‘Curse’ of The Bachelor after Charlie Newling’s tragic cliff plunge – from horror plane crash to paragliding disaster
FOR over two decades, The Bachelor franchise has entertained us with gripping love triangles, fierce catfights, and heartwarming proposals.
But behind the show’s success lies a trail of scandals, controversies and tragedies.
This week, it was revealed that Charlie Newling, who appeared in The Bachelorette Australia in 2018, was found dead at 36 just weeks after the birth of his second child.
The troubled builder lost his life after his car plunged 230ft off a cliff in Dover Heights, Sydney, and caught on fire.
Charlie’s death is the latest in a string of tragic deaths linked to The Bachelor, which range from a horror plane crash to suicide.
Here, we take a look at the stars who appeared on the show and lost their lives too soon.
Erin Storm
Erin starred in the twelfth season of The Bachelor, but was not able to go all the way.
After her elimination, she decided to become a pilot and worked at Pacific Blue Air, an aircraft training facility in Los Angeles.
But tragedy struck on March 21, 2016, when the single-engine she was flying in went down shortly after taking off from Hawthorne Airport.
Although she was pulled from the wreckage by a nearby construction crew, she later died in hospital at the age of 41.
An eyewitness told a local news outlet at the time: “My partner just started yelling, ‘There’s a plane coming, a plane coming.
“It looked like the plane just veered up, lost control and hit a couple feet away from the truck, a couple feet away from us.”
Erin was the only one on board the Airborne XT-912 plane.
Eric Hill
Eric was a contestant on the 10th season of The Bachelorette, competing for the affections of Andi Dorfman, but he died even before the show aired.
He lost his life aged 31 in a paragliding accident at a mountain range in Utah in April 2014. His parachute collapsed and drove him to the side of a hill.
Eric fell into a coma but died with his family by his side, according to his sister.
As he died while filming was still in progress, cast members broke the news to Andi, who had sent him home in week 4. His passing was later addressed in an episode.
Emotional scenes saw cast members and crew break down in tears as they attempted to console each other.
According to Time, Eric had hopes of visiting every country in the world and was documenting his escapades, which he called The Global Odyssey.
Gia Allemand
Gia became one of the biggest stars to come from the show after her stints on The Bachelor: Wings of Love and Bachelor Pad.
She also worked as a model and actress and seemed to be living a good life before taking her life on August 14, 2013, aged 29 at her home in New Orleans.
According to reports at the time, she had fought with her NBA star boyfriend Ryan Anderson.
It was also revealed that she took her life while on the phone with her mother, who said the line “had gone silent”.
Speaking afterwards, her father Eugene said: “We had a fight on Mother’s Day and I said some things that I regret. I wish I could take them back, but it’s too late.
“If she were still here, I would tell her I’m so sorry and that I love her and that she will always be my rainbow.”
Clint Arlis
Clint was a contestant on season 11 of The Bachelorette, which starred Kaitlyn Bristowe in 2015. His stint was brief as he was eliminated in the third episode.
After the show, he went on to find love and was in a four-year relationship with his girlfriend.
But on January 11 last year, the former wrestler was found dead in his room at his parents home aged 34.
Two months later, a coroner’s investigation confirmed he had taken his life. The report stated that Clint had been struggling with paranoia and felt people were watching him.
Although he had never spoken publicly about his struggles, he left a note behind for his family on his dresser.
Christie Caserta
Christie was on The Bachelor looking for romance with Brad Womack in season 15. It didn’t work out, however, when she was sent home after the first week.
After the show, the lawyer chose to return to her normal life and went on to work as a corporate counsel at MedPro Healthcare Staffing, according to her LinkedIn page.
At a training class in October 2018, Christie‘s colleagues found her slumped forward at her desk in Sunrise, Florida, and immediately called for an ambulance.
Although paramedics gave her CPR after noticing she was in cardiac arrest, she was pronounced dead at the Westside Regional Medical Centre at 38.
It was later discovered that she had died from an overactive thyroid and an enlarged heart.
After news of her death was made public, scores of friends and former cast mates wrote tributes for her on social media.
Julien Hug
Julien vied for the heart of Jillian Harris on The Bachelorette in 2009 but was sent home in the second episode.
A year after the show, the 35-year-old’s body was discovered at a secluded part of San Bernardino National Forest with a gunshot wound that authorities confirmed was self-inflicted.
The restauranteur left a note for his friends and family, which was read aloud at his funeral.
His parents later said in a statement: “In his letter to us he stated that he was suffering from acute depression and he felt it was his only way out.”
You're Not Alone
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide.
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
That is why The Sun launched the You’re Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
Let’s all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others… You’re Not Alone.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
- CALM, www.thecalmzone.net, 0800 585 858
- Heads Together, www.headstogether.org.uk
- Mind, www.mind.org.uk, 0300 123 3393
- Papyrus, www.papyrus-uk.org, 0800 068 41 41
- Samaritans, www.samaritans.org, 116 123
- Movember, www.uk.movember.com
- Anxiety UK www.anxietyuk.org.uk, 03444 775 774 Monday-Friday 9.30am-10pm, Saturday/Sunday 10am-8pm
“While publicly outgoing he was an extremely private person who internalised everything.”
Adding that no one knew about his struggles, they added: “Our son meant the world to us and this came as a complete shock.
‘We are beyond devastated and completely distraught. What we saw was his thirst for life with fast cars, motorcycles and his love of skydiving.’
Lex McAllister
Alex, known as Lex, was a contestant on the 14th season of The Bachelor in 2010, which starred Jake Pavelka.
But six years later a concerned friend arrived at her home after receiving a text message telling her she wanted to end her life.
Although she was in stable condition when she was taken to Grant Medical Center in Colombus Ohio, family members said that her body had begun to shut down, causing them to make the difficult decision of ending her life support.
Coroners ruled that her death at just 31 was from a medication overdose.
In a statement to Radar Online, her family said: “Her death has touched so many people and her death has affected the world as we know it.
“How and why she passed has raised so many questions for us all, but in time we hope and pray that her story will bring awareness and save even just one hurting soul.”
Michael Nance
When Michael Nance appeared on The Bachelorette in 2012, he was honest about his past addiction struggles and said he had been clean for two years.
But in 2017, he passed away at 31 with cocaine, heroin, Clonazepam, and Gabapentin all found in his system.
A coroner’s report also stated that he had a history of opiate abuse and anxiety and ruled his death an accident.
He was found unresponsive in Austin, Texas on May 28 and rushed to a local hospital where he was confirmed dead.
Michael was on Emily Maynard’s season of the show and returned to Austin to work as a musician after his exit.
In his introduction video package, the former rehab counsellor said: “I was addicted to prescription pain medicine. It all starts out fun and then somewhere along the road, it just turned into something else.
“It’s a vicious cycle and it ate away at me for a long time.”
Tyler Gwodz
Tyler Gwodz was just 29 when he died from a drug overdose in 2020.
According to police in Boca Raton, Florida, he was rushed to the hospital and spent a week in the intensive care unit before passing away.
Tyler was on The Bachelorette’s 15th season and even landed the first date with Hannah Brown.
But he abruptly left the show after three episodes without any explanation.
He later said: “This was a decision that I came to with producers and something that I’ve come to realise … is the best decision that could’ve been made.”
Contact the Samaritans
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, contact The Samaritans on 116 123.
They are available for free at anytime.
Or email https://www.samaritans.org/