The Bachelor contestants ‘in crisis’ as they become first reality stars to NOT have Instagram likes

Reality television is the quickest route to becoming an Instagram influencer. 

But following Instagram’s recent decision to hide the ‘like counter’, the contestants from Matt Agnew’s season of The Bachelor are the first generation of stars to suffer the consequences. 

With their follower counts and engagement levels failing to reach the heights of past bachelorettes, it seems their social media ‘careers’ are already in tatters.

Daily Mail Australia understands that since The Bachelor premiered last week, many of the participants have been complaining about their lack of new followers. 

‘There are quite a few group chats, and a lot of the girls have been left shocked after comparing [Instagram] statistics. It’s a real crisis for some of them,’ a source said.

‘Some of them genuinely thought they’d become Instagram influencers overnight and would have heaps of sponsored posts and deals lined up.’

According to the insider, several Bachelor girls fear that they’ll have to go back to their day jobs if their numbers ‘don’t substantially increase soon’. 

‘It’s a real crisis’: Daily Mail Australia understands that since The Bachelor premiered last week, many of the participants have been complaining about their lack of new followers

‘A lot of them genuinely thought they’d become Instagram influencers over night and have loads of sponsored posts and deals lined up,’ said the source. Pictured: Rachael Arahill 

At present, front-runner Elly Miles has gained the most Instagram followers out of the 17 women remaining on the show. As of Thursday, the nurse has 18,000 followers.

Although Cassandra Mamone is technically the most popular with 22,900 followers, she already had a fanbase before the show aired due to her jewellery brand. 

Model Vakoo Kauapirura is also popular on Instagram, but she too had the majority of her 19,000 followers before debuting on the show. 

Lingerie designer Monique Morley currently boasts 12,300 followers, while the least-followed contestant of the season is single mother Mary Viturino.

Going strong: At present, front-runner Elly Miles (pictured) has gained the most followers from the 17 women remaining, with the nurse now boasting 18,000 followers

Popular: Monique Morley (pictured) currently boasts 12,300 followers, with hilarious single mother Mary Viturino yet to hit 1,000 as the least followed star still on-screen

Instagram removed the ‘like counter’ feature in June, which has resulted in some influencers and reality stars seeing their followers plummet.

The move, which is said to be an effort to prioritise users’ mental health, has led to a decrease in engagement levels for social media influencers. 

Melbourne-based influencer Mikaela Testa broke down in tears last month over the update, explaining she had put ‘blood, sweat and tears’ into her online presence.  

‘If you think this is OK you can f**k off! It’s actually a sad day for those who have Instagram as a job,’ Mikaela said in an emotional Facebook post.

Drama: Instagram removed the like count in June, with some influencers having since seen their followers plummet. Pictured: Tammy Hembrow, whose account is still very popular 

With sponsorships and endorsements determined by engagement levels, number of ‘likes’ and follower counts, Instagram’s recent change threatens to destroy careers. 

If the worst should happen, the newest crop of Bachelor contestants may be the first casualties of the controversial app update.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel 10 for comment. 

Controversial: Australian influencer Mikaela Testa broke down in tears last month over the update, explaining she put ‘blood, sweat and tears’ into her online presence