We all know about the lifelong friendships formed under the strange circumstance that is being cast on a show like The Bachelor [1], but what about the friendships that came before the show? While some contestants enter their season alongside someone they may already know (ahem Caelynn and Hannah B.), others are familiar with members of Bachelor Nation before they receive their first rose. There's no solid proof that knowing a member of Bachelor Nation gets you a leg up on being cast for the show, but we're pretty sure it doesn't hurt. We've rounded up contestants from The Bachelor who were friends with alumni before they stepped foot in front of the camera.
Hannah Ann Sluss and Hannah Godwin
Hannah Ann Sluss [2] was a frontrunner on Peter's season from the premiere, but she and Hannah Godwin [3] have more than just the First Impression Rose in common. According to both the Hannahs' Instagram pages [4], it seems the two have been friends for at least a year, and it looks like they model together. While introducing this seasons contestants, Chris Harrison revealed that Godwin actually referred Sluss to the producers [5]!
Sydney Hightower and Hannah Brown
Harrison also revealed that Sydney Hightower, one of the women from Peter's season, went to high school with his very well-known ex [6], former Bachelorette Hannah Brown. Awkward! Peter recently told Entertainment Tonight's Lauren Zima that he had no idea about the connection while filming the show [7].
Tia Booth and Raven Gates
Before appearing on season 22 to compete for Arie Luyendyk Jr.'s heart, fan favourite Tia Booth [8] was already friends with Raven Gates from season 21. As she headed into Arie's season, Raven gave Tia some advice on Instagram [9]: "I'm always in your corner." The two have been longtime BFFs [10] from nearby hometowns in Arkansas, and even after appearances on both The Bachelor [11] and Bachelor in Paradise, it seems Tia and Raven remain good friends [12]. Raven recently supported Tia [13] during her breakup, simply commenting on her Instagram: "Love you."
Hannah Godwin and Danielle Maltby
Social media influencer Hannah Godwin entered Colton's season with the First Impression Rose, almost one hundred thousand Instagram followers, and a friendship with a Bachelor Nation alum [14]. Though it's unclear how the girls first met, Danielle Maltby from Nick Viall's season shared her love [15] for the now well-known Alabama native prior on Instagram, writing, "America, get ready to fall in love with this amazing, kind, funny, sweet spirit."
Danielle Maltby and Wells Adams
Speaking of Maltby, she entered Bachelor Nation with a tight connection to everyone's favourite Bachelor in Paradise bartender, Wells Adams [16]. According to an interview with Glamour, Adams and Maltby were "friends for years" [17] before joining the franchise. The two have been friends long before either were on the show, and though they shared a promising kiss [18] during BIP season four, Adams has now joined the ranks as one of the many Bachelor Nation alums to date celebrities. [19] Adams is now engaged [20] to Modern Family's Sarah Hyland, and Maltby has told reporters, "I'm so happy for him." [21] Only time will tell if she gets an invite to the sure-to-be star-studded wedding!
Whitney Fransway and Jojo Fletcher
Before briefly stealing Connor's heart [22] on Bachelor in Paradise, Whitney Fransway from Nick Viall's season had quite a few Bachelor Nation connections. Fransway is reportedly old friends with Lucy Aragon [23] from season 18 of The Bachelor [24] and season one of Bachelor in Paradise. More notably, Fransway and season 12's Bachelorette Jojo Fletcher [25] knew each other through Fletcher's ex, Chad Rookstool. It's unclear if the two are still friends today.
Jami Letain and Kaitlyn Bristowe
Jami Letain first appeared on The Bachelor [26] competing for Ben Higgins's heart and went on to participate in season three of Bachelor in Paradise. But before she was going on exotic dates in Mexico, the Canada native was working back home with Ben's ex, Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe [27], at the Cactus Club Cafe!