The Bachelor franchise has grown in size and the following exponential. I constantly find myself learning of more people joining into the hype of it all. Everyone has a different level of obsession surrounding this group of shows, but we all follow the same basic steps while watching an episode. It is a crazy, wild adventure each week, getting more dramatic as the episodes and seasons progress. I would give nothing up for my Monday night Bachelor/Bachelorette time with girlfriends. Here are the main stages many viewers go through while watching weekly.
Stage 1: Mentally reminding yourself that the entire show is actually dumb and totally influenced by producers.
Stage 2: Getting comfy with your snack and possibly a glass, or bottle, of wine.
Stage 3: Get ready for the preview of the "most dramatic episode" in history.
Stage 4: Excitedly waiting to see if your season favorites are on a one-on-one date.
Stage 5: Spend most of the one-on-one date wishing you were on this date with your hot man of choice.
Stage 6: The group date card comes around and you know it is about to go down.
Stage 7: A fight goes down on the group date, so you just sip your tea and watch the fallout happen.
Stage 8: You roll your eyes when the group date rose rolls around, and the most obvious person gets the rose.
Stage 9: When the cocktail party rolls around and all the guys ogle how beautiful the girl looks and you just wish someone would come out and say that to you.
Stage 10: Someone gets too drunk, and you lowkey relate to them, thinking that would most definitely be you on this show.
Stage 11: When Chris Harrison announces it's time for the rose ceremony, so you start to worry your favorite will get eliminated.
Stage 12: You are able to exhale when your favorites are still safe.
Stage 12 Alternate: Stress builds as less roses are available and your favorites are still on the line.
Stage 13: Chris Harrison comes out again, and you wonder why he is even on the show and if he does anything else with his time.
Stage 14: The final rose is given out, and you can finally breathe a little easier.
Stage 15: You ask yourself why you watch this crazy show, but stay to watch the previews of next week since it will also be the "most dramatic episode yet."
Regardless of the week, the general flow of things is usually the same. It may all be, in the core of it all, completely orchestrated, but it is still some damn good television. Nothing will stop me from falling in love with the contestants and picking out which one should actually be my husband-to-be. Keep calm and keep watching the Bachelorette.
