Bachelor Nation Stars’ PPP Loans & Resulting Controversy Explained

Bachelor Nation stars are facing flak and skepticism about having received PPP loans. They include co-host Tayshia Adams, former Bachelor Arie Luyendyk Jr. and his wife, Lauren Burnham, Colton Underwood, and Bachelor Dale Moss. Viewers and media alike question which business ventures required loans of $11,000 to more than $20,000. Many fans feel they have a right to know, especially since The Bachelor has had quite a year of scandals.

The Small Business Administration started the PPP program to help struggling small businesses that lost customers due to the pandemic. Thanks to stay-at-home orders and quarantines, many different independent restaurants, salons and more were unable to run or turn a profit. They still have bills to pay, however, including rent and employee salary. The idea was that business owners would not have to shut down after running a loss for several months. Several entities, however, sought to use loopholes instead. Bachelor Nation stars may have done the same thing. Other reality TV stars may be involved such as Tom Girardi and his law firm.

According to Page Six, Adams, Luyendyk, and Moss were approved for $20,830, Underwood has obtained half the amount: $11,355. His amount was a donation towards the Colton Underwood Legacy Foundation to treat children with cystic fibrosis. A spokesperson for Adams explained that the loan allowed her to hire an employee to assist with marketing for Tayshia Adams Media, her namesake LLC. Many of the business ventures have one or two people listed on the payroll: the stars in question. Media and the public have been scrutinizing these applications, especially since the Luyendyks bought a home in Hawaii. Moss as of June 28, did not receive the funds.

Some of the stars are getting a bit defensive about receiving the loans; Colton has the excuse that he donated his to charity. Why are the loans a huge deal? Because many business owners tried, and failed, to apply to them to save their storefronts. They would try to log into the servers the moment that the loans were available, only to find themselves unable to even fulfill the mandatory forms or submit them. The funds ran out on April 15, leaving more than a few business owners adrift. More than a few of them had questions about why they weren’t allowed to apply when they followed the rules. It seems unfair.

More importantly, it seems that larger businesses — corporations in some cases like Shake Shack — received first priority for their loan requests. Shake Shack received $10 million in PPP loans that it later returned when facing backlash from the public, as they are not a small independent business in need. They used a loophole that businesses with 500 employees or less per location could apply. Other small businesses reported that they received a lower amount on request, or not at all since the funds ran out too quickly.

The Bachelor Nation stars claimed that they needed the money for their ventures and that they were not doing what larger corporations were doing to snatch the funds from struggling businesses. It is true that they are technically single-person entities that may have suffered from the pandemic shutting down transactions required for everyday life. The question, however, is why those loans were approved and not ones for gyms or independent bookstores.

Stars from The Bachelor may need to think about how their image looks in a world after lockdowns and stay-at-home orders can end safely. They want to show that they care about their audience. This sort of action is a bit demoralizing while casting light on the loopholes within the loan systems.

Source: Page Six