After last week’s post, one of my buddies sent me this article. Fantasy Bachelor? I had to quit Fantasy Football because I was obsessed. Waking up in the middle of the night worried about guys’ hamstrings. I didn’t know this existed, but it is intriguing. Also just for clarification purposes (and because of all the taunting I’ve gotten these last few weeks) I don’t watch either show. I’ve seen 8 or 9 episodes ever. This summer season I watched more any other. Kaitlyn’s breakup with Nick was one of the most difficult things to watch. Kaitlyn tried to justify all their times of intimacy but Nick wasn’t having it. Why is this? Maybe because it’s not meant to be that way. Maybe because we are not meant to sleep with more than one person at once (or ever!). OK, onward.
- It takes place in a vacuum that has no resemblance to the real world of dating. While you are getting to know this potential spouse, there are 3 or 4 production people (camera operators, producers, etc.) with you at all times in exotic locations. No cell phones, no texting, no social media, no technology. It is a false condition. Former contestants have said that they could be asked to “repeat” a scene multiple times to “get it right.” The Bachelor films 100% and uses less than 1%. They can tell whatever story they want. You don’t form the foundation for hopefully 50+ years together when you start your dating relationship with the honeymoon, surrounded by cameras and lights.
- This potential spouse is having the exact same interactions, both physical and emotional, with 3 or 5 or 10 other people! You can’t form an intimate, life-long relationship (resulting in marriage!) in a series of themed 4-hour group dates.
- There is no time or potential for friendship before the marriage proposal. Marriage needs the foundation of friendship and not solely romance.
- The show rewards interrupting, rude, ultra-assertive behavior, and being a conniving, scheming, sneaky person.
- Promotes pushing other people down in order to get ahead. Don’t you want your spouse to have an “others first” foundation? This foundation will get them kicked off the very first episode!
- The show takes single moms and dads away from their kids for weeks (maybe months) in a row. This cannot be good for the family, the kids, or the parents.
- The message is you can’t be complete without a mate. You are not OK on your own. A 25-year-old that got kicked off last season bemoaned it was her “last ditch effort”. If this is true I am in big trouble (cause I am a little more than 25). “The women on The Bachelor aren’t competing for a man so much as they’re competing for a life—for their vision of how things are supposed to unfold.”
The more respect we give The Bachelor the more our society will degrade the true meaning of love, marriage, and family. Next week: Do we have a soulmate?
Comments, corrections, what did I miss? Please comment below