When contestants sign up to compete on The Bachelorette, they are usually looking for love and they're happily ever after. The stress of competing against 30 other strangers for a chance to date and eventually marry the same person can take a toll, as does leaving behind family and a job back home.
Even if a contestant is head-over-heels in love with the lead, that doesn't stop them from sometimes putting themselves first and taking themselves out of the running. Other times, contestants quit the show because they don't feel a connection with the lead or they awkwardly wished it was a different member of Bachelor Nation.
Bentley Williams (Ashley's Season)
Bentley Williams shocked viewers and bachelorette Ashley Herbert when he revealed in private that he wasn't attracted to her and that he was actually was hoping that the lead would be former Bachelor contestant Emily Maynard.
Bentley was regarded as a villain on his season and left the show after his private confession. However, he later returned to give Ashley some closure, which ended up just being a continuation of their breakup. Ashley was devastated, as she felt she had wasted her time, and Bentley's exit and true feelings about the bachelorette were unprecedented.
Lace Morris (Ben's Season)
Lace Morris broke up with Ben Higgins on his season of The Bachelor under unusual circumstances. Usually, a contestant will exit the show due to the lack of a spark with the lead or feeling emotionally exhausted by the weight of the process, but Lace left on her own accord, feeling like she couldn't give Ben what he needed because she wasn't ready to fall in love.
Thi,s of course, confused both Ben and the audience, who thought Lace would be more than ready if she was competing on a dating series, but she itted she needed time to work on herself before she could fully give herself to someone else.
Brendan Morais (Tayshia's Season)
Brendan Morais was a front-runner on Tayshia Adam's season of The Bachelorette. As the competition neared its end, it looked like he and Zac Clark were the top two contenders vying for her heart.
After expressing his concerns about getting married again, as he had already been divorced once, Tayshia and Brendan reached an understanding of what their relationship would look like in the future. But, when it came time to look at Neil Lane engagement rings, Brendan's anxiety got the better of him and he self-eliminated, breaking the hearts of viewers who were rooting for him and Tayshia to get engaged at the end of the road.
Kenny King (Rachel's Season)
Wrestler Kenny King eliminated himself on Rachel Lindsay's season of The Bachelorette for a very reasonable and sweet reason; he missed his young daughter, with whom he had a very close relationship.
In a mature conversation with the lead, Kenny explained that he was missing his daughter during his time away and was finding it difficult to give it his all. Rachel ed Kenny's concerns, and, together, they agreed it would be for the best if he returned home. It was a drama-free breakup, and Kenny's daughter even made an appearance at the Men Tell All.
Brooks Forester (Desiree's Season)
Brooks Forester quit The Bachelorette pretty late in the game. As the finale approached and engagement between him and bachelorette Desiree Hartsock became more of a possibility, Brooks removed himself from the competition, blindsiding Desiree and breaking her heart.
When Desiree asked for an explanation about why he was leaving her so close to the end, and he said he didn't feel like he was being honest by being in the relationship. The breakup was brutal, but all's well that ended well, as Desiree got happily engaged and is still married to contestant Chris Seigfried shortly after Brook's depature, one of the few Bachelor couples to stay together.
Madison Prewett (Peter's Season)
Madison Prewett and Peter Weber seemed to be well-matched from their very first date on the 25th season of The Bachelor. She was even invited to his parents' vow renewal ceremony for their one-on-one and was photographed in his family pictures.
As the season neared its end, Madi got more and more uncertain about the process of the show in alignment with her personal beliefs about love and marriage. She felt the two were much too different to make their relationship work long term and left the competition when it was down to just she and Hannah Ann Sluss, making Hannah Ann the default winner of Peter's heart and the final rose. Madi and Peter attempted to reconnect after the show, but that Bachelor relationship was short-lived.
Brady Toops (Kaitlyn's Season)
On an unusual season of The Bachelorette, contestants got to vote for who they wanted to compete for between former Bachelor contestants Kaitlyn Bristowe and Britt Nilsson.
Kaitlyn won the vote, and the men who voted for Britt were faced with the decision to either stay and attempt to fall for Kaitlyn or leave. Brady Toops famously left the show after it was revealed Kaitlyn was the lead, as he had developed a huge crush on Britt during her time on The Bachelor. Brady and Britt even dated for a little bit after the season, proving that he made the right decision by leaving.
Serena Pitt (Matt's Season)
Serena Pitt was a frontrunner on Matt James' season of The Bachelor, and she even made it all the way to hometowns before quitting the competition.
After a date inspired by her Canadian homeland, Serena took the time to reflect on her relationship with the bachelor and realized that they just didn't have the chemistry she desired. Instead of Matt sending Serena home, she broke up with him and sent herself home in a mature conversation. It was typically unheard of for a contestant to break up with the lead, but Serena did things her own way by following her heart and opening up the possibility of her being the next bachelorette.
Michael Allio (Katie's Season)
Michael Allio was a fan-favorite on Katie Thurston's season of The Bachelorette. He shared his story early on of being a single dad to his son James after his wife of 16 years ed away two years prior.
When it came time for the hometown dates, Michael received a FaceTime from his son where he said that he felt like his dad didn't want to see him. This broke fans' hearts along with Michael's, and he showed up at Katie's doorstep to bow out of the competition in the interest of being with his child. Katie understood, despite her strong belief that Michael could've been her future husband.
Andi Dorfman (Juan Pablo's Season)
Before Andi Dorfman was the lead of her own season of The Bachelorette, she competed for the heart of bachelor and former bachelorette villain Juan Pablo Galavis.
Despite making it to the final stages of the competition, Andi felt that she knew very little about the man to who she was going to potentially get engaged. Juan Pablo didn't share Andi's concerns, and she told him off in a brutal conversation before breaking up with him, leaving the show as a third-place finisher and the next bachelorette.