The Bachelorfranchise needs to take a break after a heartbreaking season finale forThe Bacheloretteproved thatthe franchise doesn’t care about the people who lead their shows. While there have been issues throughoutThe BachelorandThe Bachelorettefor years, the shows have been as popular as ever with audiences and have brought new spin-offs to the franchise. Having first aired in 2002,The Bachelorquickly resonated with audiences. Showing fairy-tale romance mixed with a level of genuine love developing over a few short weeks, the show mixed elements of reality with the fantastical, creating a new experience.
As the show has become more modern, spin-offs likeBachelor In ParadiseandThe Golden Bachelorhave brought new elements into the franchise. Showing off different types of relationships and styles of communication, the franchise has become a cornerstone of reality TV dating, but it hasn’t been easy for the contestants and leads who appear on the show to advocate for themselves. WhileThe Bachelorfranchise appeared to cater to leads,The Bacheloretteseason 21has proven that the franchise doesn’t care about them at all. Now,with the audience distrustful, it’s time for the franchise to take a break.
They’ve Been Criticized For Years
AlthoughThe Bachelorhas been the longest-running franchise in reality TV dating with its many spin-offs and must-see episodes, it’s also been one of the most criticized over the years. With long-standing problems regarding race, social issues, sexuality, and behind-the-scenes care of the contestants, the franchise has never been without problems.Early on inThe Bachelor’shistory,the shows were criticized for their unrealistic standards, bringing couples on luxurious, unattainable dates before dropping them into the real world, only to see their relationships fail. In the ensuing years, things have become far more problematic for the popular reality TV franchise.
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With the franchise taking over a decade to cast a lead of color or incorporate practices of diverse casting into the shows,The Bachelorand its spin-offs have been critiquedfor their racially insensitive practices through the years. The franchise had to be pushed to become more racially inclusive, as they struggled to understand any issues. On top of this, the franchise has struggled to be inclusive of all sexualities andhas rarely taken care of the contestants on the shows. Dealing with health issues, both mentally and physically, those involved in theBachelorfranchise haven’t been properly cared for.
The Franchise Has Tried To Fix Things Without Taking A Step Back
They Haven’t Taken Time Away
WhileThe Bachelorfranchise has been called out numerous times in the past, they’ve never taken a step back to reassess their failures without the majority of their shows being in production. During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when social justice issues were being called out frequently in public,The Bachelorfranchise was called into question regarding specific and general issues viewers had. While some things were addressed, like original host Chris Harrison being removed from the series due to some racially insensitive remarks, most of the problems weren’t thoroughly looked at in favor of staying in production.
While the franchise claims they’ve reassessed their practices and feel like they’re doing a better job at being sensitive and inclusive,none of the shows were ever off the airfor the practices to be assessed.The Bachelorfranchise is a non-stop machinethat doesn’t take breaks from production, regardless of what shows they have coming up. Without there being any stoppage of work for the production team to genuinely look at the issues people have brought up, there’s no way for the franchise to actually change or grow. Instead,The Bachelorfranchise has made minor fixes to small issues.
Jenn Tran’s Season Of The Bachelorette Offers Prime Examples Of The Problems
The Franchise Is All About Spectacle
Throughout Jenn’s season ofThe Bachelorette,it became increasingly obvious what the problemsBachelorNation as a whole has noticedabout the franchise, as they were all evident during the season. First, Jenn’s casting wasn’t intentional, but instead a third-choice for the upcoming season. Because Jenn wasn’t the initial choice forBachelorette,her season wasn’t shaped around her journey, so it didn’t work on many emotional fronts. On top of all of that,TheBacheloretteproducers weren’t concerned for Jenn’s emotional well-beingthroughout the majority of the season, making it difficult for viewers to trust the way anything was handled.
The Bachelor Franchise Needs To Take A Break & Address Its Failures
They Need To Go Back To The Drawing Board
AlthoughThe Bachelorseason 29is already in the works with Grant Ellis as the lead, the franchiseneeds to take a break from production to address its failures and choose how to move forward. While many are hopeful to see moreBachelorcontent in the coming months, it would benefit the franchise to take a step back to attempt to solve the problems they face rather than putting a band-aid over them. Things will simply grow worse withinThe Bachelorfranchise if their issues aren’t addressed properly and changed for the better, with the leads and contestants as priorities.
Source:The Bachelorette/Instagram
The Bachelor
A captivating reality TV franchise, The Bachelor and its spin-offs follow a single man or woman as they date multiple people over several weeks, eliminating contestants along the way. The goal is to find true love, culminating in a dramatic final rose ceremony where they propose to their chosen one, blending romance and high-stakes drama.
