My Obsession With “The Bachelor”
I, like many other women, am in love with the idea the show represents: romance. The premise (for those of you who are not Bachelor devotees), is that a young man is introduced to 25 young women and he slowly pares down the number, week by week, until he is left with that one special lady. In the interim, we get to witness his budding relationships, the drama that ensues, and the adventures that he and the girls get to go on.
There have been many “bachelors” (and “bachlorettes”), but some are better than others. There was Brad, who the producers liked so much that he had two attempts as the bachelor; Charlie, the brother of a well-known actor, and even a prince. This incarnation features Sean, currently in the throes of finding his future wife. Of course, everyone has their favorite bachelor and I am no exception. While Andy Baldwin, Navy Lieutenent and all-around-handsome-nice-guy, is a close second, my favorite bachelor from season’s past has to be funny guy, Bob Guiney. Not only was he charming and sweet, he did not take himself too seriously.
Bachelor Andy Baldwin
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Bachelor Bob Guiney
What I think I love most about the show is the complete escape from reality. These girls meet the bachelor, and boom, suddenly they have “feelings” for him. “He could be my husband,” many of them remark. So could the busboy at the restaurant, the dude on the subway, or the guy in the front of the line at Starbucks–it’s just not as romantic a notion. Also, they find the most attractive people to be on these shows–God forbid anyone with over a 2.5% BMI should attempt to be a contestant–because there are a multitude of bathing suit shots ahead for the bachelor and his suitors. While watching the show, one ponders if these gorgeous contestants have real jobs, jobs that they can just leave for a few months to pursue a glamourized notion of love. Regardless of how they got there, the interaction between the women living together in the house and their relationships with the bachelor make the show worth watching.
For anyone who has been in a relationship, the idea that two people can meet on a tv show, surrounded by cameras, competing for the affection of another while others are doing the same, seems far-fetched, at best. While the man and his admirers have many conversations, no one seems to ask the bachelor about how he handles his finances, nor about how he would like to raise children, or even if the guy is a total slob. No, everyone is concerned about chemistry, how “hot” the bachelor is and who will win the next outlandish dates. These adventures range from taking private jets halfway across the country to scaling tall buildings. Not only are the dates elaborate and grandiose, they also take place in such exotic locales as St. Croix and Belize. Who wouldn’t fall in love with a beautiful man, in picturesque surroundings on elaborate dates?
While the entire venture seems implausible, the sheer romanticism has me drawn in. Besides, who wouldn’t trade laundry and children for a frolick in Belize?
