The couple had previously been known for maintaining their privacy, despite their very public beginnings, and the statement shared on Abasolo’s social media called for fans and the press to remain respectful.
“I wanted you to hear it from the source before the blogs start making up their own reality,” Abasolo wrote in an Instagram post. “Please respect the spaces of our family and friends as we figure out the next steps.”
For any hard-hearted cynics reading this, this development is hardly news. What did these people expect, some may ask, looking for love on a reality show?
It’s not an unfair question. Bachelor Nation has a dubious reputation when it comes to the longevity of their stars’ happily ever afters.
On The Bachelor, The Bachelorette and the newly launched Golden Bachelor, it’s standard (and encouraged) for every season to end with the show's central suitor proposing to their chosen “winner.” Given that these are two people who have known each other for only a short time under very unusual circumstances, these engagements are hardly a show of lasting compatibility. As you might expect, they mainly serve as a grand finale to an otherwise goofy and low-stakes show.
All that being said, a divorce between two Bachelor alums doesn’t seem surprising. The funny thing is, however, that all of these reasons why this split shouldn’t be notable are the same reasons why it is. According to franchise stats, that they were married to begin with makes them a major statistical outlier.
After 48 total seasons of the reality competition franchise, nine couples are still together. That’s an 18.75% success rate, in case anyone wanting to go on the show for “the right reasons” was wondering. As for the people who weren’t lucky enough to make a real connection on a very fake show, the average length of a Bachelor-born relationship is just over a year.
Lindsay and Abasolo are only the second divorce in the franchise’s history. The other doomed relationships never even made it to the altar. That’s bleak considering that, as we said, almost every season ends with a proposal.
(These stats do not include the franchise spin-off and Love Island-like Bachelor in Paradise. But for what it’s worth, according to bachelordata on Instagram, that show has a much higher success rate for true love that lasts. We’re just as surprised as you are.)
Divorce sucks, but Lindsay and Abasolo can take some pride in what they have accomplished. On a reality show that is notorious for being fake, they walked away with something so grounded and real that legal intervention is required to end it. It may be a pyrrhic victory, but it’s more than most former contestants have. Apparently, you don't even get to keep the ring if you split before the two-year mark.
