An excerpt from Los Angeles Times writer Amy Kaufman's new book, Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America’s Favorite Guilty Pleasure, delves into the search and screening for potential contestants. Potential contestants who become finalists for a spot on the show have to undergo a medical examination to test for drugs and sexually transmitted diseases. If they have an STD, they are immediately eliminated. "As soon as the medical tests came back, you’d see that herpes was the biggest thing,” said Ben Hatta, former personal assistant to Bachelor creator Mike Fleiss “And sometimes you’d be the first person to tell a contestant that they had herpes. You’d be like, ‘Uh, you should call your doctor.’ Why? ‘We’re not going to be able to have you on our show, but you should call your doctor.’"
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TOPICS: The Bachelor, ABC, Arie Luyendyk Jr., Becca Kufrin, Jennifer Lawrence, Mike Fleiss, Reality TV