Jordan D’Amelio
Millions of Fans… For What?
I woke up similar to most teenagers, my eyes puffy, only providing a blurry view when opened. My heart would sink at the thought of an entire school day to endure, nevermind five of them. I hated Mondays. My mom and I always shared our attitude towards them, until one morning about two years ago, when everything changed.
The smell of apple cinnamon pancakes wafted into my room, a delicacy never prepared on school days. I plodded through the kitchen and plopped myself into a chair as the sound of sizzling bacon reached my ears. I peered up to see my mom revealing a huge smile, holding a bacon-filled pan. Her energetic voice traveled like a rollercoaster, but I felt so tired it was incomprehensible. Now don’t get me wrong, my mom acted enthusiastic most days. But it was six am. On a Monday. “Okay mom what's the deal? It’s Monday morning and you're acting like we just won the lottery.”
She thought for a moment, then responded with the same energy she displayed all morning, “Well I guess that’s true. But guess what today is?”
I didn’t guess.
“Bachelor day!”
Suddenly I understood her excitement. Ever since I can remember, my mom has kept up with the happenings in The Bachelor Franchise. It couldn’t be considered an obsession, but it was always on tv when she found a free hour or two. During 8th grade, she finally allowed me to watch the 25th season premiere of The Bachelor. Since that day, we haven't missed an episode.
Instead of moping through the rest of my morning, I looked forward to spending time with my mom that night. We soon created an extravagant event every time new episodes premiered. She always provided an array of salty, creamy, and gooey foods, and kicked the boys from the couch for the night. We would wiggle into the comfort of our fluffy blankets as the infamous bolded letters reading “The Bachelor” spread across the screen.
For those nine weeks, my ears were bombarded while binging the show. We emitted noises of hysterical laughter, screaming, and crying when our favorite couple broke up. I enjoyed experiencing the emotions of every participant, no matter how upsetting. Our reactions may sound traumatic, but some of my best memories are bonding with my mom over that show.
However, The Bachelor Franchise has a much bigger history than our viewing nights.A man named Jason Carbone created it back in 2002. He sold a proposal to ABC that consisted of one man dating 25 women at the same time to find a life partner. He imagined the bachelor eliminating some of the women every week, while also becoming more intense with one-on-one dates, hometown visits, and overnight dates.
The first season premiered on March 25, 2002 with Harvard and Stanford graduate Alex Michel. America fell in love with this normal person who “just deserved love”. The premiere brought in 9.9 million viewers, that number doubling by the end of the season. Millions of Americans were mesmerized by The Bachelor, defining it as a wholesome experiment in love.
Since then, there have been 27 seasons, and two long running spin offs such as The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise. But, this is a curious outcome considering the experiment is a failure. According to The New York Times, The Bachelor and Bachelorette only have a combined success rate of 19%, with only 9 couples out of the 46 seasons surviving. Most Bachelor couples only last a few months after the wrap of their season, averaging 3 months and 16 days.
So why do people keep watching? Why would Americans be interested if it’s only a failed modern attempt at discovering love? The drama. That’s right. As much as audiences love to see a couple last a lifetime, they love even more to watch a couple fall apart.
Producers use this human quality to their advantage, constantly formatting teasers and episodes to highlight the drama. Bachelorette Katie Thurston spoke out to criticize the filmmakers' involvement in the plot. “They just keep interrogating you until you say something slightly controversial. Then they use that clip and mash it with another to change what was really said. Sometimes they go as far to spread rumors about the women in the house just to cause problems.” According to Thurston, the producers utilize Frankenbiting—a method of piecing different clips together to alter the reality stars’ reactions. It brings out the worst in participants, for the millions watching to witness. Regardless, viewers appreciate this technique because it accentuates their favorite characteristic of the shows, proving the society's natural callus.
The extent to which American entertainment industries will go in order to grab an audience is disturbing. People are partially at fault, allowing programs to take advantage of their obsession for human pain. Nonetheless, I can’t help my bias in appreciating the joy it provides for millions of Americans, despite the nauseating reality. Watching the show brought countless bonding experiences for my mom and me, something I can never overlook.
I give The Bachelor 3 stars.
