Throughout the years of The Bachelor franchise, many exes have shown up on The Bachelor or The Bachelorette. While some have hopes of rekindling, others are there to send a message to the lead.
During season 24, Merissa Pence arrived on Peter Weber‘s date with Victoria Fuller to warn him. Not only had she dated Peter briefly years before, but she also knew Victoria — they were from the same town. During their talk, which lasted about 7 minutes, she claimed that Victoria had broken up four marriages.
Merissa didn’t go onto the season to try to be famous — her face was blurred out — nor to win Peter back. The two dated in 2012 and ended their relationship as friends.
“I had a totally different stance than everybody because I knew Peter, I know his family and I know what type of person he is. So I just felt like, if anyone were to say something, I felt like he probably would listen to me versus some random girl,” she exclusively told Us Weekly about her decision to go on the show.
Merissa wasn’t the first ex to show up on the franchise without an invite — she wasn’t even the first on Peter’s season — and it’s likely that she won’t be the last. Scroll through the gallery below for more exes looking to make a statement.
Matt Rossi
Matt surprised The Bachelorette season 21 lead Jenn Tran when he arrived in New Zealand and tried to win her back. “You could’ve said this before I left,” she said, to which he replied, “I did say it but I didn’t say it as grandly as this I guess.”
Chase Rice
During season 24, Victoria Fuller's ex, Chase Rice, showed up as a performer on one of her dates with Peter. Peter had no idea that they had dated in the past and Chase claimed he didn't know he'd be performing on that date. At the end of the night, Victoria told Peter about her past with Chase and apologized for the awkwardness.
Merissa Pence
Merissa came onto season 24 to warn her ex Peter, who she viewed as a friend, about one of his finalists, Victoria. While she didn't want to say too much, she told Peter during his hometown date that Victoria had broken up many relationships.
Hannah Brown
The season 15 Bachelorette appeared on the first two episodes of Peter's season of The Bachelor. First, she got out of the limo as a joke, just giving back the wings that Peter had given her on her season, in which he came in third place. She then returned to host a group date and broke down backstage, revealing she regretted sending him home. After a very flirty and emotional interaction, she left the show and he continued on.
Tia Booth
During season 14 of The Bachelorette, Becca Kufrin got very close to contestant Colton Underwood. She knew that he had a past with her close friend, Tia Booth, but Tia had told Becca it was over. However, later in the season, Tia returned and shared that she actually wasn’t over Colton. Colton was sent home and Tia and Colton gave their relationship a go. (It didn’t work, and he went on to become the Bachelor.)
Ross Jirgl
While fighting for Arie Luyendyk Jr.’s heart, Becca Kufrin was in shock when her ex-boyfriend Ross randomly appeared in Peru. He tried to win her over but she completely turned him down, describing their relationship as “unhealthy” and shutting him out of her life for good.
Lexi Thexton
In season 13 of The Bachelorette, Rachel Lindsay was blindsided when a woman named Lexi showed up on a group date and claimed she was DeMario Jackson’s girlfriend who decided to come on the show after he ghosted her. While DeMario claimed he had broken things off with her, she still had keys to DeMario’s house — and texts. Rachel got annoyed with all the back and forth and sent him packing.
