If you haven’t caught on to the Bachelor, but you have time for shows like Snooki and JWOWW I’m not only concerned about you, you baffle me! The Bachelor debuted back in 2002 and since then has had 17 seasons including the most recent bachelor Sean Lowe. This is more seasons then friends! And that doesn’t even include the related series of the Bachelorette and Bachelor Pad.
Since the start of the show the running time has doubled. Back in 2002 fans only got to watch their favorite ABC reality series for 60 minutes, now fans can enjoy a 120 minutes of this on air romantic entertainment.
My roommates and I wait anxiously for Bachelor Monday! What is it about this show that women across the nation are drawn too? I’m not sure I can pin point just one thing.
For starters, the Bachelor always embodies a “dream guy” that all American boy that you read about in storybooks. This season is no exception. Sean Lowe was a fan favorite on Emily Maynards season of the Bachelorette. America was stunned when he was sent home just missing the final two spots. Clearly things have turned around for this guy, he has two women to choose from on Monday March 11th, one of whom could be his wife!
In addition to the Bachelor himself, the dates the women go on are unreal! It is TV so the ordinary wouldn’t make the cut. Instead, women are whisked away for things like helicopter rides, romantic beach dates, polar bear plunges, private concerts, and of course the ever romantic over night dates. The dates themselves often take place in foreign countries, on tropical beaches, or in some cases “regular life”.
The romance is definitely the biggest factor that attracts the Bachelors huge audience, but another aspect is the element of competition. This is after all a dating contest in a sense. There is even a bachelor bracket that can take place if you want to get into the competition mode yourself. Week after week girls are eliminated, some surprises and shocking twists are also a big attraction. Sometimes you can tell who the front runner is, other times someone comes out of no where.
The drama of others lives sometimes fascinates those of us with a lack of drama in our real lives. There is usually one, or two, contestants who are claim that they aren’t there to make friends. A combination of aggressive personalities and producer influence leads to confrontations and even fights.
I do have friends who claim to sign off twitter and all social media because of all the bachelor comments that are put out there on Monday nights. For those who do, I feel bad for you! You’re missing out on a show that has lasted more then ten years, influenced two spin off series, and still continues to shock!
I do admit that there are moments during the show I find myself having some second hand embarrassment. Or times that I complain about producers influence on the show and whether or not I believe it’s reality. But I still come back every week wanting more! I root for my favorite contestant, and cheer when he sends home the girl who isn’t a good fit!
ABC does a really good job, in my opinion, of casting the contestants. Most of the girls we see on the show could be girls from our group of friends, or a girl you’d see at the grocery store. Rarely do they cast models or actresses, instead they cast graphic designers or elementary school teachers.
Basically the show is popular because it does seem like reality in a way, a very romantic reality that usually includes a Neil Lane engagement ring at the end. Girls love romance and heartbreak and that is what the show is about. It’s essentially the closet thing we have to a TV fairytale, and we love it!