By Lily Bonadies
It’s a Monday night, eight o’ clock, and a group of guys sit closely around their common room television.
Brian Laughlin, ’19, never thought he would watch The Bachelor, but now he is hooked. “I started watching it Jojo’s season because my girlfriend watched it,” he admits. He is far from the only guy watching the reality soap opera.
After all, the show has: suspense, drama and plenty of bikinis! It is even great for Fantasy Leagues. As Dr. Craig Pohlman, a psychologist in Charlotte, North Carolina, explains in his article “Why Guys Watch The Bachelor,” on Shrinktank.com, “Points can be earned for roses (obviously), but also for PDA, crying on the side and trash talking.” Laughlin agrees that the people on The Bachelor really play it up for the camera. “I think [the show] could possibly be a way to find love, but I think 80 per cent of them are there to get famous and act interested to see how much air time they can get,” he said.
On social media, guys are also getting into the act and gossiping. Bachelor Nation, a group of diehard fans of the show, includes men — and they are not shy about giving their input on Twitter and Facebook. Vinny Ventiere recently posted on Twitter saying “In Corinne’s defense there are no rules to the journey She felt her connection with Nick was strong what’s wrong w a lil nap.”
Laughlin is still tuned into the drama of The Bachelor and is following every move on the show. Who does he like? “Chris B., Harrison, Chad for a little while until he went off the deep end…and I really like Vanessa and Rachel right now. I don’t understand why they’re on the show.”
Daniel Ramos, ’17, is another Bachelor fan who watches weekly, but he just started watching this season. “This is the first season I’m watching, because I am in love with Corrine,” he says. “It’s a fun thing to watch with my friends. It’s funny to see how ridiculous some of the [things] are that happen on the show.” His favorite character is Corrine and his least favorite is Nick.
Veronica McMorrow, ‘19, started watching The Bachelor about a year ago and watches the show every week with her friends. “I like watching the show because I find it funny, not because I condone any of the actions,” she said.“Most of the girls are completely different people on the show compared to in real life. It could be a way to find love, but the people finding that love I think are fake and the relationships won’t last.” Veronica says her favorite characters are Vanessa and Raven because they act the most like themselves. Her least favorites? Nick and Corine. “They both seem the most fake out of anyone and seem to just be there for exposure, which is why I think they would be good together,” Veronica thinks more guys are watching The Bachelor these days because of the girls on the show.
More guys than girls are watching The Bachelor these days, but it seems like everyone who tunes in is addicted to the characters on the show.