Why I Love The Bachelor & Don’t Care Who Knows It
It started with The Bachelor 2017, went onto The Bachelorette and yes, even Bachelor in Paradise. I even went to a live taping of The Bachelor: Canada after show. I had never watched The Bachelor before last year- I had never really been a fan of reality TV- but something switched when my son was born. Why I Love The Bachelor & Don’t Care Who Knows It
Previously, I had been a HUGE fan of Criminal Minds, Law & Order and other primetime crime dramas. As a victim of rape, I felt like watching these criminals captured and prosecuted was achieving some sort of justice, (albeit fictional), that I never got. I loved the chase, the fear, the drama and every case was a story of good versus evil that would tie up perfectly in an hour.
I’m not going to lie, I still love Law & Order: SVU (Olivia Benson is a saint! A Saint!) and Dateline (it’s so perfectly cheesy) but I don’t watch it with the same commitment that I used to. Seeing children abused or killed (even fictional) is something my stomach can’t handle anymore. Becoming a mother has affected my body, my hormones and also, my heart. Suddenly, a search for a missing boy on the screen made me feel sick and would haunt my dreams at night. I would wake up in a cold sweat and check on my son hourly. I started empathizing deeply with the parents who had lost children or who were unable to protect their kids. Each episode broke my heart and sent me into a night of tears. Why I Love The Bachelor & Don’t Care Who Knows It
Then one sleep deprived evening, after rocking our infant to sleep, my husband and I turned on the TV and saw a woman come out of a limo in a shark suit insisting that she was a dolphin. In fact, there was a whole house of super dolled up women with some very questionable ‘careers’, all wanting to marry this super flakey guy who didn’t move his mouth when he talked! They were all really mean to each other. They cried at the drop of a hat. They gossiped about each other constantly. They all squealed and drank too much and said things like, ‘I…like… just want to know what’s going on in his head.’ It was glorious!
Finally! We had found an outlet that took no emotional connectivity and allowed us to enjoy a world that was as deep as a puddle. It was so far removed from our reality that it felt like a true escape. No children (except for Bekah on this season- Am I right?), no detectives, no crimes besides ‘Her boob job is brutal,‘ ‘She should not be wearing that dress,’ and ‘If she already has a rose, she shouldn’t be trying to talk to him again.’ It was relief to disconnect from the overwhelming emotions that came with being a new mom and let the superficial drama of 30 women and one man distract me for a while. It was also something to talk about with other moms besides sore nipples, sleep depravation and the texture of baby poo. Why I Love The Bachelor & Don’t Care Who Knows It
It has become a ‘thing.’ On Monday nights, my husband and I open a bottle of wine and watch The Bachelor together. Sometimes we even fold laundry if we really want to ramp things up. I love that I don’t have to think about my toddler and this fun new hitting phase, worry about his fibre intake or if my new potential mom friend thinks I came on to strong (I probably did). We get to disconnect from the emotions, stress and challenge in our daily lives and allow ourselves a brainless indulgence for two-beautiful hours.
So yes, I watch The Bachelor…and I love it! Why I Love The Bachelor & Don’t Care Who Knows It