This week's episode of the bachelor left watchers with a scary realization. One of the contestants, Caeylnn, shared her story about how she was sexually assaulted as a young college woman. She shared this extremely personal story with bachelor Colton, which had a much different tone than the show's usual petty drama. Her story was very scary, and she explained to Colton how much trauma this incident has caused her and her family and loved ones. She was extremely candid and brave when talking about the assault.

I think this was an important moment for sexual assault survivors because of the way the show allowed Caelynn to share her story with people, so that others could feel they were not alone. She was able to share details of her personal experiences which I'm sure was not an easy subject to talk about on television that will be broadcasted in front of millions and millions of people. She was brave enough to share it though, which I think resonates with other survivors of assault. Colton seemed very supportive of Caelynn and allowed her to share as much as she wanted with him. I was surprised to see something this serious being talked about on the show, I am a fan of the Bachelor franchise and have watched mostly every season, but this episode was different from the usual topics of discussion. I normally see episodes with girls crying, fighting, and constantly bashing each other to make themselves look better. This episode more serious tone and its call to a very important topic were surprising, but it definitely made an impact on viewers.

The support for Caelynn on social media has been positive, and people have praised her honesty and bravery. I hope in the future that more shows like The Bachelor and people with influence will bring more awareness to the topic of sexual assault for there to be a stop to this violence.