There are many things The Bachelor franchise gets criticized for: being “the most dramatic season yet” every single season, being painfully fake that it’s awkward to watch, a mockery of love, etc. It’s possible these things could be true, but the franchise is much more than just that.

The drama may pull in viewers, but the cheesy love aspect is what really makes viewers stay. Everybody has a little bit of hopeless romantic in them, and The Bachelor franchise is a manifestation of the dreamy, cheesy love everyone hopes for, even a little bit, deep down inside.

Let’s start with the premise of the show. Many people criticize the show because of the strange aspect that either a man is dating 20+ women all at one time or vice versa. Admittedly, yes, this is a weird way to go about dating, but regardless, it's entertaining, and is actually pretty practical. Having 20+ people at your beckon call eliminates going out and seeking a suitable mate. Instead, they are simply given to you all at once for you to pick and choose from.

A downside to this dating game is that, since it is a televised competition, the contestants could easily be putting on a façade. However, many people who are religious reality T.V. watchers can easily decipher the fakes from the people who are showing their true selves all the way through. So if the viewers can pick out the “crazies” from the normal ones, the bachelor or bachelorette should be able to do the same.

Another aspect the show gets criticized for, is how ridiculous it is to get engaged after dating so many guys for just a few weeks. The whole premise of the show, however, is that since there are so many contestants, the bachelor/bachelorette is not dating all of them, as much as they are weeding out who they don’t want, in order to find their perfect mate. Since there are so many contestants, there is bound to be every personality type anyone would ever encounter in the dating world regardless, so why not have them all at once to pick and choose the right one in the end?

Besides all the logistics of the show, there are more romantic aspects to why this franchise isn’t so corny after all. Anyone who is a hopeless romantic believes in the concept of soulmates and love at first sight. This show offers the perfect opportunity to find someone’s soulmate, just by the sheer process of elimination. If it’s meant to be, The Bachelor is the most publicized way to make it so.

Now love at first sight, on the other hand, is the ultimate premise of this show. The number of times a man would walk into the house after meeting the bachelorette and say “I’m already in love,” is countless. If he is being real or not is another thing, but at least one person that has said this before has meant it.

There are those soulmates who meet the love of their lives, by just looking into their eyes and feeling a connection. Although in this case, it may take a few dramatically entertaining weeks on this show, despite the skepticism, it is quite possible that people are there for the ultimate right reason: love.