An absolute L. The Bachelor producers really went “let’s make this season mid.” This season was as rocky as it could have been, and I am still not over it.
Season 19 of The Bachelorette had two Bachelorettes, best friends Rachel and Gabby. This concept had all the potential of being spectacular, with the women helping each other through their individual journeys. The expectation was that there would be more of everything: more men, more romance and more dates. This season failed on all fronts, expectations were let down, and I’m here to tell you why.
No time to Connect with the Bachelorettes
With the two bachelorettes, the audience saw less of their journeys. Dates were cut short, namely the beloved hometown dates. On these dates, the bachelorette visits her final four men’s homes and families to seek the approval of each. These dates are full of intense drama as the families ask serious questions about her intentions and relationships with other men. In the past, icons have been made on these dates. Ever heard of Grandpa John or Big Tony? These two fellas were family members of contestants in the past (Rachel and Gabby themselves) who won the hearts of Bachelor nation with their happy-go-lucky natures and intimidating demeanours. In previous seasons, each hometown date was given 30 minutes of screen time, in this season, they were cut in half, only airing 15 minutes of each date. The audience barely saw the drama and reactions of the family members. The 15 minutes were not enough! No new Grandpa Johns or Big Tonys were made. In other words, these hometowns were uneventful and overall let down.
Wait, What is His Name Again?
Also, because of the limited screen time of Gabby and Rachel’s journeys, the audience hardly got to know the men in this season. Usually, by the third or fourth week, viewers know many details about the men’s pasts, personalities and lives. By the seventh week, fans were still struggling to learn their names. I mean, how are we supposed to know who we have a crush on?! Without these details, it’s difficult to root for certain men or even distinguish them.
Zach? Really?
The lack of information about the men leads to issue number 3: the choice of the next bachelor, Zach. Zach was one of Rachel’s final three men. Zach and Rachel hit it off from the very beginning. His hometown date was arguably one of Rachel’s better ones. He was a promising suitor until their “overnight date” when everything hit the fan. During overnight dates, the couple spends the day together doing fun excursions in whatever exotic city they are in. Then, they are offered a hotel room where they can choose to stay for the night as a couple. They are given uninterrupted camera and microphone free time to use however they choose. These dates usually bring couples closer together as they can have private conversations and intimate time. This was not the case for poor Zach. His overnight date blew up. Rachel and Zach spent the entire night arguing about whether or not Zach was ready for marriage because of his age – Zach only being a few months younger than Rachel. Ultimately, Zach felt blindsided by Rachel and felt that the person he saw without cameras was not the one he fell in love with. Zach decided to end their relationship and go home.
A couple of months later, it was announced that Zach is the next Bachelor. This is great for Zach, but for the audience, not so much. Zach’s personality was rarely shown on the show, and all that fans did see is best described as “blah.” Bachelor nation has no idea who Zach is other than the fact that his uncle is actor Patrick Warburton, which, I mean who really cares? Fans of Bachelor nation have been suggesting many other men from previous seasons for the next bachelor. With choices from sweet single dad Michael A, looks-like-he-should-have-been-an-actor-in-Grease (he really is just that hot) Tyler Cameron or fan favourite Mike Johnson, why choose “blah’ Zach? Maybe the producers are Patrick Warburton fans?
Joined at the Hip
Now, everyone loves their best friends, but enough to crash their dates? Hmmm, maybe not. Rachel seems to disagree as she clearly has no problems crashing Gabby’s dates. Gabby’s first date started at the mansion she and Rachel were staying at for the season, so of course, Rachel was there, which was totally not her fault. What was a questionable decision was Rachel’s choice to watch Gabby and her beau as they were on their date. This started creating trouble as Rachel began comparing her connections to Gabby’s, which is never a good idea. Rachel started to feel as though her connections were lacking and felt doubtful about her future.
Who Actually Learns from Their Mistakes?
One would think after Rachel’s sadness and tears that followed watching Gabby’s first date, Rachel would never crash one of Gabby’s dates again. Let’s just say that was not the case. At this point in the season, each Bachelorette had their own group of men who they were pursuing. Rachel decided to crash one of Gabby’s group dates and bring along her group of men. The date was a boxing date in which the men sparred with each other. Needless to say, all the men were occupied with watching the matches and cheering their friends… which thoroughly upset Rachel. She was hoping the men would make an effort to talk to her during the date and was very disappointed that they did not. From watching the boxing to being confused about what Rachel’s role was on this date (as this was Gabby’s date), the men fell short of Rachel’s expectations, which may have been unfair, to begin with. Another reason why she should stay away from Gabby’s dates.
Engagement is NOT the Be All End All
Possibly the largest failure was this season’s emphasis on an engagement. Now to be fair, the show has always been centred on the bachelor/bachelorette choosing one contestant and the couple getting engaged in the final episode. However, it has happened before that the couple does not get engaged and instead chooses to leave the show in a relationship without the commitment of being betrothed. This has worked for couples in the past as the entire process is only a little longer than a month. Who is really ready to commit their life to someone they only met a month ago? Nonetheless, this season strongly emphasized the engagement at the end. This put enormous pressure on the final men as they may have not been ready for such a large commitment.
This was the case with Aven, Rachel’s runner-up. Rachel and Aven fell in love, and both of their families were supportive. They had a fairytale romance until Aven met Rachel’s family and friends. From then on, the relationship was doomed. Rachel’s friends asked Aven if he was ready for an engagement, to which he said he was not. Word travelled fast, and Rachel’s friends told her that Aven was not planning on proposing. The pair spoke about it, and he explained that he knew that Rachel is “his person” and he wanted them to spend their lives together, but he needed more time to be ready to propose. Aven attributed his hesitation to his parent’s divorce and explained that he wants to make sure they are compatible outside of the Bachelor bubble, in the “real world”. While his points and hesitation seemed valid to many fans, Rachel was not satisfied by his answers as she wanted to be engaged, so she sent him home. Rachel went on to choose Tino, another man who was ready to propose, only to leave the show and cheat on her. Needless to say, Rachel said “boy bye,” and the two ended their engagement.
Magically, in the final episode called, After the Final Rose, Aven returned and pulled Rachel aside to see if they could rekindle their romance. This begs the question if the show had not put such extreme amounts of pressure on Aven to propose, would they have worked out initially, skipping all the Tino drama?
Final Thoughts
To sum up, Season 19 of the Bachelorette was eventful. With two bachelorettes, there was an endless supply of drama. But to be honest, there were a few hiccups that made it difficult for the audience to get the full experience they usually receive from the show and a few bumps in the road for the bachelorettes and the contestants themselves. Had these alterations to the show been avoided, maybe the fans would have gotten to know the men better, especially Zach, the new bachelor. Perhaps more importantly, if these issues were avoided, Rachel and Gabby might have had a smoother journey to finding love. Nonetheless, fans enjoyed rooting for Gabby and Rachel and watching their beautiful friendship. All’s well that ends well as Gabby found love with her fiancé Erich and Rachel may be getting back together with Aven. In the end, both of the women found love, and fans got to watch all the drama that makes their Mondays worth it. Perhaps the season still was a win-win situation despite it all.
