Why Watch the Bachelor/Bachelorette?

    

      In the past 19 Seasons of the Bachelor/Bachelorette, it can be safely said that the success rate is few and far between. Before the end of the current season, only 16% of couples have stayed together. So why try to be a contestant on the Bachelor/Bachelorette? Some try it for fame; some try it to actually find love (SHOCKER); some try it to become the next Bachelorette or Bachelor. The ladies and gentleman that go on the Bachelor and Bachelorette have different reasons, but why do people want to watch the show? I have friends that have observed the show to see the crazy people. What if people view the show to learn a variety of sexual behaviors? I bet people watch the show for that reason as well. It is an easy way to learn sexual scripts and the way people of the opposite sex act in different situations. It may not be the best representation of how to act, but this is the ruse that people fall into. This trap shows how a young adult thinks he or she should act. Often times the representation on the Bachelor and Bachelorette is a fairytale. The couples go on extravagant dates that are very unrealistic for any middle class couple. Although these dates are impractical, the Bachelor and Bachelorette can teach a young person watching the show to be responsible. The overnight dates take place in the last few weeks of the show. The couples always talk about the option of whether or not they should spend the night together before deciding on what to do. This promotes being sexually safe and can also be used as a sex education tool. As stated by Rebecca Collins and her other cowriters, “television is sometimes a healthy sex educator and may aid parents rather than usurp their roles” (Collins, 1). In addition to the entertainment value, this series can teach viewers different techniques on how to be safe in a sexual relationship. Although this show has the capability of educating young adults on how to communicate their feelings to members of the opposite sex, it remains in the participants’ hands on exactly how the scenario unfolds.  

Reference: 
Collins, R. (2003). Entertainment Television as a Healthy Sex Educator: The Impact of Condom-Efficiency Information in a Friends Episode. Pediatrics, 1115.