From where I sat, it was quite obvious who Bachelor Brad really felt romantic feelings for. You see, body language is a very honest giveaway. The interaction between Brad and that particular girl was always comfortable and animated. No pregnant pauses that typically bode disaster. In fact, he and she already behave like a couple. Unless Brad is a good actor, there was no way he could mask the telltale emotions he felt for that girl.
What I loathe about “The Bachelor” is the mad process that the lead has to pursue like a religion before picking the girl. After sending 26 Mrs. Womack wannabes home, he went to four hometowns, met four families, then at the Rose Ceremony, dumped someone who by then had not only fallen for him, but was probably already envisioning herself in a white dress at the altar. I guess the producers enjoy causing every rejected woman's heartbreak expecting a waterfall of tears streaming down the exit limo. In the next episode, the merciless procedure repeats itself until there are just two women to choose from.
If Brad was already feeling it for someone early in the "journey", why can’t he simply skip the farce of "having feelings" for each of the four girls and go straight to the point? The first time he went on a search, he strung along two innocent girls and dumped them both in the end. Although Brad looked painfully torn at the Final Rose Ceremony, it was cruel to the girls, but did anyone even care? Not the producers, I’m sure. Not when they can claim bragging rights to the "most shocking Final Rose Ceremony ever." All they cared about was the ratings and the fact that it would be the talk of Reality TV universe.
The final four women are nice, lovely girls who say they’re ready to commit. From the looks of it, each girl is living very well in America, specially that Chantal O. whose parents’ living room is bigger than the size of my whole house. In fact, their home is bigger than the church I go to! Are the four hometown dates really necessary? Does anyone really want to see how Shawntel N. embalms dead bodies as a way of life? Ashley H. showed Brad what real-life dating was all about by having him taste her local delicacy poutine (fries with cheese and gravy). It was painful to watch, not only single mom Emily's child interact with would-be stepdad, but Emily salivating over Brad and wanting him to kiss her so bad when it was obvious that his heart never left Seattle.
After so many painful seasons of “The Bachelor,” it’s time to re-invent this show. The formula has become a bit predictably stale and awfully boring. I’m sick of watching wild and crazy women behave like deprived citizens in a long line for a piece of bread. Women should learn to put a high-end price tag on themseves. That’s the only way that the men will value us and appreciate our genuine worth.
If the show is about a love story, I wish that the people behind "The Bachelor" would make it happen in a scenario that every working girl in America can relate to. The trips around the world make finding love more mind-blowing than it actually is.
With that said, I thank the producers for showing girls everywhere how lucky they are to be living a normal, authentic lifestyle. The helicopter rides looked exciting on my TV screen, but, no thanks, I’d rather have my feet firmly planted on the ground. That way it's easier to get up from a fall.
