- “The Bachelor” franchise has maintained a lot of its traditions each season for almost 20 years.
- But the show is lacking in certain areas and it’s more important than ever to change things up to keep the show relevant and interesting.
- For starters, the show should work on having a more diverse cast, give contestants more time to fall in love, and send everyone on more realistic dates.
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After 23 seasons of “The Bachelor” and 15 of “The Bachelorette,” it’s more clear than ever that this franchise loves its traditions.
Although there have been a few adjustments over the years, the shows have followed the same format of one-on-one dates, group dates, and rose ceremonies with Chris Harrison at the helm since the series first premiered in 2002.
But a lot has changed about the world and reality TV in years since and viewers are taking notice.
The series’ latest season premiere of “The Bachelorette” starring Hannah B marked a record low for the franchise. Per The Wrap, the episode had 15% fewer viewers than last year’s premiere. If the popular series wants to continue to thrive, it’s time it made some major changes.
Simply put, "The Bachelor" franchise needs to catch up to 2019. Here are all the ways "The Bachelor" could be better while still giving fans what they love about the show.
The show needs a more diverse cast, especially when it comes to leads
The franchise as a whole should focus more on diversity, both in the leads that are chosen and the contestants that are cast. In 2017, Rachel Lindsay made history as the first black "Bachelorette," but for a show with seasons in the double digits, this moment came far too late. Lindsay also said she was given an unfair edit by the franchise.
Since Lindsay's season, only white leads have been cast on "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" - and there still has never been a black lead on "The Bachelor." Plus, many races have still never been represented at all.
There should be seasons focused on a queer person finding love
Yes, the upcoming season of "Bachelor in Paradise" is featuring one former cast member who identifies as bisexual but they still aren't the lead of the show. It would be nice to see the show be more inclusive by having seasons of the "Bachelor" focused on a queer person looking for love.
By doing so, it would be providing more representation to underserved groups while also giving the show an opportunity to truly reinvent itself after so many seasons on TV.
Other reality-TV dating shows are already taking note of LGBTQ culture. Earlier this year, for the first time, MTV debuted a season of their dating show "Are You The One?" that featured a cast of individuals who all identify as sexually fluid.
Contestants really need to go through a more thorough screening process
Although "Bachelor" and "Bachelorette" contestants are given background checks and screened for STDs before they can participate in the show, this system isn't exactly foolproof. During recent seasons, both fans and reporters have dug up things like problematic social-media posts and criminal records of contestants.
Back on Becca Kufrin's season of "The Bachelorette," her winner, Garrett Yrigoyen, was at the center of a controversy when his transphobic, sexist, and racist Instagram likes were discovered. Yrigoyen later issued an apology, but the damage had been done.
Another contestant on that same season, Lincoln Adim, was convicted of indecent assault and battery. In a statement, Warner Bros., the producer of the series, told Us Weekly that "No one on 'The Bachelorette' production had any knowledge about the incident or charges when Lincoln Adim was cast, and he himself denied ever having engaged in or having been charged with any sexual misconduct."
The series needs to change its screening process to be more thorough and careful. Doing a simple sweep of possible contestants' social-media accounts and a more thorough look into someone's pending court cases or criminal background before they are cast on the show would help prevent some of these major issues.
Sending contestants on more realistic dates could make for some more genuine and long-lasting connections
Although helicopters rides and sky-diving adventures are definitely entertaining to watch, dates like these don't necessarily give fans the chance to get to know contestants better - and they don't give the leads the opportunity to see what their potential future spouse is like in a real-life setting.
In reality, the average person is more likely to go on a date with their significant other at a nice restaurant than at a science lab. By sending contestants on more realistic dates, it could provide more interesting, genuine footage and help the leads possibly pick a better match.
Read More: 12 of the strangest dates in 'Bachelor' franchise history
Casting older contestants and leads might boost the show's couple-making success rate
So far, the show doesn't have the greatest track record for successful relationships and marriages - less than a dozen couples are still together even though the "Bachelor" and "Bachelorette" have had over 30 seasons combined. And maybe, just maybe, it has something to do with the age of the contestants.
Often, contestants on "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" are pretty young - typically in their early- to late-twenties. The average age of a woman competing on "The Bachelor" is 26 and the average age of a man competing on "The Bachelorette" is 29.
Most people don't know who they want to spend the rest of their life with in their twenties and that's OK. By raising the age of contestants on the show, more long-lasting relationships could be founded. After all, millennials are waiting longer to get married.
Of course, age is just a number and you can be ready to commit in your 20s, but it would be nice to see some contestants in their 30s and above taking a crack at reality-TV love.
Change the filming schedule and give contestants more time to fall in love
If it seems like the leads on these shows are having to fall in love and make a decision super quickly, it's because they are - filming for "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" usually lasts less than two months.
The success rate for the show could be better if the show filmed longer, giving the lead a longer period of time to make their decision, and a longer season would create even more entertaining moments for fans watching at home.
Yeah, "love at first sight" can be possible, but for many, this process takes time. And if the series is meant to end with a marriage proposal, contestants might benefit from spending more time with their future possible partners.
The rose ceremony should always be at the end of each episode so the series is more consistent and organized
At the beginning of the season, a rose ceremony usually takes place at the end of each episode, but eventually, the show switches things up, showing the ceremony at the beginning of the following week's episode.
By keeping that scene at the end of each week, it helps fans keep track of who's on the show better, instead of having to remember what happened last week when the next episode kicks off with the lead making decisions about who's getting a rose.
Showing more conversations and one-on-one moments instead of massive group dates can help viewers better connect with and understand the contestants
A lot of the show's episodes are focused on group-date competitions and drama between the contestants and, yes, these things are entertaining.
But one of the biggest parts of the show is finding love. And a big part of falling in love is having simple, heart-to-heart conversations that you likely won't have on a group date.
If viewers are to understand the process and the lead's final decision at the end of the series, it might be wiser to spend more time showing the one-on-one moments between the lead and their contestants.
Plus, generally, the show would be more interesting if we could see conversations about who the contestants are, what their life is like, and how they view the world instead of watching a bunch of small-talk on group dates.