Millions of Fans… For What?
I woke up similar to most teenagers, my eyes puffy, only providing a blurry view when opened. My heart would sink at the thought of an entire school day to endure, nevermind five of them. I hated Mondays. My mom and I always shared our attitude towards them, until one morning about two years ago, when everything changed.
The smell of apple cinnamon pancakes wafted into my room, a delicacy never prepared on school days. I plodded through the kitchen and plopped myself into a chair as the sound of sizzling bacon reached my ears. I peered up to see my mom revealing a huge smile, holding a bacon-filled pan. Her energetic voice traveled like a rollercoaster, but I felt so tired it was incomprehensible. Now don’t get me wrong, my mom acted enthusiastic most days. But it was six am. On a Monday. “Okay mom what's the deal? It’s Monday morning and you're acting like we just won the lottery.”
She thought for a moment, then responded with the same energy she displayed all morning, “Well I guess that’s true. But guess what today is?”
I didn’t guess.
“Bachelor day!”
Suddenly I understood her excitement. Ever since I can remember, my mom has kept up with the happenings in The Bachelor Franchise. It couldn’t be considered an obsession, but it was always on tv when she found a free hour or two. During 8th grade, she finally allowed me to watch the 25th season premiere of The Bachelor. Since that day, we haven't missed an episode.
Instead of moping through the rest of my morning, I looked forward to spending time with my mom that night. We soon created an extravagant event every time new episodes premiered. She always provided an array of salty, creamy, and gooey foods, and kicked the boys from the couch for the night. We would wiggle into the comfort of our fluffy blankets as the infamous bolded letters reading “The Bachelor” spread across the screen.
For those nine weeks, my ears were bombarded while binging the show. We emitted noises of hysterical laughter, screaming, and crying when our favorite couple broke up. I enjoyed experiencing the emotions of every participant, no matter how upsetting. Our reactions may sound traumatic, but some of my best memories are bonding with my mom over that show.
However, The Bachelor Franchise has a much bigger history than our viewing nights.A man named Jason Carbone created it back in 2002. He sold a proposal to ABC that consisted of one man dating 25 women at the same time to find a life partner. He imagined the bachelor eliminating some of the women every week, while also becoming more intense with one-on-one dates, hometown visits, and overnight dates.
The first season premiered on March 25, 2002 with Harvard and Stanford graduate Alex Michel. America fell in love with this normal person who “just deserved love”. The premiere brought in 9.9 million viewers, that number doubling by the end of the season. Millions of Americans were mesmerized by The Bachelor, defining it as a wholesome experiment in love.
Since then, there have been 27 seasons, and two long running spin offs such as The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise. But, this is a curious outcome considering the experiment is a failure. According to The New York Times, The Bachelor and Bachelorette only have a combined success rate of 19%, with only 9 couples out of the 46 seasons surviving. Most Bachelor couples only last a few months after the wrap of their season, averaging 3 months and 16 days.
So why do people keep watching? Why would Americans be interested if it’s only a failed modern attempt at discovering love? The drama. That’s right. As much as audiences love to see a couple last a lifetime, they love even more to watch a couple fall apart.
Producers use this human quality to their advantage, constantly formatting teasers and episodes to highlight the drama. Bachelorette Katie Thurston spoke out to criticize the filmmakers' involvement in the plot. “They just keep interrogating you until you say something slightly controversial. Then they use that clip and mash it with another to change what was really said. Sometimes they go as far to spread rumors about the women in the house just to cause problems.” According to Thurston, the producers utilize Frankenbiting—a method of piecing different clips together to alter the reality stars’ reactions. It brings out the worst in participants, for the millions watching to witness. Regardless, viewers appreciate this technique because it accentuates their favorite characteristic of the shows, proving the society's natural callus.
The extent to which American entertainment industries will go in order to grab an audience is disturbing. People are partially at fault, allowing programs to take advantage of their obsession for human pain. Nonetheless, I can’t help my bias in appreciating the joy it provides for millions of Americans, despite the nauseating reality. Watching the show brought countless bonding experiences for my mom and me, something I can never overlook.
I give The Bachelor 3 stars.