I know what you’re probably thinking. “How could someone watch ‘The Bachelor’ for the first time ever in 2018?”
I promise I haven’t been hiding under a rock my entire life — I was just never interested in it up until this year.
It seemed like the perfect time to start watching, but at first, I had to convince myself to do it — in the name of journalism, obviously. The day after the first episode of season 22 with Arie Luyendyk Jr. aired, I logged onto my Hulu account and started watching with a notepad on my desk and a pen in my hand.
First Thoughts
Initially, I was shocked that people actually watch the show so religiously. It seemed like a joke—do the contestants actually expect to find love on a television show? And then after knowing someone for a few months, you want to get engaged to them? C’mon people. The drama is really entertaining though, which says a lot considering I usually hate reality shows. I was surprised to find myself tuning in again week after week.
So Much Competition
How are so many women okay with the concept of the show? Maybe it’s just me, but I think most people are normally turned off by a man dating 29 women at the same time—let alone saying “I love you” to two of them at the end of it all. (Don’t even get me started on the finale. What a disaster.)
All About Arie
I had always assumed that the chosen Bachelor would be a young guy, but this man was a little too grey for me to find attractive. Since he was previously on “The Bachelorette” and got his heart broken, I feel like having him back on the show just proves he was desperate to get engaged. Now after the end of the season, I’m pretty sure everyone thinks he is a horrible person. How can anyone think it’s okay to propose to someone, then call it off and end up proposing to the runner-up? Definitely not okay.
The Age Conversation Makes No Sense
Why were people freaking out over Bekah M. being 22, but no one ever said anything the entire season about the girls who were 23, 24 or 25 years old? There’s not much of a difference in one year, so they obviously just wanted to label her as the young one.
Do I Even Belong in Bachelor Nation?
I probably deserve this because I waited until season 22 to decide to watch the show, but everyone — even the women on the show — constantly used terms that I had to look up for clarification. Two on one’s? Fantasy suites? Hometowns? There were so many. It’s crazy how much of a culture there is around the show despite all of its problems, so props to ABC for keeping it entertaining for this many seasons.
Overall, the show exceeded my expectations entertainment wise. 10/10. But I still think the concept is ridiculous and that people need to stop seeing a proposal as the only possible end to the show. As for the raw, unedited footage of Arie breaking up with Becca K., I know I wasn’t the only one who felt extremely uncomfortable while watching it.
It’s safe to say that I’ll probably watch “The Bachelorette” when it airs later this year. Although the series makes it seem like you can find love anywhere, it still left me wanting to watch more every week.