The, "Bachelorette," Season That Wasn't

I used to watch, "The Bachelor," and, "The Bachelorette," as well as their spin-offs, religiously. Eventually, I grew tired of the franchise's predictability. Besides occasionally dipping my toe in the metaphorical franchise pool once in a while when something looked interesting ("Golden Bachelor,") I simply drifted away from the franchise to other shows. A lot of people seem to share the same story, with it not being any particular scandal the franchise weathered that made them quit (and there were some big fiascos, just ask former host Chris Harrison if that NDA he signed for a big paycheck ever expires), they simply were bored. Perhaps that is why the latest season of, "The Bachelorette," was designed from the start to tweak the formula and outright break some rules. Someone who had never been on the show (that has happened with later seasons of the Bachelor version) and was, in fact, known for different reality series (that has not happened) would be the Bachelorette. A woman named Taylor Frankie Paul. Popular on, "The Secret Wives of Mormon Housewives," she was the first Bachelorette lead to have a wrap sheet due to a, "2023 arrest, in which she ended up pleading guilty to one count of aggravated assault, per the local Salt Lake City Fox affiliate. She took a plea agreement, which dismissed two counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, a class-A misdemeanor charge of child abuse, and a misdemeanor charge of criminal mischief...That 2023 incident kick-started her Mormon Wives career, as it was chronicled on the very first episode of Hulu’s reality hit. But then it resurfaced in the news cycle last week via a leaked video." Oh no.

TMZ released a video from 2023 that showed, "Paul engaging in violent behavior toward her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen. The video captures Paul putting Mortensen into a headlock and kicking him. She is then shown throwing three stools at Mortensen while a child cries in the background. Mortensen tries to comfort the child, but Paul refuses to let him." The fallout from this resulted in ABC canceling this 22nd season of, 'The Bachelorette," a mere three days before its scheduled premiere. The whole show had been filmed, edited, the post-production was done, and a lot of money had been spent only for a metaphorical collapse inches from the finish line of making it to air. There were ads running with clips from the show being broadcast already. Hell, they still have magazines at Target on the shelves promoting the show as I snapped a picture of today:

"She's Not That Innocent," turns out to be weirdly prophetic.

This is a PR mess for ABC and a monetary fiasco. Oh, and the fifth season of Paul's original Mormon Wives show has paused development for now due to an apparently recent incident of her engaging in domestic abuse towards Mortensen, yet again, after, "The Bachelorette," finished filming. Is ABC really going to flush the whole season down the drain and take a big loss, or possibly try to present it with disclaimers? Is this simply the end of the, "Bachelor/Bachelorette," franchise as we know it due to a last-ditch effort to inject some life, turning out to be a deadly concoction, instead?

I, personally, don't think ABC will give up completely on Bachelor Nation, as even with this latest shitshow, there is still way too much money to be made. ABC played with fire, picking someone who already came with controversy, and got burned/had this blow up in their faces. The network can try and lean into this, making the show less about fairytale romance and instead focus on flawed individuals looking for love (they aren't role models), or try and run in the opposite direction towards the veneer of wholesome, "I'm only here for the right reasons!" kinds of love that even diehard fans ain't buying after this many years of broadcast. Hell, maybe in the end this scandal could somehow help. Lord knows I'm suddenly more interested in watching Taylor Fankie Paul hand out roses (and possibly uppercuts) than I was a couple of weeks ago due to all the hubbub.

Television Tuesday: The, "Golden Bachelor," is Finally Here!

It was announced it was going to happen three or so years ago, but the television debut of, "The Golden Bachelor," finally occurred last Thursday. When Gerry Turner was revealed as the elder Bachelor he seemed like a genuinely sweet guy. With the premiere having occurred I would say (for once) the show hit it out of the park picking a superb lead. I'd fallen off the franchise around when Zach's season started but I'm back because the, "Golden Bachelor," had my attention. After the debut, I'll continue tuning in!

After meeting Gerry and hearing his story of how he lost his first wife (a moment that had everyone on Twitter declaring they were sobbing) we got to the opening night and ladies arriving! I previously wondered if it being older women in the cast would result in less immature/competitive behavior from the contestants too. Well, the gals all seemed to be pleasant toward one another (for now) so that was nice. There were some interesting characters among the bunch and Jimmy Kimmel's Aunt made a surprise appearance as a joke to crack some one-liners before heading out at the episode's conclusion. Oh, Matt James (a previous Bachelor) had his mom randomly there too, but she went home the first night so that stunt-casting was basically for naught.

Besides the fact everyone is decades older than the OG show it was still, "The Bachelor," to a T. We had funny entrances, Gerry chatting with the ladies and smooching some, little jokes here and there, it was good! I will give the franchise props for not shying away from some sex talk too. People don't always like to consider how old folks are getting raunchy these days, but they are, and that's cool too! Just because someone is in their 60s that doesn't mean they have to avoid making a double entendre--this franchise loves jokes about, "Birthday suits," or such! There will still be drama, it just looks like (from the previews of the season) everything will be a lot less toxic and malicious.

I had fun meeting the Bachelor and all the women, and it is a little funny to think adding a bunch of elderly adults could very well be the reinvigorating shot in the arm this franchise needs. I had fun watching, "The Bachelor," and besides, 'Bachelor in Paradise," it has been a while since things have been genuinely lighthearted and enjoyable within this franchise so now that they are, I'll be tuning in.

5 out of 5 stars (for the first episode).

Television Tuesday: "The Golden Bachelor," is Coming to Screens Soon

I've been honest about how at points in time I've loved watching, "The Bachelor/The Bachelorette," but have fallen off lately as the formula was getting repetitive and dull. Well, the long-in-development version featuring older folks, "The Golden Bachelor," finally has some updates and I might be tempted to check out this shift in the routine for something both at once fresh and (as I'm sure there will be many puns about) older. 71-year-old Gerry Turner is our Golden Bachelor and he's looking for love. He was married for 43 years but lost his wife in 2017 and is ready to find love again. He seems...like a legitimately good guy, which is weird as--usually--this franchise loves people who are a hot mess.

"The Golden Bachelor," will air this Fall, and one wonders if the women (assumably) being a bit older will result in more maturity and actual efforts to have a relationship with Gerry as opposed to just obsessing over, "Winning," him and then breaking-up a couple of months later (this show has a terrible relationship track record). I suppose I am curious enough to give this a chance in the Fall even if I'm mostly burnt-out on the regular franchise. Let's just hope everyone is, and say it with me now if you're a fan of the show, "There for the right reasons."