Television personality Trista Sutter has revealed why she chose to largely stay away from the spotlight following her reality show experience.
Sutter, 53, was the runner-up on season 1 of “The Bachelor” in 2002, before becoming the star of the first season of its companion show, “The Bachelorette,” a year later in 2003.
Since then, however, while she has appeared on other shows, those appearances have been few and far between. She recently spoke to People to explain why that’s the case.
Trista Sutter Moved to ‘Small Bubble’ Vail
GettyFollowing her appearance on “The Bachelorette,” Trista Sutter married her suitor from the show, Ryan Sutter, who is now 51. At that point, she didn’t know what the couple’s subsequent moves would entail.
Sutter told People, “It was funny, because after the show, people told me I was great on-camera and should do more of that. I figured I’d move to L.A.”
She quickly went on to do a handful of guest hosting spots on a variety of shows — and obviously starred in her own televised wedding special, which was viewed by a whopping 26 million people.
“But then we decided to move our life to Vail,” Sutter explains, which is husband Ryan’s hometown in Colorado. There, they settled and raised their children — Max and Blakesley, who are now 18 and 16, respectively.
Sutter says it was a choice that enabled her family to live a low-key life in the mountain community, with the local community treating them as normal people.
“We lived in Vail for 20 years, and Vail is a very small bubble. People were over us pretty soon after we moved there,” she explains.
The Sutters moved to Denver in the same state three years ago, where they get recognized more, but have still managed to avoid “trolls” or having their privacy invaded.
Motherhood Was Always Sutter’s Priority
After explaining the struggles the couple had getting pregnant (which ultimately happened naturally), Trista Sutter explained that motherhood was always her priority over continued fame. The above social media post shows what a beautiful family the Sutters have created.
She told People, “I’m now a hockey mom, a dance mom, a fire wife and a brand ambassador. I’ve had jobs, but my main focus is the kids. That’s been my world — and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
Sutter continued, “This was where I was meant to end up. I’m not a perfect mom by any means, but I feel like it was what I was meant to be. I just want to be with my children and know what’s going on in their daily lives. I think they’re amazing kids.”
The family also have a dog, which they adopted after the sad passing of their previous pup, Sophie.
Despite her inclination towards a private family life rather than being in the limelight constantly, the star has appeared on the small screen a few times since her “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” experiences.
Per IMDb, she was a contestant on season 1 of “Dancing with the Stars” in 2005 and featured as a recruit on Season 3 of “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test” in 2025, for instance.
Other notable shows she’s appeared on include “Entertainment Tonight,” “Good Morning America,” “Today,” “The View,” and “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”
Sutter revealed she’ll be sad when both her kids head off to college, with Max planning to do so this fall. However, she has no idea what her and Ryan’s plans are once that happens.
We wish the Sutters all the very best in the future, whatever their plans are.
