Have you ever wondered what happens to the engagement rings from The Bachelor and The Bachelorette if the couple breaks up? Well we got the answer!
Since the first season of The Bachelor back in 2002, it has been a tradition the contestants receive their engagement rings for free, as long as they are designed by famed celebrity jeweler Neil Lane.
Well, several stars of the franchise have revealed what happens to the engagement ring if the couple breaks up.
Keep reading to find out more…While announcing her divorce from The Golden Bachelor‘s Gerry Turner in April 2024, Theresa Nist told GMA‘s Juju Chang that she had to return her engagement ring.
“I think that’s the rule,” Theresa said. “I think I have to give this ring back, sad to say.”
While ABC hasn’t specifically revealed the rules about the rings given out on the Bachelor Nation shows, former host Chris Harrison told Entertainment Weekly in 2016 that the couples must stay together for at least two years after their finale airs in order to keep the engagement rings. If they split up before the two years, they must return the ring to Neil Lane.
In 2014, Jesse Csincsak, who got engaged to season The Bachelorette lead DeAnna Pappas, confirmed Chris‘ comments telling Bustle, “In the contract, it says if you are not together for two years after the final day of the show airing, you have to give the ring back.”
DeAnna later confirmed to Entertainment Weekly, “I had to give it back. It wasn’t painful for me because it had no meaning anymore.”
However, it’s unclear what Neil Lane does with the rings once they are returned.
“I just say it goes to ring heaven,” Neil teased to Stylecaster in 2016.
Only 10 out of 49 previous couples from The Bachelor and The Bachelorette are still together today.