Who Is Chris Bukowski on ‘Bachelor in Paradise’? A Refresher on the Formerly Retired Star
When the cast list was revealed for Season 6 of Bachelor in Paradise, you may have noticed a face that you haven’t seen on your television screen in a while.
Though Chris Bukowski hasn’t been a part of the franchise for quite some time, he’s actually been on more Bachelor shows than any other contestant — including Nick Viall!
And it seems as though he’s going to make a pretty big splash in Paradise this season, so let’s catch up on everything we need to know about Chris.
He’s appeared on six different Bachelor shows
We were first introduced to Chris during Emily Maynard’s season of The Bachelorette back in 2012, and he came in fourth place.
Then, Chris joined the cast of Bachelor Pad Season 3, and he managed to become a finalist on the show. (Note: Bachelor Pad was a dating show mixed with physical challenges and a huge $250,000 cash prize. The show only ran for three seasons before it was canceled.)
The cast of Bachelor Pad 3 (Craig Sjodin/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images)
After that, he briefly showed up on Andi Dorfman’s season of The Bachelorette during the premiere episode. He stood in the driveway with roses and asked if he could join her season, but she declined.
Chris then appeared on the first two seasons of Bachelor in Paradise, but voluntarily left both times. And now, the reality TV veteran will be gracing our television screens for a sixth time this summer.
He “retired” from television back in 2015
The reality star published an open letter which detailed the troubling reason why he decided to “retire” from television.
“I’ll be honest. I won’t hold anything back. I became obsessed with being on TV. That might not seem normal to some, but for me — in the moment — I always convinced myself I needed to go back.”
He explained that while his initial stint with the franchise was a positive experience, he was painted as the villain during Bachelor Pad, which is something he struggled with internally. He couldn’t stand the hate that he received from the public, so as an attempt to fix his reputation, he continued to appear on more and more shows.
“I won’t miss it. I can’t wait for my television career to be over. I miss being me. And after today, I get to be me again. The best part is, this is the last apology I’ll have to write. I’ll never have to be sorry for being myself. I’ve made great friends through this journey and for that I will be forever grateful to ‘The Bachelor’ franchise. I’ll never say I regret being a part of it because at the time I always had a reason for doing what I did. At this point, it’s all in the past. I want to be Chris again.”
He’s dated several women from the franchise
Aside from Emily Maynard, Chris also dated Jamie Otis and Blakely Jones from Season 16 of The Bachelor, Sarah Newlon from Season 11 of The Bachelor, and Elise Mosca from Season 18 of The Bachelor. All of the relationships appeared on camera.
He seems much happier after his break from television
Though Chris struggled with some demons in his past, he seems to be happier than ever today. The 32-year-old is the proud owner of Bracket Room, a sports lounge and eatery in Arlington, VA.
And when he’s not at Bracket Room, Chris enjoys spending quality time with his adorable Golden Doodle named Miley. Just look at how precious she is!
Bachelor in Paradise, Mondays and Tuesdays, 8/7c, ABC
