"The Bachelor" franchise has remained wildly successful for over 15 years. When the reality dating show debuted on March 25, 2002, Indiana University alumna Trista Rehn said she hoped she would find a husband at the end of the show.
Unfortunately for her, it did not work out, and she was named the first ever “Bachelorette.” Luckily, she found love, in what some haters might call a hopeless place, with Ryan Sutter, and the two have been together since.
The couple live a modest and quiet life in Vail, Colorado. The couple has made an effort to stay out of the spotlight. To me, it seems like Sutter was looking for love and not her 15 seconds of fame like some of her recent successors.
I have seen a recent trend occurring in the "B" and "C"-list celebrity world. After their 15 seconds is up, they start a podcast in an attempt to stay relevant. Trista and Ryan do not have a podcast, so that begs the question: who goes on the show for the right reasons and who is just looking for a fast pass to Page 6?
Funny enough, Ashley Iaconetti and Ben Higgins, two notable contestants on “The Bachelor” and “Bachelor in Paradise” series, have a weekly podcast entitled, “The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast.”
Most of America knows Iaconetti as the Kardashian-wannabe and the girl who cries a lot from Chris Soules’ season, and Higgins is known as the sweet, small town Indiana boy, who also came to both the Men and Women’s Little 500 Bike Race in 2016.
In their debut “episode," Ben and Ashley I. recap the premiere of season 13 of “The Bachelorette,” featuring Rachel Lindsay as the lead. The two provide commentary about the most cringe-worthy moments of the opening episode, including a direct message Ashley received on Instagram from one of the most recent "Bachelorette" cast mates.
Lucas Yancey, otherwise known as the “Whaboom guy” on Rachel’s season, direct messaged Ashley to let her know he was a fan, that he was going to be on the current season and that he hoped all was well.
To this, Ben said, “I think he is trying to make all connections he can, before this thing kind of fades away."
It came out eventually on the show that Lucas did not sign up for the dating show for the right reasons, and in fact was just looking for an outlet to fame.
IU sophomore Libby Delaney said, “I think that people sign up for the show thinking that it could work out for them, but if it doesn’t, it’s not a bad thing because the show makes you sort of famous, it makes people more attracted to them.”
Out of the 15 years this franchise has been on air, only 10 couples remain together, which is not very good odds, considering there have been over 20 seasons combined of “The Bachelor," “The Bachelorette," "Bachelor Pad” and “Bachelor in Paradise.”
Long-time watcher and lover of every “Bachelor” season, IU sophomore Jenna Gonzalez said, “While some contestants go on 'The Bachelor' or 'Bachelorette' for the fun of it, I think that they end up surprising themselves with how the process really works. Sure, some of the relationships don't end up working, but that's the way all relationships are, whether they are formed on 'The Bachelor' or in reality.”
While this show may be entertaining, I would not describe this as a viable option to find a partner.
No matter what the reason for signing up for the show is, it sure makes for a good binge-watching night with popcorn and your roommates.
