Here's why you'll never see 'The Bachelor' contestants eat food

One of the most annoying parts about "The Bachelor" franchise - and there are several - is watching as the contestants mindlessly chatter about their fictional futures together over a plate of untouched food.

I mean, case in point:

One-on-one dates will often end in some sort of dinner or dessert component, which is laid out romantically with gorgeous candles, flowers, and ample alcohol. And yet, the contestants never seem to get to try any of it.

Many fans have noticed the phenomenon themselves:

But now, thanks to some in-depth reporting by Alyssa Hertzig at Refinery 29, we have an answer for why they never seem to eat - the producers fill them up before the date even starts so they'll do less chewing and more talking about how much they love each other.

"The food on dates is usually good, but the catch is that you aren't supposed to eat it! No one wants to watch people stuffing their face on a date. If you're eating, you aren't talking," Jaclyn Swartz, who has appeared on Ben Flajnik's season of the "Bachelor," along with "Bachelor Pad" and "Bachelor in Paradise," told Refinery 29. "Instead, we eat before the dates, as we are getting ready. The producers will bring room service to your room, or a plate of food to where you're getting ready in the house."

Some of the food prepared to be seen on-camera is still too good to pass up, so Ashley Spivey, a contestant on Brad Womack's season of "The Bachelor," explains that sometimes the contestants or Bachelor/Bachelorette will chow down while their date is giving a one-on-one interview with a producer.

"You have to remember that the dinner portion can last two to three hours," says Spivey. "You usually talk and start eating. Then, a producer will pull you aside to do a one-on-one interview. Then, you go back to eat while the other person is doing their one-on-one interview. This is when you stuff your face and hurry and eat before the other person gets back."

The one thing they get to do a ton of though on-camera? Drink!

You can read the full in-depth piece on "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" contestants' eating habits - which is fascinating, I promise - over on Refinery 29.