I’m just gonna come out and say it: this season of The Bachelor isn’t really working for me.
The show has been taking things too far this season and has strong misogynistic tones that just don’t sit right with me.
I get it. The whole premise of The Bachelor inherently pits women against each other to fight for a man, and The Bachelorette does the same with men. There are segments and games created just for the sake of making people look foolish. Trust me, it makes me laugh. I mean, don’t we all subconsciously watch the show to see it for the trainwreck that it is? But this season feels different. It’s simultaneously lazy and trying too hard. And it just feels icky.
We are only a few weeks in and the show has already put the women in dangerous and disgusting scenarios. The demolition derby and the GLOW wrestling made several women openly uncomfortable. Brittany actually got badly hurt during the derby, and Tia and Bibiana were visibly upset by the wrestling and the insults being hurled at them by the professional GLOW girls. They spoke up about their discomfort, but many others did not (which is understandable), despite their obvious discomfort as well. Is that really fun to watch?
In last night’s episode, Arie and the women went on a group date “hike”. I put hike in quotation marks because it seemed more like an episode of Fear Factor than a fun group outing. When Arie and the ladies arrived at the start, they were greeted by a former Green Beret who gave them a few survival tips. They were immediately instructed to eat earthworms and pee in travel mugs in case they need to rehydrate along the journey. Because that’s necessary for a one hour hike, right?
I couldn’t help but scratch my head. Again, I get it. This was supposed to be funny. But in my opinion, these segments weren’t even entertaining to watch. It was not only gross but lacked creativity. Is this what we’ve come to? Drinking your own piss to prove your devotion? Good gracious.
In general, making the women physically fight each other and eat worms is just dumb. But there’s a certain nuance to these situations that makes them even more misogynistic. How many times during these dates have we seen one of the girls say something to the extent of “I’m more adventurous than other girls” or “I’m not like the other girls.”
Guess what? It’s awesome to be like other girls!! Girls are great! Haven’t you heard Hailee Steinfeld’s song “Most Girls?” A freakin’ anthem if I’ve ever heard one.
These challenges, along with the questions prompted to the contestants by the producers, are adding up to a situation that’s just not right. It feels like they are trying extra hard to make the girls uncomfortable, prove themselves, or make themselves seem better than the other women. It just doesn’t work for me this time. Is it overcompensation because Arie is so bland?
With female empowerment at the forefront of our current social and political atmosphere, this all feels like it is in poor taste. Again, I am a fan of the show and understand that the nature of the show puts women in competition with each other and that things will get silly and embarrassing, but this season has been taking it too far in my opinion. No more piss drinking, please.
READ THIS NEXT
‘Bachelorette’ Rachel and Bryan Respond to Constant Social Media Hate
