Why the '9-1-1' and 'The Bachelor' Crossover Exists, Explained

This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.

The Big Picture

9-1-1
is celebrating its 100th episode with an unexpected crossover with
The Bachelor
, thanks to an idea from Jennifer Love Hewitt.
Planning the crossover was a collaborative effort between
9-1-1
and
The Bachelor
teams, making filming easy and seamless.
The upcoming episode, “Buck, Bothered and Bewildered,” will feature the 118 responding to an emergency at the Bachelor mansion.

As 9-1-1 approaches 100 episodes, an unlikely crossover with The Bachelor is also on the horizon. No one would have guessed that the shows could have a crossover because of how different they are — and the idea also came from an unexpected place, as showrunner Tim Minear told Entertainment Weekly. Jennifer Love Hewitt (Maddie Buckley) is a huge Bachelor fan, and she was the one who planted the seed in Minear’s head. 9-1-1‘s move to ABC also made the potential crossover very feasible. Minear talked about Hewitt pitching him the idea, saying:

“The whole crossover episode came about because Jennifer Love Hewitt called me after she went to one of the finales of
The Bachelor.
She’s a huge fan of
The Bachelor, and
she said, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if the 118 responded to a call at the
Bachelor
mansion?'”

Planning the crossover was an easy affair that involved some correspondence and a Zoom call, and then filming began after the details were ironed out. Minear talked about this collaborative process, saying:

“I reached out to ABC and they reached out to the
Bachelor
people and we got onto a Zoom. We just started talking about what the possibilities were. The
Bachelor
people were unbelievably supportive and helpful. They volunteered to show us the ropes about how they make the show, and then when we shot it. We actually brought in the
Bachelor
crew to shoot the first part of that case, so that it really was
The Bachelor
. And then we go into
9-1-1
world when they have to call 9-1-1. So that’s how it came about. It just seemed like a great idea.”

‘9-1-1’ Season 7 Celebrates 100 Episodes With “Buck, Bothered and Bewildered”

The promo for the episode teases a fun and casual 9-1-1 episode as the 118 pays the Bachelor mansion a visit after an unlikely emergency. All is fair in love and war, but one contestant feels she was treated unfairly after Joey Graziadei didn’t choose her. She glues herself to the driveway in protest, prompting host Jesse Palmer to call 9-1-1. Maddie―who, like Hewitt―is a Bachelor fan too, is giddy when she picks up the call.

Buck is the center of the episode, as the title might suggest. While responding to the call at the mansion, Buck and Eddie get some attention from some hopefuls who, even if they don’t get lucky in the mansion, will take a firefighter. “We don’t get lucky at the mansion, we might have a better chance at the station,” one woman remarks. Elsewhere, Buck gets jealous when Eddie strikes up a friendship with Tommy, who is now a common face at the 118 after saving Bobby and Athena.

Watch the episode live this Thursday at 8 PM ET on ABC and stream later on Hulu. Check out the promo below.