The sixteenth season of ABC reality television series The Bachelor premiered on January 2, 2012. This show features a previous contestant from The Bachelorette, a winemaker and owner of Envolve wines, from Sonoma, California, 29-year-old Ben Flajnik, who finished runner-up in the seventh season of the show featuring Ashley Hebert. This season returns with 25 women featured in the competition, excluding a senior citizen.

The seventh season of The Bachelorette, an ABC reality television series, premiered on May 23, 2011. This season featured 27-year-old Ashley Hebert, a dentist and a dance instructor from Madawaska, Maine. Hebert finished in third place on season 15 of The Bachelor featuring Brad Womack.