Have some sympathy for the final couple
Editing for good on-air stories often works against long-term love, Bachelor expert says
It’s the 35th season of The Bachelor franchise, so all viewers know every season finale promises to be the Most! Dramatic Ending! Ever!
On Monday night, TV viewers watched this season’s Bachelor, Arie Luyendyk Jr., propose to Becca Kufrin only to break up with her to pursue the runnerup, Lauren Burnham — a breakup that was captured in excruciating detail by the cameras. But then, every Bachelor and Bache
lorette finale is its own brand of crazy: In 2009, Jason Mesnick changed his mind and chose runner-up Molly Malaney over winner Melissa Rycroft. In 2014, Juan Pablo Galavis refused to propose to Nikki Ferrell. In 2017, Nick Viall and Vanessa Grimaldi looked like they already despised each other.
While you might think it’s hard to have sympathy for anyone who puts themselves in this reality TV situation, Los Angeles Times reporter Amy Kaufman — author of Bachelor Nation, released Tuesday — said she does often feel sorry for the final couple. The reason? While the show purports to help people find love (don’t laugh), producers can also manipulate footage over the season to create a dramatic story line for the final two that doesn’t necessarily reflect what really happened.
“The edit almost always works against the final couple,” Kaufman said in an interview. For example, during JoJo Fletcher’s season of The Bachelorette, Jordan Rodgers came off looking like a shameless fame-seeker; Courtney Robertson was painted so clearly as the villain that she and Ben Flajnik never had a chance; Rachel Lindsay appeared to be so in love with runner-up Peter Kraus that her engagement to the winner, Bryan Abasolo, seemed like a huge letdown.
“So, I don’t know, I kind of feel bad for the couples,” Kaufman continued. “They have an uphill battle when the show’s over.”
Kaufman’s absorbing book (one that ABC and some Bachelor executives are not thrilled that she wrote) takes a deep dive into the franchise. She writes about everything from the similarities between a Bachelor on-camera interview and a police interrogation; the psychology of why contestants genuinely feel like they’re in love after eight weeks; and how producers can twist scenes to create any sort of plot line for any cast member.
On that last topic, viewers this season will never know how exactly Arie wound up telling both Becca and Lauren that he’s in love with them, which is a definite faux pas in the Bachelor universe.
So far, Kaufman said, the “crazy finale” bar is set pretty high with Jason in 2009, who broke up with Melissa on the aftershow so he could ask out Molly, whom he dumped in the previous episode.
“Is there anything crazier than Jason Mesnick? That was really what got me into The Bachelor,” Kaufman said. “Honestly, it was like, ‘Oh my God. Real drama can unfold in live TV in this way?! I am sold.’ ”