This year’s season of The Bachelor is a departure from previous seasons. Usually the tacky but lovable reality TV show dances around every major issue it creates. The fantasy suite is for euphemisms, the crazy girl doesn’t know she’s crazy, and all the girls genuinely, really, truly hate each other. This year even the Bachelor himself has been extraordinary and shown his weaknesses and fears. Here are all the ways this season of The Bachelor is better than most.
The women admit they all only hated each other in “The Bachelor environment”
Jasmine G. a former professional basketball dancer point blank said during The Women Tell All special that “we all called each other bitches.” This leaves the audience with the information we have known for a long time, everyone in the bachelor mansion hates each other until the day they move out. Now many of the women are friends, apparently a crazy TV relationship with the same man bonds people, but that friendship only comes after their time on the TV show has ended.
At The Women Tell All they empowered each other
Liz, the contestant who is known as the girl who drunkenly slept with Nick, gave an aggressive but empowering speech during The Women Tell All. This was supported with snaps, claps, and encouragement from the other previous contestants. For a solid 3 minutes, one of the least empowering shows on TV became a space where girls were supporting other girls.
Corinne, this season’s crazy girl, knows she’s crazy and it’s pretty obvious she’s playing up the crazy
Corinne has been cast as this season’s villain, but is she really? It’s pretty obvious to most that she’s playing up her crazy factor for more airtime. Corrine made a somewhat logical argument at The Women Tell All about why she has a “nanny.” Then she brought out some cheese pasta to finish out the bit. For the first time in a while, it’s been pretty obvious that the villain is a regular girl who’s willing to ham up her goofy side to extend her 15 minutes of fame.
Sex is not a secret
Raven, the seemingly innocent boutique owner, talked about sex extremely openly before entering the fantasy suite with Nick. Usually, sex is implied when a woman enters the fantasy suite but it’s rarely out in the open. It’s refreshing to know that at least some of these women have somewhat of a clear head while being stuck in The Bachelor environment. While Nick has previously been extremely open about sex, it’s refreshing to see a woman who isn’t the star of the show taking control and being open about what’s really going on.
Nick knows that just because he’s the Bachelor, it doesn’t mean the girls will love him back
This season we have seen many a crying scene from Nick, our bachelor. He’s painfully aware that just because he’s the Bachelor it doesn’t mean the contestants will share his feeling for them. Nick says (maybe a little too frequently) that he’s worried he’ll end the season alone. Previously it was common for the Bachelor or Bachelorette to admit that they knew they’d find “love” at the end of things.
Now, I’ll admit that I still think The Bachelor franchise is a scam, however, it has become a bit more realistic this season. From women supporting women to Nick admitting he’s vulnerable, it’s been the season of surprising realness from The Bachelor camp this year.
