The very first star of The Bachelorette, Trista Sutter (Rehn at the time) — who host Chris Harrison called "the godmother of the franchise" — accepted a proposal from firefighter Ryan Sutter in the finale of the show, and the pair married in 2003 on TV. They're still married and have two children.
Sutter opened up about how she faced sexist criticism when she was given the reins for the Bachelor spinoff in 2003. She said:
"It was hard. I was called every name in the book. I think one newspaper or magazine said that I was setting the women's movement back decades. Even before I kissed anyone, and I didn’t kiss anyone, except, I think, two people — and you know one of them — I was called a slut."
The franchise's host, Chris Harrison, said back in those days The Bachelorette "was just a bunch of guys in a frat house" with the bachelors eating dog food and passing out in the front lawn. Trista elaborated:
"No one wanted to go on the dates with me because they were having so much fun with each other. I actually wanted to hang out at their house. That is a huge difference now, [where it is like] they're competing for the bachelor or bachelorette. I still look at it not as a competition. I think you show up, and if you're compatible with that person it works out, and if not, then you go home and you are grateful for the experience, hopefully. On my season, I felt like the guys had such a great time, and they just were thoroughly enjoying being away from their normal life. And now it's like the girls [are getting in] catfights and caught up in the drama. It has definitely changed."
