I, like many other women in their twenties, have seen nearly every episode of "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette." I've found myself diving for the remote as soon as the episode was airing and cooing over the romantic dates and giant engagement rings. It wasn't until I was in my own long-term relationship that I realized just how unreasonable and how ignorant it is to assume all relationships are just like these.

My first date with my boyfriend was not a hot air balloon ride, after hours dinner in a museum, or riding horses in the sunset. We went to Chili's and played "LIFE" on the tablet at the table and I think it was just as romantic as any of those other clichés. Early on into our relationship, i did find myself yearning for my Boyfriend to partake in some grand romantic gesture like I was seeing on these shows.

I didn't want to admit it but I was jealous of the girls who got to go on these extravagant dates with these gorgeous men and not have to worry about the cost or logistics of the dates themselves. While i do wish we could go to Hawaii on a whim, it just won't happen. We are both working full time and I'm a full-time student on top of that.

While we can't throw everything away to run off to an island or extravagant beach house, I'm not envious of the hard cold dose of reality couples face when they leave the show. No longer do they get to care about nothing else than who they want to be with and what their next date will be, they're hit with reality again: bills, family, jobs, etc. and on top of all of that, they're now living with this person and could realize at the last second they really don't want to be with that person.

While watching "The Bachelorette" can be a fun guilty pleasure, don't let it set your standards for your romantic relationships because you'll probably be let down.