Why do I watch The Bachelor?

Here’s a little bit about me in a nutshell: I have a Masters Degree, I founded a national PR agency, I like movies with subtitles, I am switching off between “In the Garden of Beasts” and the Steve Jobs book, and I love abstract art and edgy music. So, why do I get such a kick out of The Bachelor?

Photo: www.collegiatetimes.com

This season’s bachelor is a guy named Ben, a winemaker from Sonoma. Rumor has it he took the TV gig to spotlight his business; nothing wrong with some free PR, after all. He’s a relatively nice guy who’s polite, well-built, articulate and athletic. He was also turned down in the finale of last season’s Bachelorette show, so now it’s his turn in the driver’s seat.

From minute one the women drooled and draped themselves all over Ben. It took him all of about 30 seconds to start having on-camera make out sessions with every woman that came within six feet of him. And each week he gave roses to the women he wanted to stay, while one or two of the other women had to (tearfully) leave and unglue themselves from Ben as he steered them to their limo.

So, back to what makes me rush home Monday nights. I think it’s because I’m fascinated by Ben’s evolution – he went from shy to shark in maybe six episodes. Was this just a PR adventure or did Ben really want to find the love of his life?

The PR side of me says he wanted the exposure for his wine label, but discovered along the way that the spotlight felt really good on him, too. He realized that good looking women actually found his “Prince Valiant” look appealing and were eager to be his wife… or at least his wife-in-training.

The other reason I love the show is because of the editing. At zcomm we produce video, so I know how it can be manipulated, and I love to guess which scenes the producers set up and the scripts they gave the girls to tie it all together.

The finale is around the bend and the tabloids are already tattling about whom Ben chooses and if they stay together. I know where I’ll be next Monday night and despite the fact that I don’t like drama in real life, I love it on this show.

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