Throughout the show's numerous seasons, there have been plenty of heartbreaking moments, but these are, without a doubt, the 11 saddest breakups.
ABC
ABC
Clayton first traumatized his final two contestants, Gabby and Rachel, when he decided to tell them during a rose ceremony that he was in love with both of them and had slept with both of them during Fantasy Suites. While Gabby responded with righteous anger, Rachel was simply devastated — her sobs echoed throughout the building — but she still stayed.
Unfortunately, Clayton decided to end things with them two days later in a joint breakup, after deciding he still loved Susie (who had already left the show).
Again, Gabby was angry (and it was iconic), and Rachel was shattered. She told him that she had fought for him every day, that this decision would "haunt" him, and expressed disbelief that he was about to put her in a car to leave. She even told the cameras she couldn't believe he didn't shed a single tear, while she was crying buckets in front of him.
Thankfully, Gabby and Rachel were both able to tell Clayton off at "After the Final Rose," and then were subsequently named the next Bachelorettes. Not too bad of a consolation prize.
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During Desiree's season, it seemed like Brooks was her clear front-runner and he made it all the way to the end of the show. But, seemingly out of nowhere, Brooks pulled Desiree aside and told her that he wasn't in love with her during the finale in Antigua.
Desiree's response, understandably, was to sob. Watching the two of them cry together and process their breakup was one of the rawest moments in the show's history.
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Yes, it all worked out in the end, and Jason and Molly eventually reunited after the show aired — but we'd posit it should've been obvious they were soulmates when it looked like Jason was seriously considering jumping off the balcony to get her to come back.
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Much like Desiree and Brooks, Rachel and Peter seemed rock solid all season long — that is, until Peter made it clear he wasn't going to be able to propose at the end of the season.
Rachel was devastated, and viewers watched their agonizingly long breakup, as they each refused to compromise on their beliefs. While we watched a condensed version, it was obvious they spent hours trying to hash things out. Rachel cried her eyelashes off! Bachelor Nation will never forget.
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Kirk and Carly had been so stable the entire season, the rest of their castmates had been calling them the "married couple." But in the finale, Kirk sat Carly down and dumped her at the last second before Fantasy Suites. This came so far out of left field that Carly jokingly asked if he was breaking up with her ... and then he did.
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While this wouldn't be the first (or last) time a lead dumped their final rose recipient to return to their runner-up, it was the first time viewers got such an intimate look at the entire thing. Becca thought they were having a "happy couple weekend," which is what winning couples do in between the show finishing filming and airing on TV.
Instead, she was brutally dumped on camera by Arie, who refused to leave when she asked him repeatedly to leave her alone so she could process. This stuck with viewers so much that she became the next "Bachelorette" star, and received thousands of dollars on Venmo for wine money.
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For the entire season, it seemed like Blake and Becca were solid, especially to Blake. But towards the end, Blake began spiraling and doubting their relationship.
It turns out, his fears were well-founded. Becca picked Garrett, but before they could ride off into the sunset, she had to break Blake's heart in the very hot Maldives sun. He was sweating bullets, and to add insult to injury, Becca told Blake she had been pretty sure she was going to pick him, until she changed her mind.
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Nick joined Kaitlyn's season late, after it was revealed they had been texting prior to her becoming the Bachelorette. While he didn't make any friends during the season, his connection to Kaitlyn was always evident.
At the finale, Kaitlyn let Nick go through his entire speech, and even let him take out the ring, before she decided to step in. Nick's feeble "No?" after she told him to stop remains heartbreaking years later.
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Tyler C. is one of the most popular contestants in "Bachelor" history, so it was sad enough to see Hannah break up with him. But what made it doubly upsetting was that viewers knew something Hannah didn't — she had picked Jed, who had been lying to her all season about having a girlfriend back home.
There's no doubt that "Bachelorette" fans all over the country were screaming at their TV screens when Hannah dumped Tyler.
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Even though it was pretty obvious that JoJo was picking Jordan, it didn't make it any less sad when she blindsided Luke after hometowns and sent him packing. The breakup affected her so much she squatted in the middle of an airplane hangar in a skintight dress and started sobbing. It still tugs at our heartstrings years later.
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Ben committed the ultimate "Bachelor" sin when he told both Lauren B. and JoJo that he loved them. Understandably, both thought it meant he was picking them, but of course, that's not how the show works.
So, when Ben ended things with JoJo, she was completely devastated. Everyone across Bachelor Nation immediately rallied behind her, and the rest is history.
