"Can I pray over you before I leave?"
Oh man.
This line was said by the infamous Luke Parker, the 24-year-old from Georgia, right before he stepped into the van in this episode. On Season 15 of "The Bachelorette," Hannah Brown and Luke Parker initially hit it off with Parker receiving the first impression rose during the season premiere, but everything went downhill from there.
Parker has been found guilty of body slamming another contestant during a group date, dragging others into petty drama, and turning Hannah into an emotional wreck as the season progressed. But this is exactly why I watch "The Bachelorette."
When I watch "The Bachelorette," there are times when I don't know whether to laugh or cringe, but that's a good thing. Other times, I'm sitting on the edge of my seat, yearning to know what the next episode brings after the previous episode is cut off right before a rose ceremony. Even my mom watches "The Bachelorette," and that's saying a lot. While she always criticizes the show's intimate moments, she also always wants me to fill her in on the drama. Let's be real here, every season of "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" needs a villain because otherwise, there'll be no "action."
"The Bachelorette" needs Luke P.'s narcissistic ass or else we wouldn't have an episode like this one. It's this drama that makes the "Men Tell All" episode at the end of the season so juicy, and it's also why the show has garnered so many viewers.
As audience members, it's hard to believe that someone like Parker would make it as far as he did (he actually made it to the hometown dates, which is the final four) because we see his bad side, but Hannah doesn't see what he does and says when she's not around. We see all of the crap that he dishes out, and it's almost as if we want to kick him off of the show ourselves. I remember whenever a rose ceremony would take place, it would always come down to either Luke P. or another contestant, and every time, Luke P. would end up receiving the rose, and I would facepalm myself yet again. It was actually unbelievable, and I'm sure the other men couldn't believe it either.
In all honesty, I just wanted to see how many episodes it would take him to get eliminated, and it finally happened. Sometimes, I think that the show makes Hannah keep him around for longer even though she doesn't want to for the views, and it worked on me at least.
Regardless, "The Bachelorette" may be scripted reality television, and several of my friends criticize me for watching it, but it gives me something to look forward to on Mondays, and it makes me glad that there isn't that sort of drama in my life.