Facts About The Bachelor Mansion That The Public Doesn't Know

For fans of "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette," there's one location that's undeniably iconic: the Bachelor Mansion. Perched up in the hills of sunny California, this home has seen some serious drama since 2007. Every fight, every sob story, and every broken heart has had its time in the spotlight inside (or outside, often near the infinity pool) this epic mansion. And you might think that after watching it displayed on television for years, you'd know all there is to know about it. If you dig a little deeper, though, there are so many secrets about the Bachelor Mansion that most of the public — including huge fans of the "Bachelor" franchise — probably don't know.

Outside of "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette," there are so many jaw-dropping facts about the Bachelor Mansion — which, by the way, isn't even the home's real name, according to its website. So go ahead and forget everything you thought you knew about this famous property, and join us as we uncover all the hidden information there is to find. From the truth about who actually owns the home to details about life inside during filming, there's so much to learn about the Bachelor Mansion.

Per Forbes, the famous Bachelor Mansion is located near Los Angeles — but not quite there. In fact, you'll actually find the home situated in Agoura Hills, California. Wondering where exactly that is? For those who aren't geography buffs (or just don't want to look up the location on a map), this city is extremely close to Malibu and just a 45-minute drive from the Los Angeles airport (LAX) — as noted by the home's website. 

According to the city's website, their mission statement is this: "Agoura Hills is a unique suburban community exemplified by a commitment to the preservation of its history, a high quality of life, a vibrant business community, and environmental sensitivity." And, of course, tucked away in that community is the home where drama ensues on both "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette." In addition to the house, though, you'll find the stunning Santa Monica Mountains and plenty of ways to get outdoors — whether that's hiking or relaxing in the sun. Ultimately, though it's technically outside of both L.A. and Malibu, Agoura Hills has something neither city does: the Bachelor Mansion.

If you've ever wanted to spend the night in the same place you see all the drama go down on "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette," now you can. The mansion — actually named Mansion Villa de la Vina — is available for rent via Airbnb. Per the mansion's Instagram page, the house officially became available through Airbnb near the end of 2020. Now, fans of the show (or those hoping for a romantic getaway in the California mountains) are able to book their stay easily — if you manage to find an open date, that is.

The mansion offers guests seven bedrooms, sleeping a total of 13 people. And frankly, you'll probably want to split it 13 different ways, considering this Airbnb rental will cost you a bundle — $5,999 per night, to be exact. With a stunning swimming pool, immaculate views, and the opportunity to recreate all your favorite moments from the "Bachelor" franchise, though, it's definitely worth it. Whether you choose to enjoy the mountain air or cuddle up with a good book, you'll be satisfied knowing you're in the middle of reality television history. 

The Bachelor Mansion comes equipped with many features, like a pool and two Jacuzzis — per the Airbnb listing — but you won't find an in-home chef mentioned in the amenities. Surprisingly enough, even the contestants of "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" have to fend for themselves when it comes to cooking. As noted in an interview with Ashley Spivey (a contestant from season 15 of "The Bachelor") on Refinery29, "We were responsible for making all of our meals in the house. Dinner would be prepared by whoever felt like cooking for everyone."

In that same interview, Spivey also mentions that there were certain times when the contestants didn't have to prepare their own meals: "For rose ceremonies," she says, "they have catered food available for the girls, but a lot of it isn't the healthiest — think California Pizza Kitchen and fried chicken tenders." Healthy or not, we'd imagine it's a nice break from fending for yourself.

Of course, there were also plenty of snacks around — according to Andi Dorfman (who appeared on the 18th season of "The Bachelor") in an interview with Allure. "There's a lot of food and alcohol at your disposal, which is hard," she reveals. "I usually tried to start drinking later in the night and watch myself. It can be stressful though. I remember overdoing it one night and waking up with an empty bag of Doritos in my bed."

