Millions of people tune in every Monday night to follow the journey of a bachelor or a bachelorette to find love. These adventures are filled with extreme highs and extreme lows. Watching on TV everyone gets to see the magic of finding someone to love and the pain people experience when they get sent home, but what people don’t see is how the show functions behind the scenes. As a dedicated fan, I have always wondered how the show has managed to have 20 seasons of the bachelor and 11 seasons of the bachelorette. The secrets of the show not only show the programs true colors, but also leave you questioning what’s true and what isn’t.

1.Dark Days

These days take place the day after rose ceremony filmings. The rose ceremonies usually last between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. the day before, so the next day is a “dark day." You cannot leave the mansion or the hotel you are staying at on these days, which makes you question what do they do? In an interview with Allure Magazine Catherine Giudici-Lowe (Winner of Bachelor Season 17) talked about what they would do on these days.

“One time, they allowed us to watch a movie. Another time, we went to a spa and could get two things done.”

2. Contestants have to the buy their own clothes.

Once they are chosen they are asked to bring every type of clothing for the cold or warm weather, active wear, special occasion and not to mention the fourteen suits or dresses for rose ceremonies. The contestants not only have to spend their own money buying clothes, but they also are leaving their jobs. The only people that do not have to buy their own clothing are the Bachelor or Bachelorette.

3. Testing

They don’t just let anyone on the show, the process is very serious. The contestants have to go through a series of tests: STD's and questions about their lives. Is the testing they go through to ensure they’re a perfect fit for the show, or to make sure they aren’t crazy? I’ll leave that answer up to you.

4. There is no eating the one-on-one food

When the couple goes for their one-on-one they are not allowed to eat the food. The producers do not want the microphones picking up them chewing or chomping. The pair gets food to their rooms before their dates to eat.

5.The Rings are not cheap

Bachelor and Bachelorette fans know the infamous Neil Lane diamonds that are chosen for each engagement, but the prices are astounding. The rings can be $75,000-$92,000. In order to keep these beautiful rings, the couple must stay together for two years after the engagement.

6. Gift bags

When contestants move into the mansion they receive a gift bag full of products. These bags are probably to make up for the fact that they don’t get paid to be on the show, and that they do not receive any treatment throughout the filming.

7. Not allowed to have anything

During filming, contestants can’t have anything from computers, cell phones, magazines, and music, not even books. The one thing people are sure of is the show is never short on providing alcohol.

8. Mansion Issue

There is no workout room in the mansion so the contestants often have to improvise. They use heavy random objects as weights or working out outside. Since they are not allowed to leave the grounds these issues often help encourage people to think outside the box.

9. The Proposal

The proposal locations are always very extravagant and beautiful, but what people don’t know is that those locations are man made. The locations are built throughout the process of filming. They are always custom and every bachelor or bachelorette gets a unique engagement scene.

10. The time is short

In the end, the Bachelor or Bachelorette does not spend that much time with the person they pick for the final rose. The pair probably spends about 72 hours together and for 12 of those hours they are in the fantasy suite.

As a fan of the show, these things were funny, scary, and interesting to find out. These should not keep anyone from watching the show, but it will definitely change people’s perspectives while watching it.

There are secrets to everything, remember that.