Bachelor and DWTS alum Melissa Rycroft arrested on suspicion of DWI one year after prior
Bachelor and DWTS alum Melissa Rycroft arrested on suspicion of DWI one year after prior
Lauren DuBois Mon, November 2, 2026 at 6:58 AM UTC
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Melissa Rycroft has been arrested for a second DWI (Image: Getty)
Melissa Rycroft Strickland, who found fame after stints on both The Bachelor and Dancing With the Stars, has been arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, just one year after previously being charged and two months after pleading guilty in that case.
The reality star, 43, who famously accepted Jason Mesnick's proposal on Season 13 of The Bachelor before he dumped her to pursue a relationship with his runner-up and now-wife, Molly Mesnick, and then competed on Dancing With the Stars, taking third in season 8 and then winning season 15, was arrested in Southlake, Texas, on Sunday, Nov. 1.
It comes after she was previously jailed for eight hours following a September 2025 arrest for the same reasons.
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According to jail records viewed by People Magazine, she was charged with driving while intoxicated, driving while license was invalid with a prior conviction or suspension without financial responsibility and collision causing damage to a vehicle under $200.
A bond was set at a combined total of $9,000.
Melissa Rycroft was arrested for a second DWI in a year on Nov. 1 (Image: Tarrant County Sheriff's Office)
She was previously arrested in the area last year and charged with DWI after a single-vehicle crash where a black Cadillac Escalade had been reported to have struck a tree.
Witnesses ahead of the crash had reported observing the vehicle driving erratically, and officers arrested her at the scene after administering a Field Sobriety Test.
According to Us Weekly, she was sentenced in September to 20 months' probation and $2,000 in fines and court costs after pleading guilty in the case. A judge also ordered that she complete 36 hours of community service, take a DWI education course and undergo a substance abuse evaluation.
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She was previously arrested one year prior (Image: Getty)
She was also prohibited from drinking alcohol or using illegal drugs while on probation, was require to use a camera-enabled ignition interlock device on her car, and had to submit to drug and alcohol testing.
Rycroft Strickland hasn't addressed her recent arrest on social media, though some have commented on her most recent posts, including one featuring photos from a Halloween party one week prior.
"You should have been an Uber driver for Halloween...Do you know what that is? Nope," one person commented on her Instagram post, while another wrote, "1 word...Uber."
"Give it a rest. Take an Uber if you're drunk. Be responsible," a third added.
Rycroft Strickland has been married to her husband since 209 and they share three kids (Image: Instagram/melrystrick)
A fourth wished her the best to get through her struggles, writing, "I'm so sorry for whatever it is you're going through. Sending you healing vibes, girl. Driving drunk is never the right choice. Ever."
Following her stint on The Bachelor and first Dancing With the Stars run, she went on to marry Tye Strickland in 2009.
The couple, who starred in their own reality show Melissa & Tye, went on to welcome three children together-daughter Ava Grace, 15, and sons Beckett Thomas, 12, and Cayson Jack, 10.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) runs a free 24-hour hotline for treatment referrals and support: 1-800-662-HELP (4357). Calls are confidential and offered in English and Spanish.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
