As The Bachelorette Season 9 expanded beyond the United States, Barcelona was selected as one of the series’ international destinations, bringing Desiree Hartsock and her remaining suitors to Catalonia for an episode that combined the energy of one of Europe’s great cities with the Mediterranean charm of nearby Sitges. Broadcast in July 2013, the episode showcased Barcelona’s vibrant streets, iconic landmarks and sporting culture before culminating in an elegant rose ceremony on the Catalan coast.
Based in Sitges, the production filmed extensively across both Sitges and Barcelona, capturing locations that reflected the diversity and character of the region. Icon International secured a number of key filming locations, including the award-winning RCDE Stadium—home of RCD Espanyol—for the episode’s soccer-themed group date, and the magnificent Palau de Maricel in Sitges, one of Catalonia’s finest examples of Noucentista architecture, which provided a spectacular setting for the rose ceremony.
For the football challenge, Icon sourced and coordinated a local women’s football team to compete against the cast in a full match at RCDE Stadium, creating one of the episode’s most memorable group dates. Beyond the sporting sequences, filming followed Desiree through Barcelona’s historic centre, where audiences experienced locations including La Rambla, the historic Font de Canaletes, and the vibrant streets of El Born, highlighting the city’s architecture, atmosphere and culinary culture.
Icon International delivered comprehensive production services throughout the Catalan shoot, overseeing production management, location scouting, filming permits, local crew, sports coordination, casting, transport coordination and production logistics. Filming across multiple urban and heritage locations required careful planning, close collaboration with venue operators and local authorities, and seamless coordination to minimise disruption while maintaining the production’s ambitious schedule.
The finished episode presents Barcelona and Sitges as world-class filming destinations, blending internationally recognised landmarks with authentic local experiences and cinematic storytelling. It also demonstrates Icon International’s ability to deliver complex location-based television productions that combine heritage sites, sporting venues and bustling urban environments within a single international shoot.