13 Reasons ‘The Bachelor’ Will Never Die

Another season of “The Bachelor” has come and gone and another fairytale romance (ha, false) has blossomed due to the power of reality TV. It’s pretty much the most ridiculous show on television, but each season, it finds a way to captivate my coolest, smartest girlfriends and myself. Why is that? What is it about a heavily-produced glossy TV show about a lonely, generically handsome man looking for love that appeals to us so?

1. Sometimes it’s just fun to watch other people navigate relationships instead of trying to do it yourself. Granted, their dates aren’t dinner and a movie – they’re Cinderella ballgowns and trips to Bali and hot-air balloon rides. But it is a fantasy, an escapism from our reality of Tinder and OKCupid and bar hookups.
2. Watching the intro episodes is the best because of the endless parade of sparkly prom gowns. Cache 4 ever.
3. The dude in question is usually kind of a doofus. This most recent Bachelor, Chris, has the most ridiculous giggle I’ve ever heard. My ex-boyfriend refused to take him seriously.
4. It’s fun to sit with your girlfriends, get a little tipsy and watch the insanity unfold. Someone always has a Dramatic Confession, someone always gets too drunk and cries … it’s endless entertainment.
5. “The Bachelor” is TV that doesn’t require you to think. It’s nice to sit down after a long day at work staring at a screen and hurting your brain and just zone out looking at pretty people.
6. Though there is a ton of girl-on-girl cattiness, one of the best parts of “The Bachelor” is watching the girls make friends with one another. They’re more upset about leaving their new friends when they don’t get that rose.
7. Watching a contestant declare that she’d give up her career and life for a man really makes you examine your own values. You start thinking, “Would I do that?” You never know. Love makes people do crazy things.
8. You KNOW you like imagining how you’d act if you were selected. What role would you play? Which girl would you be – the cool girl? The crying girl? The one who drinks white wine all day and just chills? The random girl who sticks around for a long time but no one remembers her name?
9. Then again, it seems kind of horrible to participate in a reality TV show. You’re stuck in a house for weeks and can’t contact your friends. Wouldn’t you rather just watch someone else do that?
10. Maybe you’re a hopeless romantic and truly believe that you can find love on TV. After all, it worked for … four couples in “Bachelor/ette” history? Those aren’t very good odds, but the fact that it happened at all is kind of sweet. Trista and Ryan have been married for like ten years! That’s something, right?
11. Or maybe you’re a huge cynic. “The Bachelor” is still perfect for you, because you can scoff to your heart’s delight.
12. Everyone watches “The Bachelor.” You want to be included in the coffee talk at work the day after an episode, don’t you?
13. “It’s just about crazy girls!” – people who have never seen “The Bachelorette.” The men are WAY crazier … and dare I say, more fun to watch? I enjoy watching them act completely unhinged and emotional.