Trista Sutter on Perils of Being on ‘The Bachelor’ & Which Reality Shows She Wants to Do Next

It has been 23 years since Trista Sutter appeared on that first season of The Bachelor. This led to becoming the first Bachelorette and then being part of Season 1 of Dancing with the Stars. Today the wife and mom to two teenage children proves she is still up for a reality show challenge with a run on Season 3 of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test. 

The 52-year-old was among the 16 recruits who put their minds and bodies to the test through a militaristic environment in Wales. She ended up leaving the show during the January 15 episode after battling through hypothermia from a water training exercise. Sutter was proud of herself for participating in the grueling show. 

“When I was asked to be on Special Forces World’s Toughest Test, I thought, “No way! Don’t you want my husband? This is totally up his alley,’” Sutter told TV Insider. “At the same time, I’m glad I did it because I wanted to reconnect with myself, and I did that.”

Ryan Sutter proposing to Trista Rehn on The Bachelorette (ABC/Craig Sjodin)

Before her children were even a thought, Sutter  (then Trista Rehn) was a twentysomething pediatric physical therapist and former Miami Heat dancer. looking for love on a new ABC reality series in March 2002. Although the Indianapolis-born beauty didn’t receive the red rose from Alex Michel, the experience was a means to an end. She agreed to participate in the spinoff series The Bachelorette a year later. Sutter sees a lot of changes to reality TV since that time. 

“I’m very grateful social media was not around when I was on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette,” she said. “We had message boards, and I was a glutton for punishment and would go read those. There were trolls back then, but they just couldn’t access you directly. You had to read what their comments were on the message boards. I did that, and it wasn’t fun. 

“I would have had a really hard time. I’m really sensitive and would have had a really hard time with the things people would come at me and say I’m sure. People have dealt with death threats from the show, just by being themselves and trying to find love. It’s kind of crazy. It’s completely changed.” 

Eugene Gologursky / Getty Images

Each show became a massive success and remains a staple for the network. So much, there are international versions of the shows along with offshoots Bachelor in Paradise, The Golden Bachelor and The Golden Bachelorette. Sutter ended up choosing a firefighter named Ryan. The world became infatuated with the couple. So much, more than 17 million watched the two tie the knot during a televised special. 

“I feel like the premise of the show is still why I watch, and that is for people to find love in a very unconventional way,” Sutter explained. “That will never change for me. When we moved to Colorado and started a family, it was a conscious decision to create a more quiet life away from the wild ride that was happening around the wedding and afterwards. I loved our life and raising our kids in the mountains, and now we’re in Denver.” 

BLAKESLEY SUTTER, TRISTA SUTTER, MAXWELL SUTTER, RYAN SUTTER ((Eric McCandless/Disney via Getty Images))

Sutter and Ryan remain together today. They share two children in 17-year-old Maxwell and 15-year-old Blakesley. 

“I would love to do more projects like [Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test], especially now that my kids are pretty independent,” she said. “My son drives and daughter will be driving soon. They are in high school and soon will be leaving me. It makes me so sad.” 

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As for what’s next, Sutter is open to doing more reality TV. She even has a few ideas in mind. “Traitors has been a show that has popped up that has potential,” she said. “I love watching it. It would be so fun to go to Scotland and live in a castle and have that camaraderie again from other people from reality. Deal or No Deal Island seems really fun. Both of those shows have physical challenges. I would love to do something with Ryan at some point, but of course he is still fire fighting. That makes it hard, but I’d love to do more. It would be so much fun.” 

Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, Wednesdays, 8/7c, Fox