If you don’t know what the bachelor is, 1) are you living under a rock? 2) I’m jealous of you. The Bachelor is a reality TV show that focuses on one single guy, and the contestants of the show are single women that are trying to win him over. The end goal: marriage. That’s right. The bachelor picks from a pool of typically 25 women and narrows it down to one in about 3-4 months.
The Bachelor has been around for a while. It first debuted in 2002 and is now currently in the midst of its twentieth season. It is hosted by Chris Harrison.
I’ve never watched The Bachelor until this season. And the only thing I have to say is how disgusted I am with myself. I’m addicted. I make sure to have nothing scheduled on Monday nights from 7-9. Every week I watch with bated breath to see if my favorites are going to stay and hope that the girls that I don’t like go home.
On the outside, this show is the quintessential reality show; it has components of drama, love, adventure, and travel. The Bachelor has taken its leading men and lady contestants all over the globe to the most romantic of places with the most romantic of dates.
The problem with reality shows today is that they aren’t really real. Previous contestants like Season 13 contestant, Megan Parris, have spoken out about the untold truths of America’s beloved reality show, stating that the producers edit the footage heavily and push contestants to do and say things, turning the contestants into TV characters more than real people to add drama for viewership appeal.
It’s unfortunate to find out that the “reality” shows you think are so real are actually scripted and acted out like any other television drama. The truth is, the ladies who go on the show are all probably wonderful people, but in order to gain viewership, the producers turn someone into the bad or crazy one.
Besides the fact that The Bachelor isn’t real reality TV, the whole point and plot of the show is kind of messed up. The bachelor is provided a handful of ladies and is expected to pick one and possibly find a wife? He essentially dates all the women all at the same time so he can pick one that he likes the best, all the while stringing the others along.
Could you imagine being one of the final two contestants? By the time The Bachelor reaches the last two contestants, obviously both are going to be “in love” with him, but one will get sent home with her heart broken. All the contestants are probably scarred for life and unable to ever commit to a real relationship in fear of being beaten by someone else.
Yet even though the plot of the show is completely messed up and the contestants of the show are molded into characters, we watch the show anyway and believe that the contestants are who they appear to be on TV, and we root for our favorites and quietly hate on the others. That’s the reality of reality TV: it just sucks you in.
For the twentieth season, the bachelor is software salesman Ben Higgins. Higgins is 26 and originally from the city of Warsaw, Indiana. He loves being outdoors, traveling, playing basketball and having deep conversations. Higgins was a part of The Bachelorette (a spinoff of The Bachelor), but was one of the many unlucky who didn’t get chosen. Now he’s the star of The Bachelor and ready to find his soulmate.
Regardless of how the season ends and whether or not your or my favorite contestant wins, there are two things to remember: 1) although The Bachelor seems romantic and extraordinary on the outside, most of it isn’t real and probably isn’t the best way to meet the love of your life, and 2) thank goodness Olivia is gone. She was crazy.