Becca Kufrin and Garrett Yrigoyen talk 'Bachelorette' filming, fame, the future

Prior Lake American

Less than one year ago, Prior Lake High School graduate Becca Kufrin was living and working in Minneapolis.

On a hike in Duluth, Kufrin and her friend decided to sign up to be considered as contestants for “The Bachelor,” a reality television series on ABC about dating.

The move would lead to Kufrin traveling the world, becoming a household name for fans of the show and getting engaged on national television — twice.

For those uninitiated to the premise, contestants date the lead of the show and are eliminated through rose ceremonies until two contestants are left. On “The Bachelor” the male lead proposes to one of the final contestants. On “The Bachelorette” the female lead breaks up with one contestant and accepts the other’s proposal during the final episode.

Applying for the show

Kufrin began watching “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” at Mankato State University, thanks to her freshman roommate. The first season she watched was when Jason Mesnick was the lead of “The Bachelor” in 2009.

Mesnick became well-known in “Bachelor Nation” for proposing to one of the finalists during the finale of his season, before breaking off the engagement to pursue the runner-up.

Bachelor Arie Luyendyk Jr. proposed to Kufrin on the finale of his season, before later breaking off the engagement to pursue runner-up Lauren Burnham, for only the second time in the franchise’s 16-year history.

A couple years ago, Kufrin’s coworkers signed her up to be on the show and she got a call from ABC, asking her to submit a casting video.

“I thought it was a joke,” Kufrin said. “I ended up getting back together with my ex, so I never did.”

The couple later broke up and in November 2016, she went hiking in Duluth with her best friend, who said the pair should sign up to be considered for the show.

“Your odds of actually being the last one standing are slim, so you go for an adventure, to meet people and make some friends, and travel, and do something different,” Kufrin said. “I was like, ‘why not?’ ... there was one girl that was like, ‘I’m finding my husband here.’ ... You want that to happen, but you can’t know unless you’re face-to-face interacting with someone.”

After a few months, Kufrin received another call from ABC.

“I forgot we even had applied,” Kufrin said. “It just kept going further and further and more rounds and more casting until I got the call two weeks before Arie’s season had started.”

Kufrin told her family and friends she had been chosen to be a contestant. They celebrated with a going away party, complete with wine, champagne and dancing.

Kufrin’s mother, Prior Lake resident and former Grainwood Elementary teacher Jill Kufrin said she was nervous at first to hear her daughter was going on the show.

“My perception from the few times I had seen the show was that I didn’t like the way it portrayed women,” Jill Kufrin said. “I didn’t like the cattiness or competitiveness, because I know that women can be great friends and support one another. So if she could show that aspect on the show, then OK, try it. I knew she’d go for it anyway.”

When “The Bachelor” had ended, Kufrin returned to Minneapolis. After Luyendyk broke off the engagement, conversations began to see if Kufrin was interested in becoming the titular lead of “The Bachelorette.”

“They let me think on it,” she said. “They let me talk to my friends and family to see if it’s something I really wanted to do. ... It was a couple months long process, it wasn’t a right away thing.”

On the “After The Final Rose” special for Luyendyk Jr.’s season, show host Chris Harrison announced Kufrin as the next “Bachelorette.”

On her season, the last two contestants were Blake Horstmann and Garrett Yrigoyen. During the season finale, filmed in the Maldives, Kufrin broke it off with Horstmann and accepted the proposal of Yrigoyen.

“I wasn’t too familiar with (the show) before, but what made me apply was my sister-in-law,” Yrigoyen said. “She told me, ‘You should try it out — they go on adventures, they have a lot of fun and usually, there’s a wonderful girl.’”

Yrigoyen said he got the call that he would be cast on his birthday, Feb. 24. Filming for “The Bachelorette” began in March.

Watching from home

Once “The Bachelor” began to air, Jill Kufrin said it was difficult to watch as she already knew that her daughter and Luyendyk had broken off the engagement.

“That was the hardest time because everyone is watching the show and asking me, ‘Aren’t you excited?’” Jill Kufrin said. “In my mind, I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, she’s not really with him any more.’”

