As much as it pains me, a reality TV junkie, to say this -- I have to tell you something. What you see on The Bachelor is fake. Let me explain: This week on her Bachelor blog, former Bachelorette Ali Fedotowsky confesses that producers help choose who the Bachelor/Bachelorette goes on 2-on-1 dates and spends time with. As in, their quest for love TOTALLY uses some sort of headset-wearing behind-the-scenes GPS.
Ali's logic behind the whole thing makes sense. If The Bachelor really cared about the two girls he was bringing on a 2-on-1 date, it would make sending one of them home horrible. This way, the producers pick at least one girl he doesn't care about -- and then someone he does who doesn't go on the date is safe and still in the game.
I feel lied to, but to be real, I'm not even mad. Think of it this way: The producers know how to make good television. Would you rather spend your Tuesday nights entertained or bored? I'm gonna go with entertained.
What I think is important to note here is that, ultimately, the people that The Bachelor and Bachelorette contestants really do love are the ones that stick around. When you get that many people into the same scenario vying for the attention of one person, there's just no way everyone's gonna click. I'm sure that without the producers stepping in and helping to stage these 2-on-1 dates, things would flow less smoothly, even more feelings would get hurt, and each individual Bachelor would be hella confused.
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It does kind of suck, though, thinking about the fact that these men and women are going out on dates and making out with people they know they don't really care about just because, well, they can. But again, I'd rather watch things get steamy on TV. Does that make me a bad person? Eh, I'm OK with it because, really, this is the kind of emotional ridiculousness the contestants signed up for when they stepped onto a "reality" dating show to find love.
Does it surprise you that the producers intervene?
Image via ABC
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Comments 5
UH REALLY? It took someone from the "inside" to convince you of this? Please admit it, you think professionally wrestling is real too? There is no "real" reality tv, even on PBS and shows like that, they suggest actions/dialogs, change camera angles, create conflict by talking to businesses, and so on and so on............and on the blatant so called reality shows, they have script meetings, reshoot scenes, and plant things/people to create "real scenes".............and don't take my word for this (even though if you actualy paid attention to any of these shows you should notice on your onw), my houseguest for Christmas is a line producer for the Discovery Channel. She explained the process from the show being pitched to being filmed...........sorry you had to find this out this way, but I've got some really bad news for you regarding Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and several things that might be a shock...................................................geeezzzz and you got paid for this article?
Well...duh...
Someone didn't watch Behind the Scenes of the Real World ten-something years ago! I thought that was required to maintain citizenship. ANYWAY: The producers not only arrange things unserendipitously, but they are also well-versed in the power of suggestion: many of the hookups that took place arose out of a producer off-handedly saying to a target that "so-and-so looks good today, huh?" and then disappearing into the darkness leaving the victim with a mind grenade that would explode hours later on camera.
I wouldn't be surprised if that's how the bulk of the cat-fights begin on The Bachelor... a producer unleashing little mind ninjas everywhere. I want that power.