(See the updated Bachelor Scorecard)
Now, instead of waiting for the end of the final episode to see who gets the guy, viewers also have to sit through "After the Final Rose" to see what happens following the supposed end.
In this case, after telling both women he was "in love" with them, Flajnik picked Courtney because she was his "forever." Then having watched the actual show, he found out how nasty she was to her competitors during filming and started doubting the so-called relationship. (This, of course, was relayed to him during filming last year, but he had to see it for himself.)
There was a break-up.
Ben was spotted by paparazzi with other women during this period, though he said the photos taken were misleading.
Magically, things were patched up for last night's "After" broadcast. The two, in tears most of the time, pledged their devotion to each other, were re-engaged and promised to move on with their life together despite the spotlight they claim had interfered with their auspicious start.
Where to begin? After more than ten years of reality TV in this country, it's as if these folks are completely naive about reality shows. And Ben, for Pete's sake, was a Bachelorette contestant before this train wreck. Not to mention that any woman, I think, would be unsure about a man who up until the hour of his marriage proposal tells another woman he's in love with her. ???
Only the viewers can be to blame for the success of this franchise, myself included, though I only watched bits and pieces of this season until last night. Audiences continue to tune in, but I suspect, many watch for the spectacle, not the "romance."
As you can see from my updated scorecard, only two couples from the entire series of Bachelor/Bachelorettes are still standing - Trista and Ryan and Ashley and J.T., the latter of which appeared in last night's program happy as ever. The formula, if measured for successful relationships, is a failure, though certainly not when it comes to the ratings.
No comments:
Post a Comment