Melissa Rycroft Strickland, a former contestant on “The Bachelor” and “Dancing with the Stars,” has been arrested for the second time in 13 months.
SOUTHLAKE, Texas — Melissa Rycroft Strickland, who appeared on the 13th season of the reality dating series “The Bachelor,” later competed on two seasons of “Dancing with the Stars” and won one, was arrested for allegedly driving while intoxicated for the second time in 13 months.
Officers in Southlake, Texas, responded at about 5:50 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, to a hit-and-run crash involving a Southlake Fire Department ambulance. The city is roughly 25 miles northeast of Fort Worth.
According to police, the ambulance was stopped at a stop sign when another vehicle struck it and fled the scene. No injuries were reported.
Police said Rycroft Strickland was later located and identified as the driver in the hit-and-run. Following an investigation, officers arrested her on charges of driving while intoxicated, an accident involving damage of more than $200 and driving with an invalid license.
In September 2025, police arrested Rycroft Strickland after a single-vehicle crash in Southlake, Texas, after police said a Cadillac Escalade crashed into a tree.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Rycroft Strickland pleaded guilty in August 2026 to the previous DWI charge from September 2025 and agreed to serve 20 months of probation.
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Weeks after the September 2025 incident, Rycroft Strickland responded, in part, to a comment on one of her Instagram posts: “Life really sucks right now and I’m struggling, but I’m trying to march forward.”
The 13th season of “The Bachelor” aired in 2009. Rycroft was one of 25 bachelorettes competing for bachelor Jason Mesnick’s heart.
In the season finale, Mesnick chose Rycroft over runner-up Molly Malaney and proposed. However, during the “After The Final Rose” special, Mesnick revealed that he ended his engagement to Rycroft because he said he was still in love with Malaney. According to PEOPLE, Jason and Molly Mesnick celebrated 16 years of marriage in February 2026.
Shortly after the 13th season of “The Bachelor” concluded, Rycroft competed on the eighth season of “Dancing with the Stars,” partnering with professional dancer Tony Dovolani. The pair finished third, behind winners, Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson and professional dancer Mark Ballas, and runners-up, actor Gilles Marini and professional dancer Cheryl Burke.
In 2012, Rycroft returned for an All-Stars edition of “Dancing with the Stars” for Season 15. Again partnering with Dovolani, the pair won the competition, beating Johnson this time, who was partnering with professional dancer Derek Hough, and actress Kelly Monaco and professional dancer Valentin Chmerkovskiy.
According to Rycroft Strickland’s Instagram bio, she is also a former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader.