June 07, 2021 • bachelor insider
This Week in Bachelor Nation History: Ashley Hebert and Her Men Refurbish an Orphanage During Touching Group Date
This week marks 10 years since Ashley Hebert used her time as the Season 7 Bachelorette to help make a difference in Thailand.
As viewers may recall, the beloved franchise lead met a handful of her men at Baan San Fan orphanage, which housed children who lost their parents in the horrific 2004 tsunami that ravaged the Asian nation. Ashley’s suitors quickly took up renovating, painting, and decorating the place that the kids called home.
Notably, future Bachelor Ben Flajnik painted an adorable mural for the kids — and Ashley’s eventual final rose recipient J.P. Rosenbaum put his heart and soul into the day’s work.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Ashley could’ve done anything in the world today and she chose to be here. That just speaks volumes about somebody that they’re that selfless that they want to spend a precious moment helping out and giving back,” J.P. said in a confessional. “That’s exhilarating. We’re here to work and I’m just happy I could be a part of it.”
He added, “I was not expecting this coming into the day. And I was not expecting it to have the impact that it has had on me. I’m forever changed, and she made it possible.”
Meanwhile, Ashley was thrilled to bond with her men over a good cause. “Today we’re pulling together as a team and really making this orphanage a better place for the kids,” she told the camera. “And hopefully it will allow me to reconnect with the guys.”
Ashley’s “Bachelorette” journey ended in the summer of 2011 with an engagement to J.P. The following year, the pair tied the knot in a stunning televised wedding ceremony and later welcomed son Fordham, 6, and daughter Essex, 4. Ashley and J.P. called it quits on their marriage in October 2020 but have maintained an amicable relationship and remain committed to co-parenting their children.
Take a trip down memory lane by revisiting Ashley’s promo shots for “The Bachelorette” Season 7 below.
