I don't understand the appeal of this show

[cafegirl]

Anemic Dog that was an excellent summary of the past and ideas for the future!!! If only.......... :
the closest they came to the bachelor living with them was Byron living in the Pool house.... which proved interesting!! I like both the live in the same house idea and the extended fantasy date. ... and please let them talk about something besides relationships!! ........ it's been told by several ex bachelor and b/ette's that they had little free time to really talk to each other about the normal stuff couples normally exchange in conversations during the 'getting to know each other' stage.

[moflan]

Watching this is a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. It's escape-from-reality TV and it reinforces to me that no matter how low-key and dull my life may sometimes seem, it is normal. Watching these women helps me to appreciate being married and having children and not having to sell my dignity in the process.

All in all, I appreciate normalcy more when I see the lunacy that this show's editing broadcasts each week. The appeal is also that I then write up my thoughts on the show and e-mail that out to 3 friends on Tuesday mornings. This recap / debrief is the springboard for an e-mail string that takes us through most of Tuesday and into Wednesday. Pretty sad that it takes this show to force me to keep in touch, but it does.

[vicyn8]

http://www.queendom.com/tests/minitests/fx/voyeur.html

[snoopy]

It's a great escape, yes. It is fun to watch them in a 99% no win situation (not to be mean, but better to watch than to be!) and to watch human nature in such a situation. It is also fun to watch if they beat the odds. That's my personal excuse for loving the show. Call me what you will, but I will keep watching.

[MsFroggy]

It's really hard to explain the appeal of the show, because I think people watch this for many reasons. On the surface, the reason, and what the show officially wants to be your reason, is to see a romantic "connection" (so sorry) develop between two people. But it's painfully obvious that if you think about it logically the format cannot work and doesn't work. What are the chances that when presented with one guy alone, you'd be attracted to him? The Bachelor has 25 to pick from, but any bachelorette only has one choice. They are forced to talk themselves into liking the guy if they want to stay on. I think a lot of relationships created on the show failed because the women, fueled by the competition, by the circumstances, by the fantasy, by the lack of another choice, imagined an attachment to the Bachelor. But after the fantasy faded and real life set in, without helicopter rides, jewels, private tours and unrealistic dates, both parties woke up from the dream and started getting real. At least that's what I say when I want to sound less cynical. Most of the time I just say it doesn't work because these people are all in it for their 15 minutes of fame. Not that I object, I'm in it to make fun of their delusion and make sure that if there's something to pick on, it gets picked on . No comedic stone left unturned! That's my motto.

It seems to me, that if the producers were serious about making a show that works, they could increase the chances of success in several different ways:

1) Have more than one Bachelor to chose from. Help improve the odds, in other words.
2) Allow them at least a day or two, to get to know each other before the first elimination round. That way they can all make better decisions and not accidentally let go of someone with potential.
3) Give them time, time and more time to talk and then, talk some more. That way when someone gets cut, it's more of a certainty that they were cut because there really wasn't anything there.
4) Cut out all the actresses, cheerleaders, models, beauty queens, obvious party girls, virgins or overly conservative women. They can go on Elimidate if they want to be on television.
5) Get a guy who is at least somewhat genuinely serious about wanting to find a woman to at least have a relationship with.
6) Eliminate the pressure to propose. It is extremely unrealistic to expect anyone to fall in love, let alone propose to another person after 6 weeks of heavily monitored interaction and exagerated circumstances that involve "fantasy dates" which are impossible to copy in real life. However, do not replace engagement rings with ridiculous third tier options like "promise rings" and "friendship rings" and plane tickets. I'd rather there be nothing given out. Make the "connection" formed (so sorry) the "prize".

Of course all these measures would result in a genuine show, with excellent intentions of trying to really see people find a match.... and eminently boring television. So, it will never happen.
So I guess, the appeal of the show is really in the entertainment it provides: the rotten eggs, the catfights, the jealousies, the cheesy lines, the standard Bachelor lingo, the tears, the manufactured or real drama. Romance is secondary, in my opinion, and more like a pretext for all the above.

I really appreciate it for what it is, and try not to expect more. That way no matter what happens I'll be looking forward to the next installment and hoping they won't cancel the show. It's too much fun!

