The Bacheloretteseason 21’s horrific ending made it clear that viewers have beenwatching producers manipulate lead Jenn Tran all season long, showing that they’re the true villains of the series. After weeks of watching Jenn’s journey unfold onThe Bacheloretteseason 21, the finale episode leftBachelorNation shocked when they came to understand Jenn and her final rose recipient Devin Strader were broken up on stage. DuringThe Bachelorette: After The Final Rose,the exes shared that their relationship hadn’t worked out the way they’d hoped it would. Even without context, things were deeply uncomfortable for everyone involved.
WhileJenn and Devin were already uncomfortablewith one another, their interaction during the liveAfter The Final Rosespecial was made even more difficult when they had to explain what happened after their split. The pair had already been having problems in their relationship after just a few weeks, but when it came out that after a split over text, Devin chose to go out to a club with anotherBachelorettecontestant and follow the original lead, Maria Georgas, on Instagram. While Jenn called Devin out for his disrespect,it never should’ve been an option in the first place.
The Bachelor Franchise Has Always Preyed On Human Emotion
The Series Has Always Been Opportunistic
While Jenn’s season ofThe Bachelorettewas a first in some ways for the franchise,The Bachelorand its subsequent spin-offs have always preyed on human emotionto use it as entertainment and spectacle. Framing seasons as “dramatic” in a “historic” way year after year, the franchise is often trying to top its last big move with its next big moment, even if the moments themselves aren’t comparable. For years,The BachelorandThe Bacheloretteused moments of deep emotional distress to bring viewers in close, ensuring they’d come back to watch more.
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Despite knowing that there are real people behind the stories shown onThe BachelorandThe Bachelorette,the show often positions its relationships as spectacles or dramatic moments rather than genuine displays of emotion. By dehumanizing the basic human moments shown on the series,The Bachelorand its spin-offs have made it difficult for viewers to genuinely understand the emotions the stars of the show are feeling. Rather than prioritizing their pain or joy,The Bacheloruses their feelings for ratings and success on screen.
Jenn’s Season Was Meant To Be A Milestone For The Bachelorette
She Was Meant To Be Celebrated
The Bacheloretteseason 21 was meant to be an exciting milestone for the series, withJenn as the first Asian-American leadthe franchise has ever seen. While being an Asian-American woman is only a minuscule part of Jenn’s identity, it was something that she wanted to celebrate while she was leadingThe Bachelorette.Unfortunately, Jenn’s heritage was not made a focal point of the series, nor was it celebrated nearly as much as it seemed like it would be. Instead,the show focused on manipulating Jenn’s emotions and pushing its lead toward men who didn’t care about herat all.
The Bachelor Franchise Producers Need To Shift Gears
The Show Needs To Focus On Authenticity
After pushing Jenn to relive a harrowing, difficult moment when they made her rewatch her proposal from Devin on stage with the entire viewing audience watching as she sobbed,the producers ofThe Bacheloretteare facing tremendous backlash. Rightfully,Bacheloretteviewers are disturbedhaving seen them push Jenn so far when she’d already been openly heartbroken about the end of her engagement and the aftermath. Moving forward,The Bacheloretteproducers need to shift gears surrounding what kind of content they want to create. While they’ve been master manipulators, it’s not a good look if they want to retain viewers’ trust.
The Bachelorette
Cast
The Bacheloretteis a spinoff show of 2002’sThe Bachelor. First premiering in 2003,The Bachelorettefollows a woman who dates several men to try to find her one true love, eliminating one man each week. Mike Fleiss’ series has endured the test of time by lasting over 200 episodes and becoming one of ABC’s most popular reality TV shows.
