The transition from first semester to second brings with it many new and wonderful things: a freshman’s first Winter Term, the excitement of formal recruitment and a refreshing change of scenery (whether that just be from Asbury to Harrison). However, arguably the most important change in any collegiate girl’s life is the airing of The Bachelor’s 21st season. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a dedicated student, committed to studying, working out and spending time with friends, but you’d be amiss to assume I’d pick any of these things over watching the bachelor at 8 p.m. (not a minute later) every Monday night. Having been ritually watching The Bachelor and The Bachelorette series since season 15 in 2011, I consider myself a valid source to offer a comprehensive analysis of the season thus far.
Nick Viall
If you’re like me, you’re probably wondering why Nick was even given the honor (yes, honor) of becoming the bachelor in the first place. As the show usually passes the torch onto the losers of the previous season of The Bachelorette, clearly either hunky, funny Chase or down-to-earth, hot cowboy Luke from JoJo’s season deserved the spot. That being said, I entered this season of The Bachelor very skeptical, as Nick had failed not once, not twice, but three times at finding love through this TV series. I have yet to figure out why he thought four times was the charm. My uncertainty and preconception of Nick as a sleazy player has faded away somewhat as the season has progressed, but I still find it hard to believe that reality TV love will work out for him. With daily emotional breakdowns and vocalized doubt, Nick has certainly made it apparent that he might leave his fourth appearance on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette shows and spinoffs without the love of his life (and what a surprise that would be.)
Corrine
Every season of The Bachelor has to have the drama queen, the girl who’s “not there to make friends,” and the one who makes jaw dropping comments when being interviewed behind the scenes. There’s no question that Corinne captured that role for this season. However, I usually picture these girls as the producers’ pick, kept only for a few episodes for publicity reasons. Yet, it seems Nick actually enjoys 24-year-olds with nannies. From taking her top off on her first date to tackling Nick in a pink castle bouncy house to stabbing a voodoo doll of another contestant, there is no doubt that Corinne has made waves on this season of The Bachelor. She’s the contestant every viewer loves to hate, but there’s also something I admire about Corinne. If I could get away with taking naps during rose ceremonies and saying things like “my heart is gold, but my vagine is platinum,” I would. So hats off to Corinne and her chutzpa, because it’s obviously getting her somewhere. I can only hope that she makes it to hometown dates, so America can finally meet her nanny, Raquel, (#freeRaquel) and get some clarity on exactly what “multimillion-dollar company” Corinne insists that she runs.
Rachel
As excited as I am for Rachel to become the next bachelorette (spoiler alert; it was already publicly announced), I must admit I’m very disappointed she doesn’t win this season. However, maybe that’s for the best. Rachel was by far, in my opinion, the classiest, most successful and genuine contestant this season, and deserves someone of a moral quality far better than Nick Viall. I just am stupefied as to how she was kicked off before the finale, considering she received not only the first impression rose but also an overwhelming amount of dates and reassurance throughout the season. I can only hope that Rachel finds someone as kind and worthy of love as her out of the thirty men she’ll be meeting on her season.
Alexis
Even though she was eliminated several weeks ago, I feel like Alexis made a big enough impact on this season of The Bachelor to be recognized. “Dolphin girl,” as she was so affectionately called by America and her fellow contestants, was one of the most unique characters the show has ever seen. While I’m still unsure exactly what she does on a day-to-day basis as an “aspiring dolphin trainer,” I’m inspired by how true to herself she was on the show – despite constant accusations that her dolphin costume was actually a shark costume. Alexis should’ve definitely received more airtime than she did, considering the bloopers they showed of her always had me chuckling. I wouldn’t be surprised if she made an appearance on Bachelor in Paradise this summer for more dolphin-inspired clothing and sarcastic interview comments.
It’s ironic that I made it through an entire article about The Bachelor without even touching on the two main front-runners, Raven and Vanessa. A down-to-earth girl with the cutest accent America has probably ever heard, Raven has a very high chance of scooping up Nick and taking him back to Hoxie, Arkansas with her. However, it’s obvious that there’s something about multilingual, special education teacher Vanessa that intrigues Nick. Despite who you’re rooting for in your bachelor fantasy league or if you’ve never once considered turning on such trashy reality TV, I can do nothing but recommend switching to ABC next Monday for the best two hours of your life.