‘The Bachelor’: Are All These Model Challenges Encouraging Contestants to Go on the Show ‘For the Wrong Reasons?’
With each new season of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, the show’s leads grow increasingly worried about their batch of contestants coming on the show “for the wrong reasons.” Those “reasons” used to be competing with the sole intention of promoting one’s business, or music, maybe getting a book deal out of the experience. Today, though, “the wrong reasons” pretty much directly translates to coming on the show in the hopes of becoming an Instagram influencer.
“The wrong reasons” came up a ton during Colton Underwood’s season of The Bachelor. It seemed every time the former football player sent a contestant home, she warned him there were women who remained who weren’t there to get engaged.
We’ve just gone international in Peter Weber’s season and only in the recent few episodes have women started throwing around “here for the wrong reasons.” Who’s here to become Mrs. Peter the Pilot and who’s here for an Instagram contract with REVOLVE?
The REVOLVE group date
Speaking of REVOLVE, one of the first group dates involved Weber’s contestants walking in a REVOLVE fashion show. The women sported different outfits by the clothing company and strutted down a catwalk hoping to be the winner of 40 shopping bags full of REVOLVE clothing.
It just so happens that many, many Bachelor alums go on to model REVOLVE clothing after their time on the reality show. So it was almost strange to see this group date cut out the middle man (in this case, that’s Weber).
The Cosmopolitan group date
Then, during the three-hour episode that aired earlier this week, the group date involved a different form of modeling. This time, instead of walking the runway, the ladies posed in bathing suits in front of a waterfall while they got their pictures taken. The winner of the group date would grace the cover of Cosmopolitan with Weber. (Victoria Fuller won, but her cover will not be featured because she’s modeled for a White Lives Matter clothing company.)
Once again, the group challenge felt packed with foreshadowing. We’re certain several of Weber’s contestants will go on to model for magazines like Cosmopolitan (that is, if they don’t have any racist bullet points on their resumes).
Are ‘the wrong reasons’ turing into ‘the right reasons?’ Maybe it depends who you ask
So the question is: Is The Bachelor leaning into “the wrong reasons” that attract contestants?
As long as Instagram is alive and well, The Bachelor is forever-changed. There will probably never be a season again where each and every contestant comes on the show to fall in love and get engaged. So why not give the contestants what they want anyway? A shot at love (maybe) and an early introduction to the life of an influencer (definitely).
Of course it’s possible to want both. Of course a person can go on the show with the benefits that come along with competing at the top of mind, and hope to fall in love. But contestants don’t even know who the lead is until just before they begin filming. They sign up before they even know who it is they’re competing for.
So, really, contestants need to simply be open to finding love. What they need to be certain about is Instagram fame.
Read more: ‘The Bachelor’: Demi Burnett ‘Would Never Want to Be Stuck in a House With These Girls’