Eventually, Jill Kufrin said she adopted an attitude that what had happened was meant to be. She began to watch “The Bachelor” with friends and they would all throw marshmallows at the television screen when he would kiss anyone besides her daughter.

Jill Kufrin said the second season was more difficult to watch because she could see her daughter form relationships with the contestants and then struggle when the relationship ended.

“For some reason, the first season was easier — maybe because Becca wasn’t on as much,” Jill Kufrin said. “The second season when she was the Bachelorette, that was much more difficult for me. I saw as the season went on the feelings form and I felt for the guy she had to say goodbye to, and I felt for her having to go through that.”

As far as watching her daughter date on national television, Jill Kufrin said it was a gift.

“How many parents get to see their son or daughter talking privately?” she said. “It was a unique gift given to me. I used that thought process and that sense of humor. ... This is something unique I get to experience or see.”

Telling the world

Once filming had ended, Becca and Yrigoyen would have secret “happy couple” visits in Los Angeles every two weeks. Becca and Yrigoyen were only able to tell those close to them about the engagement.

“Luckily, my friends and family knew who I chose,” Becca said. “People would definitely ask and pry. This time I was like, ‘No, I’m not telling anyone.’ ... I wanted to enjoy those two months where it was still secret.”

The general public learned who Becca chose on Aug. 6, when the finale aired.

In May, US Weekly had reported that Yrigoyen had “liked” offensive posts on Instagram, which mocked feminists, immigration, people who are transgender and the Parkland shooting survivors.

Yrigoyen later apologized for liking the posts in a statement on Instagram.

“I am sorry to those who I offended, and I also take full responsibility for my ‘likes’ on Instagram that were hurtful and offensive,” Yrigoyen wrote in the statement. “I never realized the power behind a mindless double tap on Instagram and how it bears so much weight on people’s lives. I did not mean any harm by any of it. My Instagram ‘likes’ were not a true reflection of me and my morals.”

Yrigoyen received a flood of comments on social media at the time and the comments were renewed when the world learned he and Kufrin were engaged. After Aug. 6, Kufrin received a barrage of comments regarding the controversy as well — on top of the already high number of unsolicited opinions filling her Instagram comments and Twitter mentions.

Kufrin said the social media reaction has been “a lot to take in.”

“People are always going to have their opinions, people are always going to say what they want to say,” Becca Kufrin said. “That’s them, but you can’t let that affect you as much. My mom always raised me to say if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it all, so I don’t understand the mentality of people going behind a screen and spewing hate constantly.”

Yrigoyen said people online didn’t treat him as a human being.

“They treat you as a figure or a character,” Yrigoyen said. “They want someone to hurt as much as them. ... For the most part, people in person have nice things to say. The people who know us are the ones you listen to.”

While most of the comments are either negative or positive, Kufrin said there have been some “ridiculous” theories, including that ABC paid Becca to pick Yrigoyen or that her sister, Emily Kufrin, was a hired actress.

“I’m like, ‘No, we came out of the same woman,’” Kufrin said. “It’s the most random things.”

In the realm of reality, Kufrin and Yrigoyen said they are often approached by strangers who recognize them from the show. The strangers will ask when the wedding is, or act like they’re all old friends.

The future

As far as what comes next, Kufrin said there are no set plans.

“We literally could just walk on the street holding hands,” Kufrin said. “I understand that people watched my love journey unfold, but also that’s only two hours a week. It’s funny when people think they know me, or want to take photos.”

The couple is staying in Minnesota until Emily gets married later this year. They then plan to road trip around California and scope out potential places to put down roots.

Kufrin is showing Yrigoyen Minnesota. The couple went to a Minnesota Twins game, the Stone Arch Bridge and the state fair and plan to go to the Minnesota Horse and Hunt Club, Stillwater and more.

“The people have been very nice and welcoming and they all want me to move here with her,” Yrigoyen said.

Kufrin said growing up in Prior Lake was the best place to have a childhood.

“We were next to (Lakefront Park), we had the lake, we had everything a child would need,” Kufrin said. “I feel like I was really blessed because the school district here is amazing. I feel like I had it all. I just loved Prior Lake growing up. ... I love the lake so much.”