The Falcon   |   Volume 83, Issue 52

Published 5/22/13   |   Log In

The Bachelor only reality TV worth it

Entertainment value defeats mindlessness of dating show

By ALLEY JORDAN, Opinions Writer

Published: May 30, 2012

As Morgan Freeman so eloquently narrates in Feast of Love, “There is a story about the Greek gods. They were bored, so they invented human beings, but they were still bored, so they invented love. Then they weren’t bored any longer, so they decided to try love for themselves. And finally they invented laughter, so they could stand it.”

There is something bittersweet about laughing at other people’s miseries in the realm of love. It’s a feeling that permeates ABC’s The Bachelor (and The Bachelorette).

Every Monday night, my friends and I gather together at precisely 9 p.m. and spend the next two and a half hours yelling at the television with our mouths stuffed with Sour Patch Kids and Flaming Hot Cheetos. It’s been a tradition since freshman year.

Now that the new season of The Bachelorette is up and running, our Monday nights are occupied once again. And we are not alone. The Bachelor and The Bachelorette have the eyes of millions around the country glued to the television.

Former Seattle Pacific philosophy professor Dr. Ken Himma would often talk about the drama in Brad’s season at the start of class. Nothing like a little philosophy and superficial love in the morning.

Reality television shows are typically not my cup of tea, but I will shamelessly admit that The Bachelor and The Bachelorette have won my attention, and for good reason.

Namely, the shows provide mindless entertainment. It is so much fun to count how many helicopters each season overuses. Or to laugh at host Chris Harrison’s one-liner when he shows up for literally two seconds at the start of each Rose Ceremony, saying, “This is the final rose tonight. When you’re ready.”

And let us not forget the ridiculous contestants.

For example, this season’s The Bachelorette has that weird guy with the ostrich egg, Jef (with one “f,” mind you), whose hair almost reaches the height of Conan O’Brien’s.

The overly dramatic music accompanied by the star-crossed lovers’ tears and fears of getting voted off has captivated millions of viewers.

We all laugh because the contestants take so very seriously the notion that this show will actually provide them with “true love” even though the series does not have the best track-record for successful relationships.

Yet we are as hopeful as they.

With the exception of Season 15’s Brad Womack, we cheer and root for the bachelor and bachelorette in the hopes that they will find someone as desperate for love as they are.

As it stands, I have high hopes for this season’s bachelorette, Emily and her decision-making skills.

After all, the end result could not be any worse than last season’s Ben Flajnik choosing Courtney, the contestant other contestants dubbed the “black widow.”

This season of The Bachelorette is much more subdued than last season’s The Bachelor, probably because the men on the show are a lot less catty and dramatic than the women on previous seasons. Remember Michelle from Brad’s season?

The Bachelor and The Bachelorette get better every season and are worthy ways to spend our Monday nights.

The shows are a guilty pleasure that I do not intend on getting rid of any time soon.

Staff reporter Alley Jordan is a junior political science major at Seattle Pacific.

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