3 Reasons This Is the Worst Season of The Bachelorette Yet
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When Becca Kufrin was dumped at the end of last season's The Bachelor by Arie Luyendyk Jr., my heart was absolutely broken for her. This was a woman who was so clearly head over heels for her new fiancé and who was excited about what the future held for them. Then that future was ripped from underneath her . . . while the entire world watched aghast.
The only positive that came from the entire heartbreaking debacle was the fact that she would become the franchise's newest bachelorette, and you can bet 2 million roses that I was here. for. her. season.
To Becca's credit, she's been pretty incredible so far. She asks the right questions, eighty-sixes guys the second she's not feeling it (remember her Minnesota friend in the premiere and Jean Blanc's cringey exit?), and she's taking this whole "journey to find love" thing pretty damn seriously. The only problem is that ABC isn't living up to its part.
Sure, this is a TV show that — in order for it to succeed and for us to even want to watch — must be entertaining. We understand the need for a tangled Tia and Colton storyline or for a narcissistic (somehow lovable) villain, and these things are ultimately harmless. My beef lies elsewhere.
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The Nonstop Arie Talk
We get it. Becca got dumped by Arie last season. But does he really need to be the ghost who hovers above her head in every single episode? Not only did a quarter of the men bring him up in their limo entrance, but an entire date in the second episode was dedicated to smashing Arie-related memories. Wasn't the whole point of that date to put Arie behind us? But nope! He's always on the tip of someone's tongue, and ABC can't resist an Arie sound bite!
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ABC Was Sloppy With Keeping the Winner a Secret
No spoilers here, but before Becca's season even premiered, there was a bounty of leaked images of her and the winner. This was something that ABC had control over, as the images were taken while the show was filming. TMZ got the images, which were carelessly distributed and not properly marked. A lot of people who wanted to watch the season spoiler-free weren't able to, which makes it way less fun to watch.
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The Casting Has Been Horrendous
People can hem and haw all they want over Jordan, but the real trouble in ABC's casting lies elsewhere. I don't think we've had a worse group of guys since JoJo's season, and Becca does not deserve this at all.
Let's start with Lincoln, who was convicted of indecent assault and battery a week before the season premiere. ABC could have easily figured this out, as the incident occurred in May 2016. Isn't it responsible for doing criminal background checks?
Also, Garrett — as sweet as he comes off on the screen — has exhibited bigoted behavior on social media. After some sleuthing done by Redditors and former franchise contestant Ashley Spivey, it was revealed that he "liked" a series of homophobic, transphobic, racist, antifeminist, and conspiracy theorist memes on Instagram and Twitter. He has since apologized, but just . . . ew.
Finally, Leo may be billed as a stuntman, but by the looks of his IMDb profile, it seems as though he's definitely attempting to get a mainstream acting career off the ground. Are we really sure he's here for the "right reasons"?
To end this on a positive note, I want to express my adoration for Wills, Jason, and Blake. My hope is that after this season is over, we can finally move on from Arie . . . and that ABC chooses one of Becca's exceptionally good guys to be the next Bachelor. A girl can dream!