Brad's Second Chance At Love

 We watched Monday night as Brad Womack made a second attempt at finding a wife by choosing between single mom Emily Maynard and divorcee Chantal O’Brien. This was Brad’s second season as the Bachelor. The first season he was on he did not choose anyone and received a huge amount of backlash because of it. I still don’t understand this. If out of 25-30 women, he could not find someone he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, in the words of Fred Armisen as Joy Behar, “so what, who cares”. I didn’t see the harm in it, and actually I thought that was the highlight of that season. Brad not choosing either girl showed a change in the predictability of the show. It showed it didn’t matter who got out of the limo first, or who was wearing a white dress… they both could be sent packing. I thought it was a good ending, but then, Brad decided to come back again.

At the end of the finale on Monday, Emily and Brad looked like an ecstatic newly engaged couple. Except that was not the end… we still had “After the Final Rose”, airing immediately after the Bachelor finale, although filmed three months later in actual time. Brad and Emily explained that since the finale they have broken up, gotten back together, and had a bunch of fights (almost every Monday night) in between. They were not living together and not planning a wedding. Emily even came out and wasn’t wearing the ring, (Brad ended up giving it to her later in the show, mumbling something about getting it resized and now this moment meant more putting it on her finger…hmmm… whatever).

I have to say I loved Emily over the entire season and I loved her even more after the “After the Final Rose”. Emily is not this sweet as pie southern belle, she has flair and fire, she is tough and I love it! I think that is why Brad is fighting so hard to keep her now. I also have to fully respect that she is a mom first. She may only be 24 years old, but Emily is wise beyond her years and has a 5 year old daughter to worry about. She is not just dating Brad, she is not just making sure he will make a good boyfriend, or even husband, she is looking for him to be a good role model and father figure to her daughter. She is very tough on Brad and I don’t blame her one bit. I loved Emily’s attitude throughout the entire show. I think the Bachelor is built on these women trying to prove they are right for Brad, but when you are a mom, like in Emily’s case, (or even Jason’s season, as a Dad) you are more concerned with who will be good for your children, so the tables somewhat turn because Brad needs to prove he is good for Emily and her daughter Ricki.

So as one season has now ended, we are forced to look to the next. Monday night on Jimmy Kimmel, Ashley Herbert (the third runner up) revealed what a lot of us were hoping for, that she would be the next Bachelorette.

Being from Philly I have to say I was disappointed when they did her hometown date and I was so excited to see the Philadelphia area on the show again, and she ends up in her hometown in Maine. Ashley is actually a dental student at the University of Pennsylvania (fourth year grad student, way to go Ash!); she said she will be returning in the fall. Ashley also told Jimmy she had only been on about five dates in three years, so she will definitely be making up for some lost time. I am already excited for May, where I will be cursing the show and loving every second of it. 

The Success of the Bachelor

I have had a love/hate relationship with The Bachelor/Bachelorette Franchise since Season 2 with Aaron Buerge (remember Gwen and Helene?? Funny, they both ended up auditioning for me later when I was casting for a Trading Spaces: Boys vs Girls host, and Helene ended up dating a friend of mine… but anyway…)

Every Monday night I find myself screaming at the television, shocked at the antics of someone from each season, annoyed with whoever is in the Bachelor or Bachelorette role, but every season I am glued to my TV every single Monday night (for TWO hours).

So what is it about this show that keeps us all tuning in?

For me, the one thing that gets me EVERY single season is that extended package of clips from the season they show at the end of every premiere episode. The show has about half my attention the first episode and then that last 5 min package gets me hooked! It’s the producing and the editing every season, it follows the same exact format but somehow ties us all in. Somehow the producers are able to get a Bachelor or Bachelorette who can come off sincere about wanting to “find the one” and they find 25-30 “contestants” who are interested in that one person.

I also think the Bachelor franchise hits on our human nature to be competitive with one another. You may not be interested at all in someone in “real life”, but make him your one and only focus and pin 25 or more other women with the same focus, you are going to want to “win” his attention.

The mind game must be crazy. I am sure half of the women from this past season may think Brad is attractive, but after having a conversation with him, would not be the least bit interested. I am sorry, he is very cute, but the second he opens up his mouth, I am annoyed. I have tried to pin point what exactly annoys me for two seasons now. It’s not his accent, I think it’s the way he forms his sentences, he just sounds so juvenile or something. I am still trying to figure out exactly what it is. 

The Bachelor also follows the “Real World” winning formula of taking away television, cell phones, iPod’s, ect, and putting all these beautiful people in a house together with unlimited amounts alcohol. I guess how could they not get “good television”, it’s pure genius.

The only season I was completely thrilled for was Jillian’s. Reid Rosenthal, from Jillian’s season is a longtime friend of ours and I had talked to him a bunch when he was even just debating going on the show. That season was the most fun because all my high school girls got together every Monday night as we cheered Reid on, meanwhile going out with him that summer and trying to pry the secrets of the show out of him.

Before Jillian’s season and since, I usually watch either by myself or with a friend, but the last few seasons The Bachelor has taken over a whole new life since I have been on Twitter. Now I follow along with one of my favorite author’s Jennifer Weiner while she “live-tweets” about the Bachelor. It makes every Monday night like a “girls-night-in”. Jennifer even makes into a drinking game where you have to drink when someone says “they are there for the right reasons”, when Brad has his shirt off, or when Brad is talking to his therapist.

Follow along with the hilarious commentary on Monday nights ~ 

Follow on Twitter: @jenniferweiner & @Possessionista is also hysterical!