Why Sean And Catherine Lowe Are Still The Greatest Couple From The Bachelor

Sean Lowe and Catherine Guidici recently celebrated their 10 year anniversary of marriage. The two celebrated with a big surprise arranged by Catherine: She rented out a movie theater for just the two of them to watch Oppenheimer, which Sean really wanted to see.

It’s hard to believe so much time has passed since fans were swooning over their love story while it aired every week on ABC. They are one of the few successful couples to come out of the show, and after all these years, they remain the greatest couple from The Bachelor franchise. 

Looking Back on Their Story

After getting his heart broken on Emily Maynard’s season of The Bachelorette, the Texas native quickly became the fan favorite to be the next Bachelor. And it’s a good thing that the producers agreed because Sean and Catherine’s love story is the best the show has ever seen. 

Sean was branded “The Virgin Bachelor” after he revealed that, due to his Christian values, he was saving himself for marriage. After his experience on The Bachelorette, Sean felt that his chances had been impacted by his traditional values, but he wants others to know that his experience with Catherine on his own season is a testament to the truth that, in the end, “nice guys finish first.” 

And for Catherine’s part, she was sure she was just there as the Filipino meant to check a diversity box, assuming that she wasn’t what Sean was looking for. He would pick a pretty blonde after all, right? But she opened up anyway and shared, “I ended up with so much more. I allowed this experience to open me up to the possibility of being fully loved and appreciated for all that I was. I ended up getting to represent a mixed race community, I found Christ (I LOVE my testimony!), and marrying the most amazing man I’ve ever known. I’d say doing this show was one of the best things that ever happened to me.” 

Sean and Catherine had an obvious connection from the start. The two shared the same sense of humor, but just as much as they were able to be playful together, they had a deeper connection. And at the end of the show when Sean proposed, it was genuinely something straight out of a movie. 

They now share three children together: Samuel, Isaiah, and Mia Mejia. 

The Best Leads Since Sean

Arie Luyendyk Jr. 

Calling Arie one of the best leads since Sean might be a bit controversial seeing as he quickly became one of America’s most hated Bachelors after he dumped his initial pick Becca Kufrin to return to his runner up Lauren Burnham. In fact, Sean Lowe at the time weighed in on the situation on Twitter saying, “Not only is this unfair to Becca, it makes Arie look bad. But hey, it’s never been done before!” But seeing as the two are now happily married with three children, with time his decision has proved not to be such a blunder after all. 

Despite initially picking Becca Kufrin, the seriousness with which Arie has taken his relationship with Lauren Burnham mirrors Sean’s family values. Both of these men went on the show to find their wife and actually made it down the aisle. 

Ben Higgins

Ben Higgins’ relationship with his winner Lauren Bushnell might not have worked out, but his charisma and his ability to handle delicate situations still make him one of the best bachelors since Sean’s season. He and Sean both had a knack, unlike many Bachelors since then, to cut through the drama and focus on the relationships that were most important to both of them.

However unlike Sean, Ben famously said “I love you” to both of his final two, before ultimately picking Lauren. The two tried to make things work, but it ultimately wasn’t a good fit. Lauren married country singer Chris Lane, and Ben found love with Jessica Clarke. 

Joey Graziadei 

Time will tell whether Joey and his fiance Kelsey Anderson will stand the test of time, but if nothing else, Joey will have been one of the greatest leads since Sean Lowe was on our screens 11 years ago. His compassion and ability to listen impressed fans all season long, and when even the women you didn’t choose only have great things to say about you, that speaks volumes about your character. 

And one thing he and Sean definitely have in common is the respect with which they treated all of the women. Even in situations where the women became riled up, both Joey and Sean were able to maintain their composure while emotions ran high and calmly expressed the way they felt. 

The Worst Leads Since Sean

Juan Pablo Galavis

Most bachelors end their seasons with a fair share of criticism, but rarely does it reach the heights, or lows rather, that Juan Pablo’s season was reduced to. He was known for being cruel to the contestants on his show; former Bachelorette Clare Crawley famously told him off for the way he treated her. 

Juan Pablo’s demeanor on the show was a dramatic departure from the kindness and respect with which Sean spoke to each of the contestants on his season. Where Sean handled break ups with statements like “I think the world of you,” Juan Pablo brushed feelings off at every turn with his trademark phrase “It’s okay.” 

