The Bachelor. A show where a man decides that his only chance to truly find his future wife is to date 30 women at the same time to see who will be the one — with the intensity that you never know who will receive a rose to continue the budding relationship or be shown the door. On the way to romance, the Bachelor gets the opportunity to travel to new lands such as the Bahamas and Estonia. Like most people, I have heard of The Bachelor franchise, including spin-off shows such as The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise, with familiar names such as Hannah Brown and Tyler Cameron constantly circling around in the news. Since many of my friends know that I am an avid reality show lover, they know that once I sat down for an episode, I would be obsessed. And obsessed I have become. In this article, I break down some aspects of the show that I found interesting, from the women’s first stepping out of the limos, to dating, to overall finding out who was the lucky lady to steal the bachelor’s heart.
- First impressions
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When the first episode premiered, I had no idea what to expect. I just kept in the back of my mind that at some point, I would be thrown into romance, drama, and tears of the show — a.k.a. the reality trifecta. I had Googled who this season’s bachelor was before beginning the show since I had yet to know what was happening in #bachelornation. When I saw Zach Shallcross appear on my screen, let’s just say that I became more motivated to watch the show.
When I clicked play, I was thrown into the world of women vying for love and explaining why they would be the perfect wife. When the limos first arrived at The Bachelor Mansion, the nervous jitters began in the women, with each waiting to meet Zach for the first time. I always needed to remember that the whole process is 10 weeks, with the women needing to take off work, never knowing whether they would be there for one week or the full 10. They are dressed to the nines in long formal gowns as soon as they leave the car. I found it interesting how those first couple of minutes of interaction with Zach were valued since he later on needed to decide which women would go after Week 1, and so forth. As a result, with each door that opened, we as viewers were all greeted with women pulling all the stops to catch Zach’s eye, from Brooklyn Willie teaching him how to lasso to Greer Blitzer bringing him a cup of coffee all the way from New York. As the weeks progressed, Zach started to feel for specific women, with others feeling neglected and caught in a complex space with the atmosphere getting to them. The job: to get him to fall in love without drama. The results: easier said than done.
- Group Dates vs. One on Ones
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As the weeks passed, the drama ensued, since the dating process had truly begun. One aspect that I thought was super awkward was the group dates, especially in the beginning since there were so many of them and only one Zach. During these group dates, each of these ladies have a chance to make further impressions on Zach that they hadn’t been able to do previously, usually involving a group activity. My favorite was the “Bachelor Bowl,” where the ladies dressed in gear and played football, with the winning team securing a group date with the man of the hour. Group dates are also where we, as viewers, get to really peel back the layers of the women and start picking out our favorites to predict who we think will win. If one of the ladies catches Zach’s eye the most that week, he will formally invite them to what is known as a one-on-one. These dates are much more personal because, as the name predicts, the ladies get to spend “one-on-one” time the whole day with Zach. My favorite one-on-one date this season was Gabi Elnicki’s UK London date. During this, she was treated like a princess, dressed in a long beautiful blue gown, and got to make a perfume that the two of them could enjoy.
Tensions are bound to arise since only a handful of women get to have that intimate moment with Zach, where emotions run high, and one can bear their soul to the man they are falling in love with. Someone like Christina Mandrell definitely took the idea to her head. She was the first of all the women to be chosen for a one-on-one date, getting to meet Zach’s family, which is usually reserved towards the end of the show. But, as time went on and further connections grew with Charity Lawson, Christina clarified that the rose given to Charity should have been given to herself. This caused much drama between her and Zach, ultimately leading to Christina’s departure from the show. If you missed the chance to catch this scene, definitely check out the TikTok below where it all played out.
- “Fantasy Suite” Week
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Ahh, the anticipated week, known by the fans as “sex week,” everyone was dying to see. After weeks of many different women, the final three left this season were Ariel Frenkel, Gabi, and Kaity Biggar in the beautiful country of Thailand. Before the week began, Zach decided not to be intimate with any of women. This way he would try avoid any unnecessary drama, leaving it simply about the time he spent with each woman and not be clouded by any other biases.
Boy, did he jinx his own week. While all three women were surprised, they took the news the best they could. Ariel heard the news first since she was the first date of the week, respecting his decision and just keeping it to hugs and kisses. Gabi was the second date of the week. When she heard the news, she was taken aback and again respected his decision. But when it cuts to the next day, it is revealed that Zach broke the “rule” of the week and had relations with Gabi. I believe he felt so guilt-ridden, not because of the act, but because he went back on his word, that he wanted to tell Kaity. She obviously reacted in a sad manner since this was the last thing she wanted to be hearing. Overall, this drama could have been completely avoided if Zach had just gone with the flow of each evening instead of setting boundaries from the get-go. No one knows how they will act in the moment, so it’s best not to predict things since no one has a crystal ball for the future. At the end of the “Rose Ceremony,” Gabi and Kaity are left questioning who will get the proposal, while Ariel is not given a rose. She is heartbroken after previously expressing that she was falling in love with Zach, but it finally ends with her entering the car to return home.
- Finale
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This finale was a rollercoaster of emotions for the ladies, Zach, and us as an audience trying to piece together who his future wife would be. It indeed was a case that the situation could have turned any way with either one of the women left standing. Still staying in Thailand, the women got to meet a more personal side of Zach, introducing both women to his family. The craziness began after Gabi became insecure about herself, saying that she had this “gut wrenching feeling” that it wouldn’t be her and Zach at the end of this. When confronting Zach with these feelings, Zach comforted Gabi, telling her that she definitely should not be feeling this way and that he genuinely doesn’t know which way he would decide. They meet again the following day at the beach, where Zach sadly tells Gabi they won’t be leaving together as fiancés. Gabi is crying and feeling her worst nightmares are coming true, which is totally understandable considering she had previously asked him. She goes, crying in the car and absolutely distraught, back home.
When Kaity pulls up in the car, it is already clear to everyone that she will get the ring in the end with Zach. Zach gives her a beautiful speech declaring his love for her; they kiss and ride off into the sunset to their fairytale ending.
On live television, in what’s known as “After The Final Rose,” all the ladies had a chance to speak to Zach after watching how the romances played out on tv. Here, he apologizes to Gabi and Ariel for how things ended, and it’s revealed that Charity will be this year’s new bachelorette.
After watching this whole season, I can definitely say that I would recommend this show to my fellow reality show binge-watchers. I will follow Charity on her journey on The Bachelorette to see if she can find someone who can give her the love that Zach couldn’t.