Who Is Mike Fleiss, Creator Of 'The Bachelor'?
The Bachelor is one of America’s most successful franchises. Since its debut in 2002, it's kept viewers on screen for two decades and counting. When it comes to reality television, its influence only comes closer to the Jenner-Kardashian effect. Following the end of the show’s 25th season, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that, 20 years later, the show still commands a viewership in the millions, averaging numbers in the neighborhood of six million and a 1.49 rating.
While The Bachelor is a fan favorite that keeps growing its reach generation after generation, little is known of the man behind it all, Mike Fleiss. Arguably the best when it comes to reality television, Fleiss’ mastery of the business can only come second to creators of game shows such as Merv Griffin, who came up with Jeopardy aboard a plane from NYC.
10 A Californian Upbringing
Mike Fleiss was born in 1964 and raised where the magic happens: California. He grew up in Fullerton, in the Northern part of Orange County. For his college education, Fleiss attended the University of California, Berkeley, an institution he holds in high regard. In a 2016 tweet, Fleiss told a fan that he went to a ‘real college’ when asked where his political allegiance lay.
9 A Love Brewed In High School
Just as he is credited for creating a show where people’s hopes in love are evident, his too was a love story that started in high school. In 1988, Fleiss married his high school sweetheart, Alexandra Vorbeck. According to Page Six, Fleiss was a sportswriter at the time, while Vorbeck was a stay-at-home mom. The pair stayed together for 24 years, and in 2012, decided to call it a day.
8 He Married Former Miss America
Fleiss’ path crossed with Laura Kaeppeler in 2012 at the Miss America beauty pageant where the beauty queen was a winner. Coincidentally, that was the same year he and his high school sweetheart called it quits. Fleiss and Kaeppeler got married in 2014, and in 2015, their son was born. The marriage had a five-year run before trouble came knocking.
7 At A Wedding Officiated By Chris Harrison
Fleiss and Kaeppeler married on the 6th of April, 2014. Fleiss, who was 46 at the time, was excited, and couldn’t help but tweet. “ The Big Day has arrived!!! So blessed…” According to The Hollywood Reporter, the marriage took place at Fleiss’ home in Malibu and was officiated by Chris Harrison, The Bachelor’s longest-running host. The day after the wedding, Harrison, through his Twitter and Instagram accounts, congratulated the couple.
6 But The Pair Had A Rocky Patch
In 2019, only weeks after Fleiss filed for divorce, CBS reported that Laura Kaeppeler had obtained a restraining order against Fleiss. Kaeppeler, who was 10 weeks pregnant with her second child at the time, revealed through court documents that Fleiss had threatened to ‘shove her down the stairs’ since they’d agreed to have one child before they got married. Later in the year, Fleiss announced that he and Laura had reconciled.
5 First There Was ‘Who Wants To Marry A Millionaire?’
His personal life aside, before Fleiss hit it big with The Bachelor, the was Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire? The show aired on Fox in 2000 and starred Rick Rockwell. In retrospect, it was The Bachelor before the successful franchise came to be. At the end of the two-hour broadcast, Rockwell married the winner, Darva Conger. The marriage between Rockwell and Conger was later annulled.
4 Which TV Guide Thought Was A Flop
Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire? had a format similar to The Bachelor’s; place a sea of women around one man, and let them compete to get the ring. Unlike The Bachelor, however, the contestants had not met the millionaire, except in silhouette, and were competing for not only the man but a $100,000 prize and a 3-carat diamond ring. While Fleiss believed in the idea, not the same could be said for TV Guide, which ranked the show amongst the worst television shows of all time.
3 Then Came ‘The Bachelor’
Following Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire?, Fleiss perfected his concept, and in March 2002, The Bachelor premiered on ABC. The show’s inaugural host, Chris Harrison, stayed on for 25 seasons, but recently announced it was time to go. The Bachelor commands a viewership in the millions and has given birth to a couple of spin-offs.
2 Fleiss Has Since Dominated The Screens
Besides the spin-offs The Bachelor has resulted in such as The Bachelorette, Bachelor Pad, Bachelor in Paradise, and The Bachelor Summer Games, Fleiss is the brains behind a couple of other television shows. Other shows he’s produced include Superstar, The Will, and High School Reunion. In the world of film, Fleiss is credited for having a hand in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and its sequel, and Hostel and its sequels.
1 And Made Himself A Fortune
Dominating the screens for 25 years comes with its perks and no one knows that better than Mike Fleiss. Given the show’s steady five to six million viewers per episode, it is thought to command high advertising revenue. According to iSpot, the franchise attracts top advertising from companies such as Samsung, Target, and GEICO. iSpot estimated advertiser revenue for the first four episodes of season 25 at $19 million. While the terms of Fleiss's deal with Warner are not known, good advertising revenue means he also smiles his way to the bank.
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