Bachelor Nation questions its allegiance to franchise after news of ‘Bachelorette’ winner’s arrest history

Bachelor Nation members say they won’t accept this rose.

Fans of ABC’s Bachelor franchise are losing faith in the show following news that The Bachelorette’s recent winner, Devin Strader, was previously arrested and had a restraining order from his ex-girlfriend.

Strader’s criminal history — as first reported by Reality Steve (run by TV enthusiast and gossip reporter Steve Carbone) — is the latest chapter in a string of apparent red flags against the Bachelorette winner. It’s causing the show’s devoted fandom to question the vetting process for contestants and their loyalty to the franchise.

Here’s what you need to know.

Devin Strader, 28, was a contestant on the most recent season of ABC’s The Bachelorette, starring Jenn Tran — the series’ first Asian American lead.

Strader is Mexican American and lives in Houston. He owns a freight truck company, according to his LinkedIn profile and on-camera interviews, and graduated from Louisiana State University in 2019. He became known on the show for his large personality, with some likening him to comedian Pete Davidson.

During the season finale, Tran revealed that Strader broke off the couple’s engagement and relationship in a 15-minute phone call shortly after filming. Tran said that Strader — who came on strong during the show’s progression — denied being in love with her and would disappear for days at a time.

As Tran revealed these details during the Sept. 3 finale, fans voiced their disappointment in Strader’s Instagram comments section. Rumors about Strader sliding into other women’s Instagram direct messages and being spotted at the club with other women also started swirling.

Last week, Strader took to Instagram with a 13-minute video in an effort to “clear his name.” The video included screenshots of dozens of text messages between Tran and Strader, including some that had sensitive and sexually explicit material. Fans voiced their rage and Strader deleted and reposted an edited version of the video, which still contained private and explicit messages. He later deleted the video entirely, apologizing for posting “sensitive information.”

On Monday, Reality Steve revealed that Strader was arrested in April 2017 after allegedly burglarizing his ex-girlfriend’s house after his ex had filed a restraining order against him. Legal documents obtained by Entertainment Weekly and the Hollywood Reporter corroborated Carbone’s reporting.

According to the Baton Rouge Police Department arrest warrant affidavit, Strader’s ex (who isn’t named in the report) said they had recently broken up but were neighbors.

She told officers she returned from out of town to find her home burglarized, with a diamond necklace Strader gave her when they were dating gone. Strader’s ex also said in the report that Strader would bang on her door, scream at her, and set the “actual restraining order” on fire outside her place.

Strader pleaded guilty to criminal trespassing and damage to property. He received a year of unsupervised probation.

The restraining order referenced in the burglary report was filed in March 2017. In it, the woman alleged that Strader verbally and physically abused her, including an instance at a New Orleans Pelicans game where he allegedly spit on her, threw his drink on her in front of the crowd, and put her “in a chokehold” covering her mouth. The woman said she awoke to bruises and Strader claimed he nearly “killed” her but didn’t “want to talk about it.” She also said Strader “mentally abused her.”

Strader said in a statement that the restraining order was “never granted” and “fully dismissed.” He also denied ever laying hands on his ex.

But Entertainment Weekly said Strader did in fact have two restraining orders (temporary, then permanent) filed against him by his ex according to public records. The Inquirer has also requested documents from both the East Baton Rouge Court and Baton Rouge Police Department.

Strader’s ex would go onto dismiss the protective order without prejudice. She and Strader agreed to a stay away order, East Baton Rouge Parish court minutes said according to Entertainment Weekly.

In May 2017, Strader was arrested for driving while intoxicated. Those charges were eventually dropped with the terms of him remaining convictionless and drug-free. In the DWI police report, his ex-girlfriend told authorities that Strader was ignoring the terms of the restraining order and still contacting her.

Yep. ABC and Warner Bros. Studios, the production companies behind the Bachelor franchise, run background checks on the show’s participants.

There’s also a clause in the show’s application that says applicants cannot have a restraining order against them or have been convicted of a felony.

The restraining order filed against Strader was sealed, but the burglary arrest affidavit, which references the order, is public record. It’s unclear if producers were aware of Strader’s arrest or asked about it. A report from Deadline citing unnamed sources close to the production said producers knew about at least some of Strader’s background but invited him to participate anyway. Sources close to production denied knowledge of the protective order to Entertainment Weekly.

Carbone reported that when he paid $25 for an online background check on Strader around the time the show started filming earlier this year, no criminal history appeared. Last week, Carbone tracked down the affidavit, leading him to the rest of the paper trail.

It’s possible some of the documents didn’t populate in a basic background check because the events occurred seven years ago. The gaffe has led fans to wonder how thorough the background checks actually are.

It’s not the first time a contestant was later revealed to have a criminal history.

In 2018, it was disclosed that a season 14 Bachelorette contestant (Becca Kufrin’s season), Lincoln Adim, had been convicted of indecent assault and battery after groping a woman on a cruise. Producers denied knowledge of the charges and said he denied engaging in or being charged with sexual misconduct when asked.

ABC and producers have not commented on Strader’s criminal history as of publication time.

Fans were already upset with producers this season, claiming they put unnecessary stress on Tran by making her rewatch her proposal to Strader next to him after they’d already broken up.

In interviews since, Tran — who is now competing on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars — has defended the decision, saying she wanted to watch Strader watch the footage and didn’t expect to become as emotional as she did.

The scrutiny comes on the heels of criticism that the franchise hasn’t done enough to protect its leads of color. The next Bachelor, Grant Ellis, will be the show’s second Black lead.

Fans say the information about Strader’s criminal past is enough to make them lose trust in the show. Supporters of Tran say they want to see the show’s producers held accountable for potentially putting her at risk.

“I hope that the casting department is mortified seeing this story and the fact they possibly endangered one of their leads by not looking into [contestants’] backgrounds,” Suzana Somers, who runs the Bachelor Data Instagram account, said in a post.

Ben Higgins, a former Bachelor whose season aired in 2016 and who hosts a podcast about the franchise, expressed disappointment.

“Is this the new standard?” he asked. “What is not allowed on this show? If this is all allowed [from contestants], then what isn’t?”

Other former Bachelor and Bachelorette stars have also started to speak out.

“Mood: didn’t go on national TV with a whole restraining order,” wrote former contestant Aaron Bryant in an Instagram caption accompanying a video of him dancing.

The debut episode of Golden Bachelorette starring Joan Vassos premiered Wednesday night. But some fans say they wouldn’t watch, or trust the show’s vetting.

“Following my time on The Bachelorette, there have been many stories and misrepresentations put out in the media that I want to take a moment to address,” Strader said in a written statement provided by Red Banyan, the crisis communications firm. (Red Banyan also weighed in on the Will Smith Oscars slap fiasco and worked with a group of women who said they were rebuilding their reputations after being “Karen-shamed” and accused of racism in 2020.)

Strader’s statement was circulated Thursday before Entertainment Weekly’s follow-up report on the documents detailing Strader’s restraining orders, refuting his comments.

“Most recently, there have been challenges from a low point in my past that have been brought up and severely misconstrued. The accusations are simply not true as I have never inappropriately laid hands on another individual or treated my ex-girlfriend in any of the ways I have been depicted. That restraining order was never granted, and fully dismissed. My college ex-girlfriend and I ended up reconciling and eventually ended our relationship on good terms. This was the first time I ever fell in love and I learned a lot from our relationship. It was a growing experience for both of us.”

Strader added, “I know that I have made mistakes in my life and that I am not perfect, but I have continued to work every day to be someone that my family and friends would be proud of, and I am truly thankful to everyone who has been by my side.”