I generally consider myself a relatively intelligent person. I'm a Women's and Gender Studies minor and a huge advocate for feminism and equal rights, and I most definitely do not believe you need a significant other to define your happiness. But somehow, come Monday night, I'm parked on the couch at 8 p.m., tuned in to watch the latest bachelor or bachelorette look for love. Like many others, I don't understand my fascination with this show. Maybe it's the combination of craziness, ugly crying, beautiful people, extremely premature declarations of love, and the horrifyingly backwards notion that women need to catch a man before they hit 30 in order to live a fulfilled life.
The Basics
If you break it down to the basics, you've got 20-something young, primarily Caucasian, gorgeous people all supposedly vying for the love of one eligible person (who is also gorgeous and probably Caucasian). The lack of diversity on the show is no secret, as it has been called into attention several times in recent months. The contestants travel the world and talk about who's there "for the right reasons," and how things are just so "amazing" and how "(insert location here) is just the perfect place to find love." Someone gets too drunk on the first night, someone goes crazy, someone turns out to be a huge crier, someone really isn't there for the right reasons, a few people cry on the limo ride home, and a few people get their hearts broken. The ultimate sign of validation on this show is the coveted rose, and some people will do just about anything to get one.
Odds Are...
My brain I knows that I'm watching a train wreck unfold (and is enjoying watching the catastrophe), but my hopelessly romantic heart still holds out hope that things just might work out this time. Through 19 seasons of "The Bachelor," 11 seasons of The Bachelorette, and a couple spin-off shows ("Bachelor Pad" and now "Bachelor in Paradise"), just seven couples are still together today. Six of these couples are seemingly happily married, and the latest season of "The Bachelorette" concluded in late July, announcing the engagement of Kaitlyn Bristowe and Shawn Booth. For these twelve lucky souls, reality T.V. just happened to be the answer to all of their relationship woes, forcing us to wonder if maybe there really is something to be said about finding love in such an unconventional environment.
Us vs. Them
A large part of me enjoys the larger than life tv personalities that some of these cast members display. Let's face it, about 99 percent of the contestants on the show are there, to a certain degree, to be on a television show. Their motives may possibly be to find love, but no one willingly enters this kind of a situation without some desire to be on camera. As a result, us viewers are treated to a much-needed dose of, "Well, at least that isn't me." From "dog-lovers" to "pantsapreneurs," each season is peppered with a variety of...questionable occupations. When the designated villain turns up the crazy dial, you can sit back on your couch with a twinge of satisfaction, knowing that while you might be a little insane at times, your crazy can't even compare to the full out psycho that some people unleash.
The Feels
Even as you're laughing at the one person who very clearly is off her rocker and the other one who has an ego so large you don't know how their head fits on the screen, you can't help but get emotionally invested. After all, these people may be on TV, but they are real human beings, and we can't deny that there are true human emotions involved. Soon you'll find yourself cheering as that one jerk is finally sent home and swooning over romantic proposals in Thailand. You can't help it; they're just so cute together.
At the End of the Day...
Ultimately, "The Bachelor" franchise has captured our hearts and our Monday nights. While we can't take the concept too seriously or attempt to model our own lives after the carefully choreographed fairytale it portrays, we can allow the show to enable an escape to far off places and ridiculous scenarios that will give us something to laugh at or someone to angrily discuss in our group messages the next morning. "The Bachelor" isn't a how-to guide on all things love and romance; it's simply the show we hate to love. And you know what? That's okay with me.
