly by students! Real Estate agents like current Bachelor Arie Luyendyk are also pretty common on the show, and of course models are plenty common on the show.

 

Average numbers of roses awarded to contestants from the most common home cities

Here’s where Atlanta proves its “Hotlanta” nickname true! It may only be the 10th most common home city, but contestants from the southern metro area are given 4.67 roses each on average, followed by Dallas with 4.27 roses on average. Chicago and Los Angeles, both of which are the top two most popular cities, can’t compare with an average of 2.26 and 2.07 roses, respectively.

 

Average number of roses awarded by occupation

Those Bachelor hunks can’t resist a nurse! Nurses on the show are awarded an average of 4.5 roses, followed at a wide margin by professional sports dancers and teachers, which battle it out for second and third place at 3.58 and 3.53 roses each, respectively.

 

Average number of roses awarded by age

With age comes wisdom…and roses! Contestants who are 36 years old had the highest average rose count at six, while 32-year-olds got an average of 4.18 roses each. At 26, contestants were awarded an average of four roses.

 

Average number of roses awarded by state

Where does your home state land in the Bachelor rankings?

 

Average number of roses received by popular Bachelor contestant names

Sorry Lauren, looks like there might be too many of you to keep straight! The popular name only brings in three roses on average per season, while Jennifers bring in almost five in comparison. Amandas and Sarahs also know how to stay in the game, with 4.25 and 4.27 roses, respectively.

The Bachelor airs next on Sunday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. ET then again at the same time the following Monday for the finale.

Photo credit: Homes.com, ABC