‘The Bachelor’ Star Arrested for DWI

Rycroft appeared on Season 13 of The Bachelor.

October 3, 2025, 12:18pm

(ABC)

The Bachelor alum Melissa Rycroft was arrested late last month on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, TMZ reported Thursday.

Rycroft, 42, was arrested in Southlake, Texas, on Sept. 23 and booked into the Tarrant County Jail on a DWI charge. About eight hours later, the former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader was released on $1,000 bond with a promise to appear in court.

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The details surrounding Rycroft’s arrest have yet to be released, but the reality personality’s attorney, Bret Martin, has asked people to “withhold any judgment whatsoever” until her case can have its day in court.

Melissa Rycroft arrives at the 10th Anniversary Of “Dancing With The Stars” Party at Greystone Manor on April 21, 2015 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)

“I want to remind the public of the fundamental principle of our justice system…every individual is presumed innocent until proven guilty,” Martin said in a statement to TMZ. “We, as a society, have gotten completely away from this fundamental concept. My Client was arrested on the allegation of Driving While Intoxicated. An arrest is no indication of guilt.”

“It is imperative that we closely examine the circumstances of this case – including the conduct of law enforcement, the toxicology results, and the facts surrounding her arrest – before any conclusions are drawn,” Martin continued. “We respectfully request that the media and the public allow the legal process to unfold, and withhold any judgment whatsoever until all of the evidence has been properly analyzed and presented in a court of law.”

Tye Strickland and Melissa Rycroft pose for a photo at the Unlikely Heroes 6th Annual Recognizing Heroes Charity Benefit at The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas on October 27, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images for Unlikely Heroes )

Rycroft appeared on Season 13 of The Bachelor in 2009, during which she accepted a proposal from Jason Mesnick, 49, only for him to call off their engagement to pursue his now-wife, runner-up Molly Mesnick.

Rycroft would go on to appear on Dancing With the Stars the same year as her broken engagement, coming in third place alongside pro partner Tony Dovolani. The duo returned to the All-Stars season in 2012, winning the Mirrorball Trophy their second time around. Rycroft also hosted The Bachelor‘s short-lived spinoff Bachelor Pad.

After tying the knot with husband Tye Strickland, with whom she shares three children, Rycroft also starred on her family’s reality series, Melissa & Tye, for one season in 2012.