The 9 biggest 'Bachelor' and 'Bachelorette' controversies of the year

Before there was the pandemic, or Clare and Dale, or "Listen to Your Heart," there was Peter Weber.

No doubt one of the most controversial "Bachelor" leads to grace the show in its 18-year history, Weber took a page from previous stars Jason Mesnick's and Arie Luyendyk Jr.'s books and ended things with his fiancée for his runner-up before the season had even finished airing.

Weber proposed to Sluss in the Australian outback after Prewett left the show — only to confess a month later that he still had feelings for Prewett after all.

"If you wanna be with a woman, you need to become a real man," Sluss told Weber during the live "After the Final Rose" special.

Barbara Weber, who was a fan-favorite in her own right since she first appeared during Hannah Brown's season of "The Bachelorette," wasn't afraid to show her emotions during Weber's "After the Final Rose" special.

As Sluss and Weber's break-up was played on-screen, the camera repeatedly cut to Barbara clapping in support of Sluss. And when Prewett reunited with Weber, Barbara was visibly displeased, rolling her eyes as she spoke.

When "Bachelor" host Chris Harrison asked Weber's father to share his thoughts on the situation, Barbara was caught on camera whispering something in his ear.

"Di algo mal también, ayúdame," Barbara, who is Cuban, seemed to say under her breath. The message translates to "Say something bad also, help me" in English.

The message didn't go unnoticed by many "Bachelor" fans.

Flanagan came in fifth place during Weber's season, but the pair got back together just a month after his season's finale.

Two weeks after Weber and Prewett called it quits, he was seen visiting Flanagan in Chicago. The pair finally confirmed their relationship in May with a TikTok video as they sang along to Akon's song "Don't Matter."

"Nobody wants to see us together, but it don't matter, no, cause I got you," Weber and Flanagan sang, seemingly aware that the video would cause a stir.

On his season, which aired in 2019, Underwood famously dumped his final two women and jumped a fence to go after Randolph, who quit the show because she wasn't ready to get engaged. Randolph agreed to reunite with Underwood and the two ended the season as a couple, but their romance didn't last.

The two announced their split in May via Instagram, only two months after Underwood lived with Randolph and her family in Huntington Beach, California, while recovering from COVID-19.

At first, the split seemed amicable, but soon after they publicly sparred over Randolph's comments about the end of their relationship during an interview on "The Bachelor — The Greatest Seasons Ever" and Randolph's claims that Underwood was trying to monetize their breakup by adding a chapter about their split to his already published book.

Then, in September, Randolph was granted a temporary restraining order against Underwood. According to court documents viewed by Us Weekly, the former "Bachelor" star was ordered to stay at least 100 yards away from Randolph, who alleged in her request for the restraining order that Underwood had been "stalking and harassing" her and "sent her unsettling text messages, repeatedly called her, and placed a tracking device on her vehicle."

Days before their November 6 court date regarding the restraining order, Underwood announced that Randolph had filed to dismiss the order against him.

"The two of us were able to reach a private agreement to address any of Cassie's concerns. I do not believe Cassie did anything wrong in filing for the restraining orders and also believe she acted in good faith. I appreciate everyone's respect for privacy regarding this matter," Underwood said in a statement to Us Weekly.

Just under two months after the restraining order was dropped, Underwood (who removed all of his posts from his feed and remained conspicuously absent from the social media platform) returned to Instagram.

As previously reported by Insider's Libby Torres, Brown was singing along to rapper DaBaby's song "Rockstar" when she sang a lyric containing the N-word.

The reality star and "Dancing with the Stars" winner faced immediate backlash from fans and didn't handle her initial response particularly well. First, she denied saying it, and then she tried to say it was actually her brother Patrick who said it.

Other Bachelor Nation stars, including Brown's runner-up Tyler Cameron, former "Bachelorette" lead Rachel Lindsay, and Brown's former suitor Mike Johnson called her out on using the racial slur, leading Brown to finally issue a written apology via Instagram.

