From Colton Underwood to Madi Prewett to Ashley Iaconetti, reality TV contestants have opened up about choosing to remain a virgin while looking for love.
Netflix’s Age of Attraction, which premiered in March 2026, followed a group of people who explored connections without knowing each other’s ages. This led to multiple pairings with significant age gaps as each couple attempted to see if they had a future together.
Contestant Ashley Marie later took to social media to reveal that her love story didn’t make the final edit. She reflected on her decision to participate in the show — before revealing she was a virgin at age 39.
“Nervous about sharing what I did at the end. Spilling some tea about my time on Age of Attraction, the new dating show on Netflix,” Ashley captioned the post. “Going on a dáting show isn’t exactly something I thought was in my future but life tends to take us down unexpected paths. I was very prayerful about the decision and trusted that God would take me where he wanted me to go.”
Other contestants who were candid about their lack of sexual experience include participants from The Bachelor, Are You My First and more.
Keep scrolling to see which reality TV stars have opened up over the years:
Ashley Marie (‘Age of Attraction’)
Ashley Marie took to TikTok in March 2026 to share how there is “probably one thing about me that has really affected my dating life,” adding, “I’m gonna start to talk about it more but it’s something that I haven’t really talked about in a really long time outside of my close circle. That is that I’m a virgin, [and] waiting for marriage. I know. Take it in. I am going to continue to share my story — both in my personal and dating life — because I feel like it’s such a lonely time to be 39 and single and no kids. Hopefully it will help people feel like you’re not alone in this phase.”
‘Are You My First’ Cast
Hulu released a show in August 2025 that was described as a new dating experiment “where virgins navigate love, lust and losing it.”
“In this groundbreaking new dating experiment, the largest, hottest group of virgins ever assembled search for intimacy, love — and maybe their first — in a tropical paradise designed just for them,” the synopsis read. “For the first time, they’re free to explore their connections without judgment, allowing these sexy young singles to embark on a heated yet heartfelt journey packed with romantic dates, revealing challenges, and new love interests eager to find ‘the one.’ Who will find that special someone? And who will go home hot, bothered and heartbroken?”
Hosts Colton Underwood and Kaitlyn Bristowe helped each contestant on their journey, which involved exploring connections, pairing up and even eliminating each other in what the show referred to as “virgin sacrifices.”
The Bachelorette‘s Mike Planeta — more on him below — participated in the show.
Colton Underwood (‘The Bachelor’)
During his time as The Bachelor, Colton Underwood was candid about his virginity, sharing in the 2019 premiere, “It was a conscious decision at first then I really started diving deep into my professional football career and my personal life took a backseat. It’s not like I’m going to lose it on a one-night stand … it’s just very important to me.”
Mike Planeta (‘The Bachelorette’)
The contestant from Katie Thurston’s season revealed in a 2021 episode that he was a virgin, saying, “Most people when they see me, they think I’m a huge player. But that’s not morally where I’m at. So I’m waiting for marriage, I’ve never had sex. The stigma is, like, ‘Oh you can’t connect with that.’ But I disagree with that.”
He continued: “I want Katie to understand that I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being sex-positive. I personally want to share that in within marriage, that’s me. I mean, if I fall in love with Katie, maybe that’s something that we can, you know, take that road together.”
Madi Prewett (‘The Bachelor’)
Madi Prewett said in a 2020 episode of The Bachelor that she was saving herself for marriage while vying for Peter Weber’s affection.
Ashley Iaconetti (‘The Bachelor’)
Ashley Iaconetti appeared on season 19 of The Bachelor where she revealed to Chris Soules that she never had a boyfriend and was a virgin.
“I dreaded being asked how I ended up being a virgin in my mid-20s because the reasoning was hard to pinpoint,” she wrote in an essay for Good Morning America in 2019. “The main explanation was that I was a hopeless romantic waiting for a committed relationship with someone I felt comfortable with and attracted to.”
Becca Tilley (‘The Bachelor’)
After Ashley Iaconetti got emotional about being a virgin, Becca Tilley notably revealed she also never had sex prior to the show.
“I hadn’t told anyone because I didn’t want it to be like the focus and I just casually was like, ‘Oh, I’m a virgin too. And I just totally forgot that there were cameras and a mic on me,” Tilley explained to Us Weekly in 2022 of her Bachelor Nation debut. “I don’t regret it in the sense that I think there were a lot of people who were able to relate to me in that decision. I still to this day feel like if you make that decision for yourself, it’s something you should be proud of and stand strong in.”
