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Unlike the men on Tayshia’s season of The Bachelorette – who got along so well I wasn’t sure I was watching the right show – the women on Matt’s season of The Bachelor are not all that friendly. While Victoria is definitely the center of toxicity in the house, the other girls are starting to piggyback off of her, and it’s creating a really negative environment. (PSA: You can now watch the show on Hulu for $1.99 per month, here!)
In case you missed it, Sarah interrupted a group date to talk to Matt — which, to be fair, was disrespectful towards the other girls considering she’d already had a one-on-one — and all hell broke loose. As much as I understand that watching 30 other women date the same guy must be emotionally draining, Sarah did sign up for the show, and should be respecting the process. Her interruption took time away from other girls who didn’t even get a chance to talk to Matt on their own group date, and they were not happy.
Katie (AKA the girl who brought a vibrator on night one) and Victoria confronted Sarah afterwards, and what at first seemed like the end of the fight was only just beginning. The next morning, as Sarah refused to leave her room, the other girls just sat around and bashed on her. While from an outside perspective it did seem immature for Sarah to sit upstairs and sulk all day, what the other girls didn’t know is that Sarah was thinking about leaving to be with her father, who’s terminally ill with ALS.
When Sarah finally emerged from her room, it was to a round of verbal attacks from all of the women, even those who weren’t even on the group date. It honestly felt like watching a scene straight out of Mean Girls. MJ tried to mask it by saying, “I was worried about you,” but if they were really that worried, anyone could’ve easily gone upstairs to talk to her, and when Sarah apologized to all the women Victoria just kept interrupting her, saying, “Nobody knows you,” and other condescending comments. When Sarah went on to talk about the connection she’d made with some of the other contestants, Victoria cut her off with a smirk. “Who is she talking to here? Like, what?”
It was painful to watch, and I really felt for Sarah. Kit delivered a scathing line, saying, “I really hope your connection with Matt is very strong right now, because the rest of your living situation here is going to be horrible.” Does that sounds like a literal threat to anyone else?
Of all the women, Katie was the only one to stick up for Sarah, even actively encouraging her to stay, and sympathizing with her struggle over her father’s illness. Finally someone has the right attitude, rather than just viewing the other girls as competition. Who would’ve thought the girl who brought a vibrator on night one would be the most emotionally mature?
The Bachelor producers spend so much screen time showing the drama, and not enough time showing these heartfelt moments between contestants. It’s common to see a contestant open up to the Bachelor about their struggles, but rare to see the women confide in each other. These scenes are so much more impactful, and set a great example for how women in their shoes should treat each other – rather than competing.
We need more girls with Katie’s level of compassion on this show. Katie for Bachelorette!