"I owe you all a major apology. There is no excuse and I will not justify what I said," Brown wrote. "I am terribly sorry and know that whether in public or private, this language is unacceptable. I promise to do better."

More than 160,000 people, including many of the show's biggest stars, signed a Change.org petition demanding that a Black lead be cast in the next season of "The Bachelor." (While the series has had two Black "Bachelorette" leads to date — first Rachel Lindsay, who has been notably outspoken about the series' diversity issues, and more recently, Tayshia Adams — "The Bachelor" hadn't had a non-white lead before 2020.)

Shortly after, executive producers announced that Matt James — a close friend of fan-favorite "Bachelorette" alum Tyler Cameron who was initially cast in Clare Crawley's upcoming season of "The Bachelorette" — would be the next star of "The Bachelor," becoming the first Black lead in the show's history.

The ABC reality series also announced there would be "significant changes" coming to the franchise.

Harrison, who is also an executive producer for both shows, told Insider that he believed it was important to "take the first step" and admitted the franchise has had an ongoing diversity issue.

"Then you can take the second step," he added, "which is, OK, what do we do about this? What action can we take?"

Harrison also agreed that the show still has far more work to do.

"At the end of the day, 'The Bachelor' and 'Bachelorette' have always been above love and relationships," he said. "And the whole point is you want to see yourself represented. You want to see your love represented on screen and to not do that is a failure."

In the second episode of the season, Crawley revealed during a group date that her suitors would have to remove a piece of clothing every time they lost a round of dodgeball. At the end, the losing team appeared to walk back to their rooms completely naked.

Harrison told Insider he knew the date "would raise debate."

"I knew it would raise talk. I don't mind that," he added. "I like that we kind of stir things up from time to time, whatever the topic is. And this is one of those where I didn't mind all the talk."

Still, many criticized the date for showing a double standard in how the franchise treats its contestants on "The Bachelorette" versus "The Bachelor."

"If this was a 'Bachelor' season, no way this happens, no way they get away with it, no way it's appropriate," former "Bachelor" star Ben Higgins said on his "Almost Famous" podcast. "I think the show is super smart. They knew this wouldn't shut down the show, but it's pushing the envelope a little bit here."

But Harrison was unfazed by the backlash.

"Some people, on both sides, are so adamant that they are right, and the truth is usually somewhere in the middle," he told Insider. "But no, I don't mind it at all."

After Moss walked out of the limo and introduced himself to Crawley, she excitedly whispered, "I definitely feel like I just met my husband." It turned out she wasn't exaggerating.

Crawley did little to hide her immediate feelings for Moss during her short stint on "The Bachelorette" as she canceled group dates, spent extra time with the former football player, and repeatedly spoke about him with the other men.

When it became clear that Crawley had eyes for no one else, Harrison told the "Bachelorette" star that the season couldn't continue on this way.

"The path we're on now, it doesn't end well for anybody," he told her. "You've just blown up 'The Bachelorette.'"

Crawley dumped all the other remaining men, and she and Moss left the show engaged.

The pair have consistently denied that they had any direct contact before Crawley's season began, though Crawley has admitted she developed feelings for Moss just from following him on social media before her season began filming.

And for what it's worth, at least one "Bachelor" winner, Catherine Lowe, told Insider she believes them.

"Clare knows what she wants, she's not trying to waste no time," Lowe said. "She's not trying to play games. Clare did what she wanted and more power to her."

• Read more:
• Tayshia Adams thinks quarantine helped her 'Bachelorette' men become more vulnerable with her this season
• Chris Harrison wants to see a 'Bachelorette' star get down on one knee and propose
• Former 'Bachelor' winner Catherine Lowe says she believes Clare Crawley and Dale Moss didn't communicate before 'The Bachelorette'
• Chris Harrison knew Clare Crawley's strip dodgeball date would 'stir up debate,' but believes Yosef Aborady 'owes her an apology'