PS. I actually don't like it when the Bachelor and his final pick end up together and stay together. It tarnishes my nice theory and that's very annoying. Can't stand that moron Charlie...

[kmjm]

All good points, Ms. Froggy.

I got addicted to the Bachelor/ette during Meredith's season, or more accurately, after Mer's season. I was blown away by the surprise and the sincerity of Ian's proposal. It was a magical moment, and so real and true, I think many of us were caught up in it. Although I was sorry it didn't last, not all the loves of your life end in marriage!

After the show, many of us began to analyze our tapes for clues of the real story that Fleiss had hidden. There were a lot of Matt fans who were apoplectic at the ending, they felt so deceived by the show, which was full of misdirection. And that started, for me at least, the interest in figuring out the real story going on in spite of all the editing tricks. (Although I know that many of you here were already deep into FRC suit lapel analysis during Mer's season.)

Sleuthing out the ending and uncovering the editing tricks has been developed into a high art here. I haven't had the time to be involved much this season, it's all I can do to keep up with reading the threads! But I really do enjoy the detective work that others have done.

However, what I'm always hoping for is another true and romantic end like Ian and Meredith. I thought we had it with Jen and Jerry, but then that horrible woman ruined it all!

I vastly prefer the Bachelorette to the Bachelor. I find it hard to watch 25 women act like idiots over a guy. I prefer to watch 25 hot guys!

[MsFroggy]

Hee, Kmjm! Well, I do prefer The Bachelorette too. I'd rather see 25 men trip all over themselves in their haste to get their paws on one woman because it's so unreal and so much more entertaining. However I disagree with the 25 "hot guys" remark, . During Jen's season there were only about 5 fairly good looking guys, and only Jerry was genuinely hot, the rest were lukewarm in comparison.
Somebody needs to bring back Jerry, STAT!!!

[RandalR]

Hee, Kmjm! Well, I do prefer The Bachelorette too. I'd rather see 25 men trip all over themselves in their haste to get their paws on one woman because it's so unreal and so much more entertaining. However I disagree with the 25 "hot guys" remark, . During Jen's season there were only about 5 fairly good looking guys, and only Jerry was genuinely hot, the rest were lukewarm in comparison.
Somebody needs to bring back Jerry, STAT!!!

The Bachelorette is boring because the guys tend to become friends and don't fight the way the women do. Didn't one of them say during Trista's season that they were all kind of disappointed on "date days" because they couldn't go out with each other and do more interesting things?

Which is also interesting - if that remark was true then Fleiss is apparently smart enough not to confine a group of men to a "Bachelor House" 100% of the time with no forms of external stimulation the way he does with the women - he knows it would escalate way beyond catty remarks. They would, in fact, kill each other.

[kmjm]

The Bachelorette is boring because the guys tend to become friends and don't fight the way the women do. Didn't one of them say during Trista's season that they were all kind of disappointed on "date days" because they couldn't go out with each other and do more interesting things?

Which is also interesting - if that remark was true then Fleiss is apparently smart enough not to confine a group of men to a "Bachelor House" 100% of the time with no forms of external stimulation the way he does with the women - he knows it would escalate way beyond catty remarks. They would, in fact, kill each other.

Randal, I must disagree! I remember fights among the guys during both Meredith's and Jen's seasons. (Trista was too long ago for me to remember much of anything.) Who was it that challenged Slipper Rick around the pool table for not being sincere? Remember the Fabrice set-to with the virgins? And Jerry wanting the dirt on John Paul?

There have been plenty of accounts of friendships the women form in the house, but they rarely show it on TV. I think that the idea of beautiful women in cat fights over a guy is something that appeals to Fleiss and perhaps many male viewers. I think they set things up for conflicts and only show those interviews where the women complain about each other. Showing friendships developing and good times doesn't fit the script of the show.

As far as I know the same rules apply to the men and the women, in terms of being confined to the house.

[RandalR]

Remember the Fabrice set-to with the virgins? And Jerry wanting the dirt on John Paul?

Well, calling Fabrice a "man" is stretching the definition quite a bit.