The Bachelor--Diana

The Bachelor and the Bachelorette are awful shows. They are, to put it plainly, just so strange. If you are unfamiliar with the show, allow me to give you a quick rundown. Every season, the host, Chris Harrison, claims the upcoming season is like nothing viewers have ever seen before, and every season he is absolutely wrong. The show starts with about 25 to 30 men or women who have decided to put their everyday lives on hold, as well as to cut off communication with the outside world completely for six to nine weeks. They spend those weeks competing against the other contestants for time with the bachelor or bachelorette. And in the short amount of time that each individual will spend with the bachelor/bachelorette, they hope to have made a big enough impression or at least somewhat of a connection in hopes of being presented with a rose at the rose ceremony, confirming that they will be continuing with the competition. Over the course of weeks, the number of contestants dwindles down until there are two contestants left, one of which will be chosen by the bachelor/bachelorette to be their future spouse. It is such a strange and almost troublesome situation that the contestants willingly put themselves in, and it is even stranger to be on the receiving end and watch it. So why, might you ask, have I been so inclined to watch the last few seasons?

To give some insight into my hypocrisy, allow me to bring you to a different time. It was the start of second semester my junior year when I was beginning to feel stressed and anxious about the end of the year, more specifically, the soon to be arriving AP tests. I needed something to take my mind off of things, and my sister had coincidentally just started watching season 24 of the bachelor. We made it routine to get snacks and spend an hour and a half together every Monday night watching Peter (that season’s bachelor) make some of the worst choices he could have made and sending home girls who he could have actually had a future with. My sister and I were able to bond over our shared predictions for the season, as well as our disbelief when Peter chose to propose to Hannah Ann at the end of the season. Although the two weren’t able to find love and quickly ended their engagement, the experience allowed my sister and I to form a closer bond; and provided me with an escape from some of the stresses of school.

Fast forward to the start of my senior year. I, along with the majority of the seniors, was pretty upset that I wasn’t going to get a normal year and I was going to miss out on a lot of the activities I had saved specifically for my last year of high school. One prominent fear going forward was definitely being able to maintain my friendships, especially with those who I maybe didn’t have as many classes with. There were days where I could honestly say I felt completely powerless and struggled to listen to the day’s lessons. Days where I wasn’t in the right mindset. Days where I was just not okay (to put it simply). Once more, the bachelor franchise was able to provide me with some comfort. Two of my friends asked me if I wanted to watch one of the older seasons of the bachelor with them, and to be honest, I had never been more thankful to watch such an awful show. I could be feeling anxious, alone and completely stressed out due to spending hours in my room during school and afterwards doing homework, but I would feel so relieved and uplifted whenever I got a text or an incoming facetime (to watch the next episode), because it reminded me that I have amazing friends who are also going through the same thing, and who I can rely on.

The Bachelorette was equally, if not more, dramatic than the bachelor. My friends and I started watching the most recent season of the bachelorette and I think we were able to connect more due to our frustration with Miss Clare Crawley. We, unfortunately, were not able to finish the show together, due to finals, family obligations, etc; but that did not stop me from having an overall positive experience. Now, I know what you may be thinking. “Why didn’t you just watch the rest of the season on your own?” That’s the thing. It was never about the show. I was never watching it just for the drama or the antics, I was watching it because it allowed me to spend quality time with the people I really care about.

I never thought I would be thankful for such a ridiculous show that gives such unrealistic expectations of “love”, but I am. The show allowed me to connect with not only my sister, but also a few of my closest friends during a really rough time. It provided me with an escape from all the chaos and confusion of this past year and helped me through so many mental and emotional blocks, even if it was for only an hour and a half every week. I think knowing that I had people who were there for me, and who wanted to spend time with me, was the most significant part of the whole experience because it reminded me that I wasn’t alone and I could go to any of them whenever I was having a rough day. So, I guess my advice for you would be to keep doing what makes you happy, no matter how ridiculous it may seem.