Nick Viall

Nick Viall appeared on The Bachelorette not once but twice, then tried his luck on Bachelor in Paradise before he was finally given his chance as the Bachelor. Each one of those relationships ended unsuccessfully. It’s safe to say Bachelor fans got tired of seeing his face on the screen. That said, he seems to finally have found his match away from the television screens in surgical technologist Natalie Joy. 

Unlike Sean who has always been careful with his words, Nick has thrown a lot of barbs throughout his time in the Bachelor franchise, the worst of which was arguably to Andi Dorfman on the After the Final Rose special where he chose to spotlight her on live television by saying, “If you weren’t in love with me, I’m not sure why you made love with me.” 

Colton Underwood

Similar to Sean, Colton was branded as a virgin Bachelor, but that is where the similarities between the two end. Instead of finding his true love, Colton famously jumped a fence upon hearing that his frontrunner was thinking of dropping out of the show. And following the season’s release Cassie Randolph was forced to file a restraining order against Colton for stalking. Most surprising was when he came out as gay on Good Morning America, making him a bad fit for The Bachelor from the start.

While Sean’s season was relatively drama free, Colton’s inability to act maturely lead to drama that persisted during and even after his season came to a close. 

Peter Weber

Peter Weber’s ex-girlfriend came on the show to warn all of the contestants about his reputation. And she clearly had a good reason because the tangled end of Peter’s season showed he was not really looking for a serious relationship. His getting engaged before dating his runner up is not unheard of, but he also was intimate with one of his contestants during the airing of the show and later moved on to a different contestant, with none of the relationships ultimately working out. 

Peter’s actions represented the opposite of the traditional family values that Sean brought to the series. Peter didn’t truly value the relationships he was making with the women and caused more hurt than he needed to. 

How The Bachelor and Dating Shows Have Changed

Since Sean was the Bachelor more than 10 years ago, reality TV dating has changed a lot... to put it mildly. And not necessarily for the better. What started with The Dating Game and shows that had a similar game show style has moved into an intrusive look into the dating life of the show’s featured contestants. 

But arguably the biggest change and problem with reality dating shows since Sean Lowe and Catherine Guidici found love on The Bachelor is the lack of authenticity. The Bachelor was once a show where contestants returned to their previous anonymity and typical day jobs when it was over. Instead, today, pretty much every contestant dips into the influencer world to one degree or another.

With so much to be gained, namely followers, from participating in reality television dating shows like The Bachelor or Love Island, contestants largely aren’t there “for the right reasons” anymore, which might be a significant factor in why so many of the relationships are so short-lived. 

Why Sean and Catherine Are Still the Greatest Couple

Sean and Catherine were married on live television in a ceremony officiated by Sean’s father, a pastor, a whole decade ago. They recently took an anniversary trip, which has made Bachelor Nation reflect upon how they are still the greatest couple to have come from the show. 

Their relationship was successful because they were both genuinely looking for a lifelong relationship. Sean Lowe was looking for his wife, not a way into a career as an Instagram influencer, and the ladies who came on the show vying for his love could say the same. 

And Sean and Catherine were both always honest and open with each other. Catherine openly expressed how she felt about him and her hopes for the future, and Sean always met her openness not just with reassurance but with an expression of his own vision for their future. 

The two of them really made great friends as well. You can still see that neither of them takes themselves too seriously. They are constantly joking around with one another, which is an important part of any happy marriage. 

But jokes aside, what made their relationship so successful is that they were both completely committed to making it work. Sean said that for him he just wasn’t the kind of person to propose without seeing it as a real commitment to marry. And Catherine was equally excited about spending the rest of her life with him. The commitment each of them had to staying together is unparalleled in the Bachelor franchise. 

In order to find another couple like the two of them, The Bachelor would have to try to cast people who seem to be authentically searching for a spouse, and not just Instagram fame. Until then, we’ll be rewatching that breathtaking proposal from Sean’s season over and over again. 

Closing Thoughts

The prospects of finding your spouse on The Bachelor are slim. But Sean and Catherine Lowe made it work, and 10 years later, they are still going strong and remain the best couple to ever grace ABC’s primetime slot. 

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