The Complicated, Interconnected History of The Bachelor Franchise

It all started, lo those many years ago (2002 to be exact), with this unsuspecting fella. He entered the very first cocktail party to face 24 women and the rest is history. Alex had the dubious distinction of being the first Bachelor, and he set the standard for 20 seasons of romantic melodrama and competition.

We first met Bob on Trista's season, but he was third runner-up that go around. He was a fan favorite because of his class-clown nature and he wound up being the season four Bachelor.

He was charming and affable, and when it came down to the final two, he picked Estella Gardinier. The two broke up shortly thereafter, and he went on to marry and divorce soap-star Rebecca Budig.

While Bob was busy proposing to Estella, Meredith, his third runner up, went on to be the second Bachelorette. She picked Ian McKee, but the two broke up less than a year later.

Before Bob and Meredith, there were Jen and Andrew. Jen appeared as a contestant on the third season of The Bachelor, on which tire-magnate Andrew Firestone was the suitor.

Andrew proposed to Jen, but it didn't get far, and the two broke up pretty publicly. Jen went on to star as the season three Bachelorette, and she didn't accept the proposals of either of the final two men — a shocking turn of events for the time.

Season 11 was the first of Brad Womack's two turns as the Bachelor, but his first ended in disappointment all around. He didn't pick either girl and sent everybody home crying.

The aforementioned sweet single dad Jason Mesnick parlayed his rejection into a shot at love in the thirteenth season of The Bachelor. Jason famously pulled an ol' switch-a-roo when he rejected Melissa Rycroft after proposing and then begged for a second chance from runner-up Molly Malaney.

Jillian escaped Jason's indecision from the previous season, going on to be the Bachelorette in season five. Jillian was the first Canadian woman to star on the show.

Jillian's season made the way for Jake to be the season 14 star. He became engaged to Vienna Girardi in the March finale, and the two announced their breakup in June of the same year. Jake went on to cultivate himself quite a career in the reality show genre. He made appearances on Dancing With the Stars, Bachelor Pad, Famous Food, and The CW's short-lived, H8R before returning briefly to this season of The Bachelorette.

Ali appeared on Jake's season, but in a franchise first chose her career over the show and returned to her job at Facebook. Ali was a fan favorite, and as a result became the sixth Bachelorette. Ali got a fiancé, Roberto Martinez, out of the deal, but she also got quite a career, as well. After the show, she moved back to San Diego to be a morning correspondent on a Fox affiliate, then went on to host the show 1st Look, and then served as a special correspondent on the E! Network.

Because once is never enough, Brad returned for his second turn on The Bachelor in season 15. The second time was a bit more fruitful, and he actually did propose to Emily Maynard, sending runner up Ashley Hebert packing. Thus not one but two Bachelorettes came out of Brad's season.

Ashley was cast off by Brad, but found her stride as the seventh Bachelorette. Ashley accepted JP Rosenbaum's proposal, and the couple are still married with one child and another on the way.

Ben may have been Ashley's second, but he was number one in fans' hearts. He went home heartbroken from Ashley's season, but he didn't stay that way for long. He became the Bachelor for season 16, in which he chose the controversial Courtney Robertson. The two broke up soon after.

Even though Brad proposed to Emily, it was a brief affair, and she went on to be the Bachelorette for season eight. Emily was beloved by audiences and she could do no wrong, even when she picked the questionable Jef Holm. That relationship didn't make it very far, and Emily went on to marry a man she met at church. She remains very popular among Bachelor fans, and has her own lifestyle brand — books, apps, and a website to prove it.

Even though Sean didn't get to propose to Emily, he's usually counted as one of the franchise's success stories. He proposed to Catherine Giudici and they were married in 2014. The couple will also welcome their first child later this year.

Desiree may have come in fourth in Sean's season, but she was beloved enough to be chosen for season nine of The Bachelorette. She chose Chris Siegfried and the two were married in 2015, and are now expecting a child.

Juan Pablo was one of the more polarizing bachelors, and not just from Desiree's season, either. He was outspoken and controversial, and fans either loved him or hated him. He finally picked Nikki Ferrell, but the couple's relationship was troubled until the bitter end. Juan Pablo and Nikki appeared on VH1's Couples Therapy, in which their main issue was JP's refusal to tell Nikki he loved her.

Kaitlyn came in second in Chris's season, but audiences loved her for humor and firecracker personality. Kaitlyn took a lot of criticism during her stint as the 11th Bachelorette, mostly because she was so physically and emotionally open with her suitors. Kaitlyn chose Shawn Booth in the end, but audiences had already figured it out, thanks to a Snapchat slip-up.

Ben Higgins is the lovable puppy of the Bachelor universe. I'm pretty sure Kaitlyn got hate mail when she rejected him. American women have never swooned so hard over a man confessing he felt "unlovable." In the end, he picked Lauren Bushnell, freeing up JoJo for her own stint on the show.

Our current Bachelorette didn't stay love-starved for too long. Even though Ben gave her the mother of all mixed signals, she's back in action the 12th season. Here's hoping JoJo learned from Ben's mistake, and will keep the "I love yous" to the bare minimum.