Charger nation, will you accept this rose?

ABC’s renowned shows “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” have historically drawn questions about authenticity accuracy. 

Although the Bachelor shows are popular, there are many questions that seem to arise and some that multiply each season. The most recent seasons of the shows have left fans dumbfounded because of their surprising nontraditional endings. Many people are beginning to question the intentions of the contestants and even the leads of the shows.

The drama surrounding these ABC shows has been around ever since the first season of “The Bachelor” premiered in March of 2002. Soon after, the first season of “The Bachelorette” aired and lived up to all the hype. Each season, it seems that the drama becomes more and more prevalent. The shows’ host, Chris Harrison, seems to make a comment each season about it being historic and the most dramatic that bachelor nation has ever seen.

Each season, there is always one person that seems to be the root of all the drama or the laughing stock of the bunch. For the 23 season, or Colton Underwood’s season this person was Demi Burnett. On the most recent season of the bachelorette, this person was Luke parker. In past seasons of the shows, these people were the only ones there that seemed to be putting up a front, or that they were there for the wrong reasons. Hannah Brown’s season of “The Bachelorette” had many viewers questioning authenticity of more than just one contestant. Brown kept Parker around until the final 4, which had many fans confused because he seemed very fake and inauthentic. In the end, Brown ended up choosing singer/songwriter Jed Wyatt and it turned out that he was hiding a relationship back home. The two broke off their engagement, leaving the bachelorette single and lonely.

The main purpose of these shows is for the contestants to find love, but this seems more and more far fetched as the years go on. Although the shows don’t always work when it comes to love, they occasionally do. This is what leaves people confused when it comes to the issue of it being staged/scripted. 

In the beginning of each season, it is quite obvious that not every contestant on the show is there for all the right reasons. These people are usually sent home early. This was not the case in Hannah Brown’s season. Jed Wyatt, eventual winner, confessed to Brown that he only came onto the show to promote his music and get some publicity. Despite this, Wyatt was always a fan favorite throughout the season. When the news of Wyatt’s “ex” girlfriend came out, some people in Bachelor nation started to question the authenticity of the contestants that are chosen to be on the show.

Wyatt was not the only person getting the attention of fans. As mentioned before, contestant Luke Parker also drew a lot of attention. Parker seemed off from the beginning and it appeared that everyone except for Hannah saw this. He was manipulative, self centered, and was always causing drama with the other guys on the show. This raised the question of whether or not the producers were intentionally keeping Luke on the show to produce quality or entertaining television. 

Whether or not the producers actually have any say in the choices that are made when it comes to the duration of time that contestants stay on the show is still unknown. Although there is a lot of controversy surrounding the shows, I believe that in the end, the love that is felt is real. Some of the scenes in between might be staged, and some people might just stay on the show to keep the audience entertained. Despite this, many people who have been on the shows are still married or are still together with the person that they chose.