A report on "Good Morning America" on Tuesday, February 21, 2017 surprised a lot of people. The shocking report was that the famous mansion seen on ABC's "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" is not a prop. It is a house owned and lived in by a family of six. However, the network moves the family out twice a year to film the two popular series.
The family
The Haradens live in their house only nine months of the year when the two bachelor series are not filming. That means that twice every year, the family literally moves out of their mansion in Agoura Hills, California so the ABC shows can be filmed there.
Marshall Haraden Sr. and his wife, Joanna, along with their four children live in a hotel during the filming.
Fans of the shows
Fans of the shows stop by from time to time to take a look hoping to see the contestants. They are often disappointed when they discover that the contestants aren't there at the time they see them on television. The show is taped far in advance, and by the time the episodes air the real residents are back in their house. The Haradens don't mind so they let them take a tour of the house and a dip in the pool.
The Haradens say they are fans of the shows. They do admit that it is strange to see people being romantic in their own house and swimming pool. However, they look beyond what they see on the reality show.
The mansion
The father is a contractor who built the house himself after he and his wife designed it together. He is in the process of building another house close by. The mansion has been the setting for the show every since "The Bachelor" launched in 2007 except for Season 8 when "The Bachelorette" was filmed in bachelorette Emily Maynard's hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina.
The mansion was considered even before it was built to be used by ABC. In fact, officials asked Haraden to add high ceilings and some extra bathrooms which the 59-year-old contractor was willing to do.
The house is simply gorgeous, but it is not easy getting it camera-ready 42 days a year. In just one day, everything belonging to the Haradens must be taken out.
That includes curtains, televisions, clothes and even pots and pans out of the kitchen. It takes them two weeks to put everything back in its place when the returns.
Each time the family moves out, the entire house has to be painted a different color to suit the gender of the person handing out the roses. Since the shows launched, the 9,000-square-foot house known as the Bachelor Mansion has had 44 coats of paint.
The rose ceremony room is the family's den where the brothers play pool when they are home. The deliberation room is a bedroom where the pictures are on the wall. A walk-in closet off of the upstairs master bedroom is the place for all those suitcases of the contestants.
Haraden won't say how much he is paid. He did say his compensation includes enough money for a nearby hotel for his family.
