The Most Ridiculous Group Dates On 'The Bachelor' And 'Bachelorette'

During Ben Higgins’s season, one group date consisted of six contestants accompanying him to a “Love Lab” to test their chemistry. And how does a prospective couple test their chemistry? By sniffing each other’s armpits, naturally. Blindfolded, Ben sniffed each woman’s armpit and told the doctors what he thought of their scents. Because who wouldn’t want to let the guy they're pursuing sniff their armpit, on television no less? The girls who want the rose, that's who.

The Bachelor group dates apparently revolve around the question, "How can we get all these women in their bikinis but in a fresh, new, fun way?" On Ben Flajnik’s season, that question got answered in the most absurd way. From the top of hilly, snow-covered street in San Francisco, CA, the contestants skied down the slope – in their swimsuits! Unfortunately, not many of these women came to The Bachelor prepared to ski, resulting in them falling straight into the snow, all while wearing bikinis.

Most insane group date ideas in Bachelor Nation reveal little-to-nothing about compatibility, but this truth-telling session on The Bachelorette certainly did. During JoJo Fletcher’s season, the contestants got on stage and told their most intimate sex stories, revealing much about their sexual preferences and their sense of humor. The reason it crossed the line into absurd territory was because most of it was censored. These guys had to be telling some filthy stories, as some were just bleep after bleep after bleep. Hopefully JoJo learned something, because the audience sure didn't.

On Arie Luyendyk's season, a group date occurred at the famous Moulin Rogue cabaret. The contests dressed in traditional cabaret costumes and learned a routine to perform. Hearing the premise alone, it kind of sounds like an incredibly fun group date, if you’re into that kind of stuff. ''That kind of stuff' involved wearing a thong on television, meaning ABC editors had to work overtime to censor the extra skin on display. Every single contestant sported a little black box over her bottom. You’d think the producers wouldn’t put the show in a position to need so much censorship, but such is The Bachelor.

It was the group date that no one asked for and no one wanted. To win the affection of Rachel Lindsay, the shirtless male contestants wrestled in mud. Of course, this felt like ABC’s attempt be progressive; mud wrestling is generally a way to sexualize women, so they flipped the script. But perhaps the show could simply not make the women wear bikinis so often, because no one wanted to watch these men get down and dirty, literally.

Ah, family-friendly fun. In one of the most uncomfortable group dates in Bachelor history, Brad Womack and three contestants (Chantal, Michelle, and Ashley) posed for a Sports Illustrated photoshoot. At one point, Michelle – a former model – dragged Brad to the sand and posed with him in risqué positions, all while the other two contestants watched. A combo of sun, sand, red bikinis, and buckets of tears sounds like a disaster, but to the Bachelor franchise, it sounds like high ratings.