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A Rant

After six torturous weeks of watching ABC's The Bachelorette, I've come to the conclusion that this show is degrading to everyone. That's right, I said it.

I'm a reality show junkie but this season has become so shameful, that I'm embarrassed not only for the bachelorette, but the sorry men who are waiting in the wings every week, hoping for a little bit of face sucking time.


If you don't know the premise, let me sum up. A desperate, dejected girl looking for love among a group of equally desperate guys, none of whom can seem to find someone the old fashioned way (Match.com), thrown together for our viewing pleasure.


This season our lovely bachelorette (Ashley, the dental student) was forewarned that one of the bachelors (the Now Infamous Bentley who will henceforth be referred to as The NIB) had less than honorable intentions (no, not sex, they can get that during the "overnight" date portion of the competition). Apparently, The NIB was just in it for the exposure, ahem, free advertising he hoped to bring to his business.* So who do you suppose poor Ashley was particularly smitten with? Yep. The NIB.
 

After several weeks of pretend fawning and confiding on camera that he'd rather the bachelorette had been anyone but Ashely, The NIB decided he just "didn't give a shit about her" and hit the road, leaving her heartbroken and sobbing under a blanket in the dark.

Good riddance, I thought, until Ashley confessed two weeks later to the show's pimp host that she just couldn't move forward because she'd gotten no closure with The NIB. She even felt guilty about mentally "cheating" on the remaining guys, although making out with each of them in turn while in full view of the others never seems to weigh on her mind at all.

I've always understood the appeal of the bad boy in fiction, wanting what you can't have or know isn't good for you, it just annoys me to see it play out for real. I'm officially swearing off The Bachelorette.** I'm replacing its time slot on Monday nights with writing.

Have you ever given up a guilty pleasure for writing? Ever been obsessed with a bad boy? A bad girl?


*I wonder who taught him douchebaggery translates to sales?

**Please, please, please someone tell me who wins in the end. I might die if I don't know. Seriously.

13 comments:

Christine Rains said...

Most of the bad boys I swoon over in fiction would not be a welcome part of my real life. Eric Northman is my latest obsession! I confess I watch Survivor every season. I tell myself I won't watch. I should be writing, but then I sneak out to the television.

PT Dilloway said...

I should be writing right now.

I'm not sure what people see in "reality" TV since it's not real, the stories are lame, and the acting is terrible. The only reality TV I like to watch are sports.

Andrea Mack said...

Love your post. It's so true! I've only watched the Bachelorette once before, and this season seems particularly bad. I wish I was more able to write in the evenings, and not so tired!

Michael Di Gesu said...

Thankfully I hate reality TV...

I watch very little because I would much rather write or BLOG!

I just adore "So you think you can dance..." And some of America's Got Talent."

Yes. I'.m sure most people consider these reality shows, but I watch them for the TALENT. Not the bull like in so many other shows.

Especially SYTYCD.... You can't act a real dance. You've got to have IT or you're history. This years dancers are THE most talented I have EVER seen. Even the judges CAN'T decide to go home because they are THAT good.

Jessica Love said...

I need to introduce you to the awesome Reality Steve. He has Bachelor and Bachelorette spoilers for the entire season starting on episode 1. He has some major sources and he is never wrong, so you can check him out and see how the rest of the season goes if you are really curious. :-)

http://realitysteve.com/

Trisha said...

Never really got into these shows to begin with, myself ;)

T.D. McFrost said...

Well, thanks to Late Night talk hosts I know all about her stupidity. When she -did- get the chance to make amends, she ended up kissing Bentley. WTF!? After he made you sob like a piglet you still give the guy a smooch? I swear, sometimes I don't understand women at all!

Old Kitty said...

I feel awful for saying this but I would really love to see this show!!! Talk about car-crash TV!! I think reality shows like these are done so well over at the US! One of the UK channels (Five) used to show imports like these (they've stopped now -booo!) and I was always struck by how slick and horribly manipulative the shows were - but by golly - you had glamour, sweeping music, location, more glamour, amazing editing - I got so sucked in!! LOL!!

Take care
x

Miranda Hardy said...

I got bored and disgusted with it the previous week, but when I saw the previews that he would come back, I tuned in. I would have been so angry had he continued his lies. I was angry with her, too.

Not sure I will watch to the end. These programs can't keep my interest too well, and I am disgusted with the display.

Anonymous said...

Oh I loved Scott Cohen as Wolf in 10th Kingdom. A real bad boy/animal! :O)

erica and christy said...

When reality TV first started 10 or so years ago, I watched a few, but quickly swore them off. For much of the same reasons I quit reading all of those entertainment-type magazines - they're addicting and nothing good can come of them! Plus, I can write while I watch baseball, so that's almost the only TV I watch.

Eureka is coming back to the SyFy station in a couple weeks and it's really good, if you need something to fill in that Monday night slot! (there really aren't any bad boys in it - Zane tries, but he's just too cute to pull it off)
erica

Carol Riggs said...

Argh, how sad for the girl. Now I know why I don't watch that garbage. I have plenty of other/better things to do--like write.

Great idea, Lisa!! At least writing is constructive.

KM Nalle said...

I have never seen the appeal of the Bachelor or the Bachelorette since none of them can ever seem to keep it together after the show. Oh - I know a few couples made it, but the premise of the show always felt wrong to me. Degrading might be the word.

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