I wonder why they decided to call it The Bachelor Pad? After all, cast members are split evenly between the sexes- and estrogen and progesterone flow freely through the house. Everyone knows its about ratings- so we are all contributing to it by watching. Of course, as a dating coach, I need to keep abreast of everything dating… As a married person, I must contend with a spouse who comes into the room saying, “You have got to be kidding…”
Let’s look at what this show offers. Besides raging hormones, we have the assorted characters with all their personal drama, acting out and hooking up. What is most interesting (in my view) are the interactions between various individuals and the games that a number of them are playing in order to walk away with a nice sum of money at the end. We have witnessed emotional blackmail, ganging up, and back stabbing- behaviors which (sadly) are far more prevalent among the women. How many souls will be sold in order to stay? There are also the “couples,” and would be couples among the group. I find myself sympathizing with several characters (mainly Jessie K- run honey, she is trouble). Then there are the ones who are a bit much- Tenly for instance. Her persona is sweet, but is she really as innocent and defenseless as she appears? And WHY do a number of the women follow Elizabeth so loyally? Perhaps they buy her act about being mistreated by Jesse and identify due to their own past dating experiences. One thing is for sure-this is truly a dysfunctional TV “family.”
So what benefit could a viewer get from watching it other than entertainment? It’s unclear, but perhaps we can hold the behaviors up like a mirror to ourselves and look for traits we share and that we could work on eliminating. Or maybe the audience should leave comments on various blog forums, cheering on the singles who do the right thing even if it leads to their elimination. Who knows? The network may decide to come up with a version of the Bachelors/Bachelorettes who demonstate the most decency, restraint, compassion and friendliness to others. A version of “the Good Wife,” only it would be “the good single.”
