The Bachelor: Review
season 24
COURTESY IMAGE // ABC
In the 24 seasons of The Bachelor, only one man has remained with his final rose pick. Despite this, the show typically does a good job of making it seem as though there are actual long-term stakes in the game. After all, what prize is greater than love? Yet, this season’s overproduction and star Peter Weber’s general incompetence led to an emotional journey that I can only describe as riding a rollercoaster while tranquilised. While the producers threw constant twists and turns, I just sat there numb. Yet, for some reason, I was unable to leave.
Peter Weber seems to be a genuinely sweet, moderately confused man. Unfortunately, his kindness allowed him to be constantly persuaded by the women. He sent Alayah home after someone doubted whether she was there for the ever-so-elusive “right reasons.” In the next episode, she returned to crash a group date. Peter allowed this to happen and listened intently as she trashed the other contestants. He then rewarded this behaviour with a rose. That is until the women found out. After an insurrection that echoed the fury and passion of the French Revolution, Peter decided not only to revoke the rose but to send Alayah home the same night.
In a perfect world, that would be the only blunder I would have to write about. However, this was only a dent in Peter’s jar of mistakes. One of his final three picks was Victoria F, a former White Lives Matter model and gaslighting expert. In general, he kept the most volatile women and cut off those who were not immediately ready to pour their souls out to him.
While I live for the drama, it is excessive when done aggressively and just for the sake of more drama. Great reality TV is guided by an invisible hand. When the performer for someone’s one-on-one date is their ex-boyfriend, it’s hard not to see the puppeteer’s strings in motion. Another miraculous moment was when the producers “accidentally” booked only one hotel room for the remaining women during fantasy suite week. What a horrible coincidence that the women had to live together while they took turns having the opportunity to spend a private night with Peter!
The season ended with Peter proposing to Hannah Ann, despite not being over Madison, or even former-Bachelorette Hannah Brown. For some reason, this did not go well. Peter then called off the proposal and attempted to win Madison back. To his credit, this worked for approximately one full day until his mother found out on live TV and berated the couple. Things immediately ended, as destiny demanded they do. Now he is in a happy relationship with Kelley, a woman he eliminated in the final four.
In a way, this season of The Bachelor was a metaphor for life: often pointless, but vaguely enjoyable. While watching the show was a waste of my time, I cannot really regret it. What productive thing would I have even done anyway?