We’re Still Watching This?

If you know me, you know that not only am I America’s Relationship Guru, but I like me a little reality TV now and again (yes, I openly admit that it’s one of my vices). Love me a little Survivor, Biggest Loser and I even watched The Bachelor when it forst started for the first couple of seasons. The thing is, I got sick of it PDQ. It was the same thing: a bunch of beautiful women who threw themselves at a handsome man, then, behind closed doors, were like a bunch of cats thrown into a burlap sack, backstabbing and fighting with one another.

Then, as they got eliminated, these women expressed that they were trul heartbroken after six weeks of datiung a man who had been dating seven other women. Finally, he’d choose the woman of his dreams and she’s accept his proposal and they would go off into the sunset living happily together. Fade to black.

Nine out of ten times, though, if you followed up the story, the relatioinship would end. And, of course it would. This was no way to find the love of your life, speeding up the process on national TV with forced romance. It was so surreal, actually unreal, thus the failed relationships.

But, America is still watching this show. Tonight is the big Bachelor Wedding. Why are we still watching this program? I mean, isn’t it like reading fairytales? You’ve got the perfect “prince” looking for his “proncess” who has to overcome adversaries and obstacles. He finally chooses her and all is right in the world. But, there was a reason we stopped reading tese bi=ooks when we were six. They weren’t realistic! They didn’t reflect the real world! Do we want women to think that there world is not complete until a man chooses them from the crowd of other perfect women? DO we want men to believe that they have all the control and that women are just waiting for them to say the word? Do we want couples to think that romance is all about incredible dinners and dates and a rose every night? Shouldn’t we have abandoned this fairytale by now?

Obviously not. Maybe we cling to The Bachelor precisely because it is fantasy, because we have abandoned Cinderella and Snow White years before and yet we still long for the fictionalized love we grew up with in storybooks. Maybe we will be tuning in tonight because Sean is our modern day Prince Charming and Catherine is 2014′s Sleepin Beauty. If we are still tuning in to The Bachelor to enjoy a story, then let’s go for it. But, if it’s because we believe that this is the way love works, turn the channel and turn on The Grammy’s where you can see artists who sing songs about fantasy love… there’s really no winning this, is there?

photo courtesy of istockphoto: comanneleven