‘The Bachelorette’: The three flaws to Kaitlyn Bristowe’s season
We know that there has been a ton of “drama” on this season of “The Bachelorette.” We have seen men behaving badly, Kaitlyn Bristowe facing off against social-media haters, and of course constant hyperbole about whether or not this or that is the most dramatic thing in the history of history. One of the many reasons many have become so skeptical and cynical about this series is that there is a history of rampant misrepresentation. Shocking moments are often taken out of context, or placed in a way that makes you think they are only a week away when they are really so much further down the road.
We’re not here to rag on franchise tradition, though; our main goal of this article is to explain using specific examples why this may be the most frustrating season of “The Bachelorette” to date. None of them specifically have to do with Kaitlyn herself, largely because we feel like there are enough articles about her one way or another, and this is not meant to be a personal attack.
1. No real narrative – If you were to ask someone where Kaitlyn is from or what she does for a living, would anyone know? What sort of life is looking for? We cannot imagine that someone would be willing to go through this show without expecting some of these doors to be open. We know so little about Kaitlyn from an editing point of view; yet, the show was willing to show Monday night a solid ten to fifteen minutes of Shawn Booth reassurance, and last week we heard sex noises from inside her hotel room with Nick Viall. This is what the show is presently deciding to show us instead.
2. Fewer off-camera moments – Does this “hamper the process”? Sure, but so does casting around four or five people a season who you know are only there to start fights. (We could make a separate note this season about how casting for both Kaitlyn and Britt Nilsson likely left her with an extra five men who were completely useless as compared to the normal season.) Much of Monday’s narrative revolved around hearsay from a conversation between Kaitlyn and Shawn, which doesn’t make for great TV. Think about it this way: Would “Survivor” be as great if one of the most important alliances filmed when one of the camera people around? You cannot suddenly pretend it is any closer to reality by giving people a couple of hours away from camera before the overnight dates. This is a TV show first, and we’re missing chunks of the story. The no-camera experience is what makes the overnight dates stand out.
3. No consistent flow – The fact that episodes do not end with Rose Ceremonies anymore make the entire process feel even more manipulative, and it is also much more difficult to follow in terms of consistency. Now, the show knows that they can milk every last second out of a dramatic argument, even if it doesn’t go anywhere, just so that they can create a cliffhanger. To us, this deprives some contestants of a real opportunity to form one last connection viewers. Feel for Tanner Monday, who couldn’t even get the dignity of a proper exit package after being ignored most of the season.
“The Bachelorette” is not high art, nor will it ever be. It is a show designed largely with silly entertainment in mind. Yet, this season has become so fixated on moments generated for social-media discussion, it’s forgot almost that there should be a story behind it. It is like we are reading the Cliffnotes version of a romance to study for a test, getting the necessary facts without knowing why they matter.
We will be back later in the week to discuss Monday’s episode further, which we will do at the link here. Also, sign up if you are interested in having some other news on everything we cover at CarterMatt sent over to you, courtesy of our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: ABC.)