Let me start off by saying I, unfortunately, do watch Bachelor franchise shows. "The Bachelorette," "The Bachelor," "Bachelor in Paradise," you name it and I've watched it for the past few seasons. I am not immune to the entertainment reality television provides.
Most recently I watched Becca Kufrin's season of "The Bachelorette" which was the very thing that inspired me to write this article (I'm still pretty bitter that she didn't pick Blake).
I want to first ask the question, "How are 28 men supposed to fall in love with ONE woman?" Colton's situation with Tia prior to this past season made it clear to me that the men on the show didn't know who the leading woman was when they applied.
So, you're telling me that 28 different, unique men are expected to all fall in love with the same woman - a woman half of them didn't expect/want to be the lead?
When you're watching the Bachelor franchise shows, most of the couples really seem to hit it off from the beginning. Most of the conversations aired on the show seem to flow and feel natural. BUT WAIT. If one of the contestants dare act jealous of the 20+ men/women they're competing against, that makes them "immature" or "crazy."
That happened to Blake this past season; he expressed his concerns to Becca about how she may have the same feelings for another guy. She then told him at the end of the season that he "got in his own head" a lot of the time. News flash: when your girlfriend is dating other men, you're going to get jealous - it would be abnormal not to.
The Bachelor franchise eliminates all hints of negativity that could be occurring in any of their on-air relationships - jealousy, anger, tension aren't really seen on the show. They will show the contestants fighting with one another for an entire hour, but they will not show the contestants fighting with the Bachelor/Bachelorette at all.
If a contestant does show feelings of jealousy or anger, they are usually kicked off the show in a week's time. Because it's normal to immediately break up with someone when they disagree with you, right? Apparently, it is in the Bachelor world.
One of the most entertaining parts of the show is watching the contestants travel around the world together. While that's entertaining for viewers, it's not necessarily realistic for your average couple falling in love.
This is one of my many theories as to why Bachelor franchise couples rarely stay together long-term: when you're traveling the world with someone, going to beautiful, exotic places and going on extravagant dates, it's easy to fall in love with that person. That's why so many of the winning couples don't make it after the show ends - it's like culture shock. They suddenly don't have Luke Bryan performing a private concert for them at the end of all their dates.
It's no secret that filming of "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" doesn't last long; people on those shows only have about two months to fall in love with one another. Something that is so commonly portrayed in movies and the Bachelor franchise is love at first sight.
The last FOUR Bachelorettes have ended up with the person they gave their first impression roses to on the first night of their respective seasons. Considering you've only known the person for a few hours (if that long) when the first impression rose is given out, the rose is given out largely based on physical appearance.
I'm not saying there is anything wrong with choosing the person you are most physically attracted to, but hey, personality matters too, people!
So thank you Bachelor Franchise for creating more false love expectations than even Hollywood can. While finding your soulmate and falling in love with them in less than two months, not ever fighting with your significant other, and love at first sight all sound really great, none of those things are realistic when dating someone today.
Disclaimer: nothing in which I have said means that I will no longer watch Bachelor Nation productions - let's be real here people.
