Kara Burke
As someone who has never watched “The Bachelor” before, the hype over it seems pretty ridiculous. I understand the appeal of it as a reality TV show, but I don’t see why some people fawn over it with such dedication to who wins and who loses.
The show, just like every other reality show, is clearly somewhat scripted and edited to make certain women appear to be the villain and to create conflict. Again, I think that’s fine because that’s the nature of reality TV; we all need to accept that the people on this show are there to find fame, not love. No one looking for love wants to compete with 29 other people to find it.
“The Bachelor” is perfectly fine as a form of entertainment; I just think people have irrational ideas about it and are too obsessive when it comes to who stays and goes. Watch it for the entertainment value, but don’t expect real romance out of it.
Julia Skeval
As someone who has watched “The Bachelor” franchise off and on, I’m still unable to understand what the craze is all about. Each season seems to be produced to be more dramatic than the one before and at the end of the day, I think the franchise, especially the original show, “The Bachelor,” paints women in a way we’ve been trying to move away from for so long.
The female contestants are portrayed as catty, bratty and annoying. The moments where the contestants are embarrassing themselves or crying over the man they’ve known for a week seem to get the most airtime, and while a majority of viewers tune in because they live for the drama, I really don’t know how the show has survived for almost two decades.
I love reality television (“Keeping up with the Kardashians” is my favorite to watch), but “The Bachelor” franchise creates unrealistic and problematic portrayals of women, relationships and love. I know my opinions fall into the unpopular category, but I wonder when viewers will tire of the same exaggerated and unrealistic storylines and find other, more interesting reality content to spend their time watching.
Give “The Bachelor” a rest and check out “The Circle” on Netflix.
Rebecca Williamson
As someone who has been watching “The Bachelor” for more than four years, it is the purest reality trash goldmine anyone could want. To semi-quote host Chris Harrison, each season is the most dramatic yet.
Across the several shows in The Bachelor franchise, there have been fights, tears and borderline inappropriate sexual content. Sometimes, the fights are some of the pettiest that have ever graced television—see ‘Champagne-Gate’ from Peter Weber’s season of “The Bachelor.”
Despite all the drama, some of the best love stories have arisen from the show. Many of “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” stars have found love there, and many of them, such as the original Bachlorette Trista Rehn and her husband, Ryan Sutter, have kids.
Even contestants like Carly Waddell and Evan Bass, who did not receive a rose on their respective seasons, found their own love story on the popular spin-off “Bachelor in Paradise.”
Whether the contestants are genuinely looking for love or trying to get 15 minutes of fame, it can be extremely difficult for the people who are on the show; however, the contestants knew what they were signing up for.
If the contestants really put their heart into it, reality TV could be a viable option to find love.