Per Men's Health, the Bachelor Mansion was built in 2004 — but it wasn't necessarily intended for the ABC shows. In fact, a contractor named Marshall Haraden is the owner of the mansion. For 42 days out of each year (while the shows are filming), the Haraden family has to vacate their home in order to allow for production teams and the cast to inhabit it. As of 2019, the family reportedly lives in the mansion full-time — though, considering the fact that the house is available for rent via Airbnb, that might not still be the case. Either way, since 2007, this family home has been used as the main location for "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette."

Apparently, though — according to US Weekly — the Bachelor Mansion was considered as a potential filming location years before it eventually became one — in 2001, exactly. And, if you look even closer at these dates, you'll discover that the house wasn't even finished when it was first noticed. That actually happened two years later, per Haraden himself. The location scout for "The Bachelor" told Haraden, "'I might use it — I might not. Give me a couple high ceilings, some extra power and some extra bathrooms, and we'll make it work.' And two years later [once construction was complete], he sent an agent around." The rest is TV history, folks.

Though the owner of the home, Marshall Haraden, and his family make their home in the Bachelor Mansion, their belongings aren't included in filming "The Bachelor" or "The Bachelorette." When the shows are getting ready to film, the Haraden family actually moves out of the home — with the help of a production team. Per an interview with Us Weekly with Haraden, nothing of theirs stays. "Everything leaves — everything that's not tied down, that's not part of the home. Curtains, TVs, pots and pans, clothes — everything in one day goes out," he shares. Haraden also mentions that it takes two weeks to take everything out and another two weeks for a team to put everything back.

So, of course, the Bachelor Mansion is filled with different furniture and decorations for filming. Sometimes, the walls are even temporarily repainted. According Haraden, the paint colors change depending on which show — "The Bachelor" or "The Bachelorette" — is going on at the time. Between 2004 and 2017, the house has gotten approximately 44 coats. Don't worry, though — the production team always returns the walls to their original state.

If you aren't able to rent the Bachelor Mansion on Airbnb, there's another way you might get to take a quick tour — given by the owner himself. According to a 2017 interview on "Good Morning America" with the Haraden family — as noted by ABC News — the patriarch will occasionally let tourists and fans of the show pop in for a look around the space. The trick? You have to catch Marshall Haraden in a good mood. As his son, Nick Haraden, explains, "Sometimes, you know, he's not having it. They have got to turn around," he explains. "Other times he's like, 'Yeah, come on in, I'll show you around.'" (We'd be hoping for the latter, of course!)

The family also mentions that sometimes this actually leads to disappointment — as people stopping by the house are expecting to see the cast and crew of "The Bachelor" or "The Bachelorette" filming. Instead, they're greeted by the Haraden family, who you'll likely find there outside of the 42 days per year that the "Bachelor" franchise films. If you're lucky, though, the absence of a cast and crew might end up getting you a personal and private tour of the Bachelor Mansion.

If you were to step foot inside the Bachelor mansion, you'd be amazed at the massive square footage. According to the Airbnb listing for the property, the home amasses 10,000 square feet. Within this space, you'll find seven bedrooms, eight bathrooms, and plenty of Mediterranean-style décor and furnishings. It's enough space to sleep 13 people — and that's just based on the number of beds. With the additional lounging furniture (like couches) and plenty of floor space, it's no wonder there's ample room for the entire casts of "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette." There's even a bit of entertainment — including a pool table for late night games or casual hang-outs. Overall, the Bachelor Mansion holds just about everything one could ever need (or want).

Of course, that's just the inside. The Bachelor Mansion sits on 10 acres of land — which amounts for around 20,000 square feet of space outside the actual mansion. On the rest of the property, you'll find a luxurious pool, two Jacuzzis, a treasure trove of outdoor seating, and lush grounds perfect for taking a romantic stroll. The location scout for the "Bachelor" franchise knew what they were doing when they picked this gorgeous (and huge) property as the filming location.

In addition to serving as a home for a family and an Airbnb rental — plus, of course, the use for filming TV shows — the Bachelor Mansion is also an event space. You can hold everything from overnight corporate events to luxurious weddings there, and create a little television drama of your own. The property can even be rented as a space for a dinner party or wedding proposal. According to the mansion's website, you can host as many as 300 people on the grounds at one time — whether it be for a wedding ceremony or a lavish birthday party.

