When it comes to reality TV, every show needs a good villain. It’s standard procedure, and one of the cheeky ways producers and casting agents get viewers to engage emotionally with the content. Either fans will really love a protagonist and stay glued to a series so they can watch their hero win or they’ll hate the antagonist so much that they’ll stick around just to watch them get their comeuppance.
In most cases, this juxtaposition of good and evil is enough to keep viewers hooked to the bait. But sometimes, it can get a bit sketchy when the characters overplay their villainous roles. Like salt and pepper, it takes a delicate balance to bill a character that ruffles feathers but has enough redeemable qualities that fans don’t tune out entirely. The Bachelorette’s producers understood this assignment in most seasons, but the fan jury gave a hard pass in Season 12. Cause of failure? A dude named Chad — Chad Johnson.
The Bachelorette has had its fair share of villains. Some contestants get the ‘bad guy’ badge as early as the opening introductions and some become notorious at the very end of their run, as was the case for Wes Hayden in season 5 – who after being eliminated, spent his limo ride bragging about how he secretly had a girlfriend back home. Yikes! As one would expect, the buildup to Chad Johnson had some pretty awful opening acts.
Taking a leaf out of Wes’s playbook, season 6 contestant Justin Rego, alias ‘Rated R’, had a girlfriend he was planning to marry after the filming of the show. When confronted by then Bachelorette Ali Fedotowsky, he straight up legged it.
Emily Maynard’s Season 8 saw Ryan Bowers and Kalon McMahon kicked off for unsavory verbiage. Ryan championed objectifying women by telling the Bachelorette that “every man should believe his wife is a trophy”, and Kalon referred to Emily’s 6-year-old daughter as “baggage.”
And like a videogame leading up to the final boss, the hits kept on coming. In season 7, Bentley Williams told cameras, “I’m going to make Ashley cry. I hope my hair looks okay,” before telling that season’s Bachelorette that he was leaving the show because he wasn’t attracted to her.
The best of the worst would come in season 12. Fans' first glimpse of ‘The Chad’ was during the introduction ceremony. As Jojo Fletcher stood in the driveway welcoming the other contestants, Chad Johnson was shown calmly sipping his wine under dramatic lighting, with contempt for his counterparts, scoffing at them for “trying too hard.”
Though this was a fair criticism, it became instantly apparent that he would be one of the polarizing figures of the season. Chad was not a people pleaser; he knew he’d be disliked and painted as the villain (and it's true, he didn't 'win' Jojo Fletcher). But boy, did he lean into it!
Why Did 'The Bachelorette' Contestants Hate Chad Johnson?
Other than Daniel Maguire – who was not much liked either – all the contestants seemed to dislike Chad Johnson. He would constantly berate them for pandering to the Bachelorette’s whims. When the emasculated Jojo devotees threatened to gang up on him, Chad was unfazed, likening the threat to “Care Bears saying they’re going to kick your a**.”
The man himself was no stranger to making threats – often taunts violent enough to earn him a '90s hip hop feature. Chad Johnson’s Bachelor rap sheet included threatening to “find” a fellow contestant at his house after the show was over, a shoving match with an erectile dysfunction specialist, and a most legendary “f*** you Chris Harrison!” after being kicked off in episode 1 of Bachelor in Paradise for his aggressive conduct.
Beneath his overly aggressive persona, Chad Johnson was just an all-round weird dude. He ate cold cuts and bit into raw potatoes on camera. His slew of one-liners included “Pigs are in the castle.” and “Life ain’t all blueberries and paper airplanes.”
Was Chad Johnson Looking For Love Or Was He Just After Fame?
Being a villain on The Bachelorette is a highly coveted job description. Every season has one and they always seem to get more screen time than anyone else. For someone looking for love, Chad Johnson sure didn’t mind the spotlight that followed his bad boy caricature. If anything, finding love seemed to be at the bottom on his priority list.
When the guys had to do a mock proposal to JoJo on a group date, Chad delivered a lazy proposal worthy of a D- and called Jojo “naggy” when she complained.
Notwithstanding, this ‘undying quest for love’ shtick landed him on three different reality shows themed around the matchmaking concept. Chad’s foray in The Bachelorette indirectly earned him appearances on Bachelor in Paradise, Famously Single, and MTV’s Ex on the Beach. Mystery solved?
Turns Out Chad Johnson Is A Villain In Real Life Too
If the book of Chad was a movie, it would be based on a true story. Chad Johnson‘s life after The Bachelorette has been anything but quiet. In early 2020, he was arrested for robbery with domestic violence – a case that resulted in six misdemeanor charges.
After being released on a $100,000 bond, Chad would soon after be admitted to the hospital after authorities deemed him “a danger to himself” during a welfare check in the aftermath of the domestic incident.
But the Bachelorette alum has since exorcised his demons. Chad Johnson is living his best life working on becoming an adult film star. With over 1500 subscribers on his Onlyfans, the ex-reality TV villain has managed to find a (controversial but) less polarizing way to stay on fans’ naughty list.
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