Former ‘Bachelor’ Contestant Victoria Fuller Is Abstinent Now

From accusations of ruining marriages to gaslighting Peter (he may have been a jerk at times, but nobody deserves to be gaslit) on camera, she was one of the most controversial contestants to ever appear on the show. However, Victoria seems to have changed her outlook on life and relationships by joining a church and deciding to save herself for marriage.

Victoria’s Time on The Bachelor

For those who don’t remember Victoria or don’t want to watch The Bachelor, here’s a quick rundown of Victoria Fuller and her behavior on the show.

To say that Victoria’s time on The Bachelor was scandalous would be an understatement. She made headlines even before the season aired in January 2020 for allegedly having affairs with married men, participating in a controversial modeling campaign, and dating country singer Chase Rice (who performed on her one-on-one date with Peter because Bachelor producers will do anything for drama). Before the season aired, spoiler blogger Reality Steve wrote, “I can honestly say in all my years doing this, I have never had so many negative stories and as many people contact me about one person than I have this season with Victoria Fuller.”

Though Victoria apologized for her participation in the modeling campaign and denied the rumors of having affairs with married men, her time on The Bachelor didn’t do much to help her case. She was emotionally manipulative towards Peter and gaslit him when he asked her to clarify the rumors about her.

Victoria’s New Outlook on Life and Dating

After the season wrapped, Victoria briefly dated former Bachelor Chris Soules before moving to Nashville, where she rediscovered her faith in God. Earlier this month, she went on the podcast Click Bait with Bachelor Nation, hosted by former Bachelorette Tayshia Adams and former contestants Natasha Parker and Joe Amabile, to talk about her lifestyle change.

Victoria decided to practice abstinence after joining a nondenominational church in Nashville. She said, "I grew up so Catholic that everything I did was judged. I always felt like I was doing something wrong. I never felt accepted. I was opened to this world where God is so good and he forgives, and to me, especially going through so much on the show, I felt so much shame and guilt. Coming out of that was so hard for me."

She continued, "To find a community and know that the Lord really does love me, and forgive me, and that there is mercy and grace, it's just, like, everything to me." 

As a Catholic, I empathize with Victoria because I know a lot of people who left the Catholic Church because of it. Though it wasn’t my experience, I respect her for it and think it’s great that she found a way to embrace her relationship with God and find community. 

Her new outlook on life has also changed how she approaches dating, as most of her past relationships revolved around sex instead of a strong romantic connection. When asked about the changes in her dating life, she said, "It has changed, because I don't think my relationships before revolved around that. So it is interesting to me. It's like, 'We're going our separate ways tonight. You're not staying the night with me, sweetheart. Don't get any ideas’.”

I’m genuinely happy for Victoria. In the podcast interview, she sounded much happier than she did when she was on Peter’s season of The Bachelor, and I have no doubt that her lifestyle change helped contribute to that. However, I also understand fans who are skeptical of her. Victoria made a name for herself for her toxic behavior on the show, and being religious and abstinent doesn’t absolve you from toxic behavior. 

Remember Luke Parker from Hannah Brown’s season of The Bachelorette? Despite his abstinence and strong religious faith, he was arguably one of the most toxic contestants to ever appear on the show. Victoria was toxic during her season, but at least she was friendly with the other women on her season. Luke didn’t get along with his fellow contestants and gaslit them when they confronted him over his toxic behavior.

I really want to give Victoria the benefit of the doubt because I believe people can change, but it’s valid to ask questions because of her past behavior — being religious doesn’t mean you’re not toxic. All in all, I hope she has changed for the better and I wish her the best.

Why Sexual Boundaries Are Important in Relationships

We all know that casual sex has mental health consequences and studies show that having sex early in a relationship can be "linked to later relationship dissatisfaction." 

One study says, “Women who entered sexual relationships with their partners later in the relationship were happier in the subsequent marriage than those who had rushed into sex. Men who delayed sex also reported higher levels of commitment and less conflict, but the effect was greater for women. According to the researchers, this is consistent with previous studies that have shown that men are not as sensitive as women to the quality of a relationship.”

Very few women regret not hooking up with a guy they later found out was a jerk.

In short, waiting to have sex in a relationship or waiting until marriage can help your relationship. It can help you weed out men who aren’t right for you (I know very few women who regret not hooking up with a guy they later found out was a jerk) and can help you base your relationship on something other than sex. 

Closing Thoughts

Though it’s great that Victoria Fuller has embraced this lifestyle change, I hope that she’s taking it seriously and doesn’t return to her toxic pattern of behavior that was seen on The Bachelor.

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