The website also gives us a glimpse into just how glamorous it can be to host a wedding on the property, specifically. Those who rent out the space can use the courtyard to host an outdoor reception — complete with gorgeous table set-ups and the scenery of the Santa Monica Mountains all around them. You can also use the pool area as part of the venue, too. However you might choose to celebrate at the Bachelor Mansion, it's sure to look stunning.

It should come as no surprise that a home located right outside of Los Angeles, California featuring 10,000 square feet (according to the Airbnb listing) costs a pretty penny. And while it isn't currently on the market, Trulia and Forbes did a little digging into what the home is worth as of 2017. The result? Trulia listed an educated guess that the Bachelor Mansion is worth $7.4 million. They also note that this amount of cash is about the same as it would cost to purchase 125,424 roses. (That's a lot of seasons of the "Bachelor" franchise!)

After a quick peek on Zillow, too, it's easy to see how Trulia came to this conclusion. At the time this article was written, similar homes for sale in Agoura Hills, California are listed — at minimum — above the $1 million mark. Sitting between approximately $1.25 million and $4.85 million, these houses don't come cheap. The priciest of the bunch also features fewer bedrooms and less square footage than the Bachelor Mansion — though the price of this particular property is still several million dollars under the estimated cost of the iconic TV home. After all, the Bachelor Mansion comes with years of fame built in — which your average multi-million dollar mansion might not have, no matter how many bedrooms it boasts.

No, the driveway that you see during introductions and entrances on "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" isn't naturally shiny. Per an interview with Chris Harrison in Entertainment Weekly, the production team actually has a special trick to making it look the way it does. Choosing to add to production costs via the water bill, the crew actually hoses down the driveway with water. Considering the fact that nearly all of California gets fewer than 100 inches of rain per year — according to the Red Cross — it makes sense that they aren't waiting for Mother Nature to step in and naturally shine up the ground.

The crews who work on the "Bachelor" franchise aren't dowsing the ground with water for fun, though. But, according to Harrison, the reason they do so is simple: It looks really great when we watch the show. We're able to see reflections of the people who walk on the driveway and the lights can sparkle a little bit more. It's television magic in the simplest of forms. So next time you want to add a little sparkle to your own driveway, you know what to do. Just grab the hose and start spraying.

Though the Bachelor Mansion has been used for filming the iconic reality show since the year 2007, tragedy very nearly struck in 2018. The home was one of many affected by the California wildfires that year — and almost didn't survive. Just as the home next door to the Bachelor Mansion (as reported in a Tweet from Chris Woodyard) was "burned to the ground," the famous mansion was spared. In fact, it wasn't just left standing — it wasn't harmed at all during the fires.

Of course, as USA Today mentions, the entire area was told to evacuate, including celebrities Kim Kardashian and Lady Gaga. Neither the cast of "The Bachelor" nor "The Bachelorette" were filming at the house during the fires, though, so the evacuation likely only affected Marshall Haraden and his family. Thankfully, the Bachelor Mansion has already seen several seasons of the "Bachelor" franchise since surviving the wildfires in 2018.

If you assumed that the Bachelor Mansion was used only for "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette," think again. In reality, this home is no stranger to production teams and Hollywood stars. According to Today, multiple commercials have also been filmed at the Bachelor Mansion — along with the show "Quantico." The shows have even been overlapped by the promotions team at ABC, too. Per Romper, "The Bachelor" was the show that preceded "Quantico" on Monday nights in 2017 — and it seems as if the network had a little fun with it.

Having a famous house isn't always a breeze, though. Per an interview with Marshall Haraden in People, he mentions one particular struggle. "People think that when the show's on TV, it's happening at the house. Sometimes when we come home for dinner at 9 or 10 at night, there's people outside the gate climbing over the fence or on top of their cars trying to take pictures." Alas, fame has its price!