What Really Happens In The Fantasy Suite On 'The Bachelor'

In Amy Kaufman's book Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America's Favorite Guilty Pleasure, former production members spill some of the show's secrets - including the fact that, even though the couple may be off-camera in the Fantasy Suite, they're not completely alone. Usually, a producer sleeps in the same building as the pair to keep "an ear" on things.

It's a little creepy, especially since the producer is "just a wall over, where they can literally hear what's going on."

The Bachelor filming schedule gets so brutal that sometimes contestants just want to use those precious camera-free hours to rest. Bachelorette Jen Schefft skipped out on sex on her third Fantasy Suite date; she needed to be up in four hours to film and preferred to get some sleep.

Rachel Lindsay felt the same way. During her Fantasy Suite date with Bachelor Nick Viall, she felt so emotionally exhausted she passed out immediately - no talking, no sex. She related, "I did nothing! I did nothing but sleep. I got my best sleep in the Fantasy Suite!”

Much of the Fantasy Suite magic happens in the editing room through a very special trick: the bending of the truth. Former producer Michael Carroll reveals, "There were a lot of girls that would go into the suite with him and then [back] out and be like, 'I’m going. Make sure you show me leaving.' And of course, we may or may not show her leaving."

Producers manipulate Fantasy Suite footage in other ways, too. By splicing in a shot of a light switch turning off or inserting the sound of a door closing, they communicate the idea of a private, wild night of lovemaking (even if the couple just brushes their teeth and goes to bed).

Fantasy Suite rooms are decorated and designed with sex in mind - and the producers aren't subtle about it. Besides the standard provisions (rose petals, a giant bed, lots of wine, and usually a bubble bath), rooms are also stocked with bowls of condoms.

Bachelorette Jen Schefft revealed this little detail, saying, “It was like, ‘Oh, OK, so we can be safe if we want to be. But honestly? We don’t need a bowlful.”

Anyone who's watched a Fantasy Suite episode of The Bachelor knows that even though the cameras aren't rolling, the microphones are listening. The show's editors never fail to include a soundtrack of sighs and moans to paint a vivid picture in the absence of video footage. 

One former contestant who chose to remain anonymous dished the dirt on the microphone situation:

First, there are no cameras filming the sex scenes in the room - but there's never a microphone-free moment. Producers want you to believe you're completely alone and they're giving you privacy, but there are microphones everywhere. They're secretly hoping you open up or say something juicy.

Every season, three Fantasy Suite dates are shown in a single two-hour episode of The Bachelor or The Bachelorette. But Andi Dorfman wants you to know the Bachelors and Bachelorettes don't go on back-to-back overnight dates - these one-on-one off-camera romps are filmed over a two-week time period.

She wrote in The Hollywood Reporter, "Sure, most of the time there’s intimacy involved... What people likely don't realize is that the Fantasy Suites are stretched out over a two-week timespan. It does come in one quick episode, but this isn't back-to-back like viewers see."