Juliana is a charismatic, quirky liberal arts student from Gilbert, AZ and she likes to ballroom dance, work out, and read Ancient Greek poetry. Her Bachelor victory strategy would be to catch the bachelor’s attention on the first night, hopefully winning the first impression rose. However, she wouldn’t flaunt her deep connection with him and would be sure to stay on good terms with all the girls in the house to keep a low profile and win the hearts of both America and the bachelor.
Annmarie is enthusiastic about the Impressionists, blanket scarves, and independent coffee shops, and that’s why she likes living near Chicago. She’s a passionate photographer and loves connecting with others, and her favorite genre of movie is all of the ones that have Matt Damon in them. She doesn’t think she’d actually want to appear on the show, but her ideal Bachelor date would involve spending lots of time on a boat, she thinks, or if the date was landlocked then definitely an art gallery, and also it would absolutely require limitless pancakes.
Juliana and Annmarie together are roommates, and they watch “The Bachelor” together every week, even though there was a point in there lives where they kind of figured they would never subscribe to something that encouraged so much competition and drama between other women for the affections of a pretty-average white guy. So they get it, they do, but here they are anyway. Both of them are Virgos, which means they absolutely cannot enjoy something without also fully considering “What Does It Mean.” Because of this, they decided to write about the show via an interview with a Fake Third Party, known hereafter as FTP. This article definitely has spoilers, so you should try to only read this if you’re all the way caught up because we definitely aren’t trying to rain on any parades too soon!
FTP: What do you think makes the show interesting for you?
Annmarie: I am absolutely a hopeless romantic!! Which is no secret. So, as much as I tried to resist this show, as much as hearing about the girl-on-girl drama turned me off to it, eventually, I couldn’t help but fall for the extravagant dates and ultimately, the way the couples on the show look at each other. My first exposure to “The Bachelor,” though, was catching bits and pieces of it while my first-year roommate watched it in our dorm. I came into the room during a rose ceremony, and it was in the middle of the season just after Nick sent a handful of girls home. The first few Bachelor scenes I saw were of newly-rejected girls crying as they headed home, confused about what went wrong and almost always blaming themselves. I saw my own struggles at the time reflected in their disappointment, and I was indignant that their hearts should break so publicly, and from that moment on I stayed invested in the emotional lives of all the remaining girls. I think even though the show is so ridiculous when you think about it too much, or think about it at all, there is something so relatable within the contestants, and it’s nice to have someone to root for.
Juliana: Sometimes you just need mindless television to yell at! It’s a healthy dose of drama for my Monday night, and it makes me grateful that I am not tasked with battling 23 other women for the love of a very average man. Also, the one on one dates are absolutely beautiful, and they feed my romance-deprived soul.
FTP: Are there highlights or favorite moments from this season that you think are worth mentioning?
Juliana: I really loved when Kendall confronted Krystal about opening up and being honest with her feelings. I think it was the first time that someone tried to see things from Krystal’s perspective and understand why she had been so competitive and manipulative. Of course, Krystal did not respond in the most ideal manner, but honestly, I didn’t expect her to.
Annmarie: I agree! Kendall’s empathy was something above and beyond what I think most people could do in a situation as uncomfortable as the one she was forced into. Even though it only seemed like a nuisance to Krystal to have someone be so candid with her, Kendall exhibited so much maturity and kindness, and that was what really won her over for me in the end. Besides that, I think it’s really incredible whenever any contestant starts to really show her heart for the first time! I really expected Chelsea, a single mother who seemed pretty opinionated at first and not always in good ways, to end up as a villain figure, and it was amazing to me when not only did she really quickly grow to stay out of drama, she also had an amazing, thoughtful, and positive perspective on her life, and it was so refreshing to see that vulnerable and thoughtful side of her. (Kristina opening up about her experience growing up in Russia is a similarly wonderful example from the previous Bachelor season!!)
FTP: What do you want to see in next season’s “Bachelorette”? Who do you think would be a good fit?
Annmarie: Though as of right now she’s still on the show, I think I would really enjoy Kendall as a Bachelorette! She has a really spontaneous and fun girl-next-door vibe, I love her self-assurance and ability to be open about her passions even when others may consider them strange (I can’t BELIEVE I’m this in love with the Taxidermy-Ukulele Girl from the first episode!), and we saw in her two-on-one that not only does she know what she wants in a relationship and what’s kinds of things she can offer, but also she handles conflict like a professional while still keeping the light in her personality brilliant and sparkling. And I’d totally hope the guys her season would bring in would be equally as creative and fun as she is!
Juliana: I would love to see Jacqueline as the next Bachelorette. She’s beautiful, mature, stylish, and knows when to say goodbye. I feel like we didn’t get enough time with her and I would love to see other sides of her personality and how she would handle all the adoring men, heck, I want to be a contestant on her season. She clearly wants to find love and she’s such a lovely well-rounded person, I think her season would be very wholesome.