ABC’s The Bachelor has a large presence in the reality television genre. While I’ve never fully seen the show myself, I grew up with my mom and older sister watching together weekly. The premise of the show, one man dating thirty women at once, has always put me off enough to avoid the show altogether. Since the newest season premiered and talk among Florida State University (FSU) students stirred, I felt that it was finally time for me to see what the hype was about! This is less of a recap and more of my personal feelings and comments about the season 27 premiere of The Bachelor from someone who isn’t familiar with the show.
The bachelor, Zach, is a previous contestant of the most recent season of The Bachelor spinoff, The Bachelorette. He immediately expresses his confidence in finding his wife, or as he says, “the love of his life,” in the 30 women that will soon be competing for his love. I’m not entirely sure that one of 30, rather than the other 7 billion people on the planet, will be his soulmate, but I suppose that is the point of the show. Also, doesn’t their time together (before the finale) only last a few months? How would you know that you have established a concrete relationship in that time?
Five of the thirty women previously met him on the live show of the finale of the last season of The Bachelorette. While they got to reintroduce themselves on the first night, the other 25 women got to meet Zach for the first time. From professional dancers to rodeo racers, there is a lot of diversity in the careers of the women on the show this season. I find it empowering to see so many established, happy women in one space. Why they would be on this show fighting over a man when they are both pretty and successful? I have no idea, but the audience loves this show, and I’m getting to that point.
Out of the introductions shown, I found Gabi, Cat and Mercedes’ introductions to be the most memorable. Gabi comes off as very genuine, and I thought her use of maple syrup was funny. I’m looking forward to seeing more of her later in the night. Cat is my favorite of the thirty women on the show this season. She’s very quirky, and you can tell she is being her authentic self when she interacts with Zach. Mercedes bringing her pig was a great choice and made her unforgettable. Although I enjoyed some of the introductions, it was at this point I realized just how many women are involved in this show.
The one-on-one time cocktail party, the first night, also made an impression on me. Particularly, Christina and Cat’s time with Zach. Christina seems very mature, likely a result of motherhood. Her activity with Zach was lighthearted and a good way to start a conversation. I disliked how some of the other ladies interrupted their time together, but I can assume that it’s part of the show to try to disrupt the other relationships. Cat, once again, is the silliest and most genuine of the bunch. Would I compete to fit more whole meatballs in my mouth with a man I just met? No, I would not. That interaction spoke to her personality, as well as her “gabagool” moment.
I was not prepared for the first impression rose to go to Greer. I did not particularly like her from watching the previous interactions she had with Zach. I was very put off by her and she hadn’t made herself seem very interesting thus far. The producers and editing team obviously cannot fit every minute of every interaction in each episode, so I’m going to assume that she had more meaningful interactions with Zach.
The first impression rose is around where the first bit of what makes this show so renowned happens. Madison, one of the potential wives of Zach, realizes that she didn’t receive a kiss from him while many of the other women did. Not only did she have an awkward interaction with Zach to begin with, but then she went back to try and kiss him and succeeded. Zach looked very uncomfortable with that interaction, and at this point, I could be certain she would not be receiving a rose at all that night. She continued to get emotional following their interaction and the distribution of the first impression rose.
Now, I don’t fully understand how you could be so heartbroken about a man she only met a few hours prior, but this is the kind of moment that gives this show good reviews. I don’t disagree with her mention of “wanting to be wanted.” However, I don’t think this is the right show to audition for if you can’t handle and learn from rejection.
At this point, Madison interrupts Zach’s conversation again, this time with the show’s host. I appreciate Zach’s ability to be honest without being disrespectful or mean. It tells a lot about his character. He tells her that he can’t imagine a future with her, and she decides to leave before the rose ceremony. Goodbye Madison, you will not be missed.
The rose ceremony, as expected, was the most intense part of this episode. Christina, Charity, Bailey and Gabi receiving roses made me happy because I liked all of them. How did I get so invested in this show after an hour and a half? No idea, but I was feeling myself getting anxious when Zach continued giving out roses, none of which were going to Cat. When he finally gave out his final rose to Cat, I felt relieved. “Gabagool” lives another day.
After the conclusion of the episode, I realized I was slightly disappointed. Although I do still believe the show is pretty shallow and laughable, there is a reason it is so successful in the reality TV industry. I think I may continue watching the new episodes this season to see where this leads for Zach. However, the minute the drama gets too frustrating to watch, I’ll likely put The Bachelor back into the pool of reality TV shows I refuse to watch.
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