Reality TV rejects in second shot at love

SO IT IS true, Brangelina collapsed. The couple that many people modelled their relationships on is no more.

Guys the world over used to wish they were Brad Pitt, while the ladies envied Angelina Jolie for being his woman. They were Hollywood’s ideal couple and although we do not know what really happened, one thing is certain, when it comes to relationships, there are no guarantees. In fact, the sooner people realise that there is no formula to finding true love, the sooner they will stop putting pressure on themselves to find it.

This is why it could be entertaining to watch Bachelor in Paradise. Hosted by Chris Harrison, the show hosts the rejects from The Bachelor and The Bachelorette and gives them another shot at finding love.

The only good thing to come out of this is that they do all it at a holiday destination. Apart form that, Bachelor in Paradise is a repurposed product of something you are familiar with. If you have seen The Bachelor there will be no surprises on this show. It’s like that night when you have leftovers for dinner; while they might be tasty, in some cases even scrumptious, they still remain leftovers.

It is also worth noting that there are talks of the relationship status of the couple who wind up together. The show comes to us weeks after having aired in the US so the Americans know who the winners are and so can you, if you check online.

The story that is trending is about how much the pair are already struggling in real life. This should not come as a surprise because TV relationships seldom work.

If you look at Brad and Angelina’s case, they too, to some degree, were set up to be together and probably went in for the wrong reasons.

It is almost like the premise behind the American Sweethearts movie where John Cusack and Catherine Zeta-Jones played top celebrities who were romantically linked by their aides.

In the arts, power couples are encouraged because they sell. How many stories of Pitt and Jolie sold throughout their relationship? They probably pioneered the mashing up of names when the media started referring to them as “Brangelina”. What we didn’t know was that it wouldn’t work and perhaps it is because of how they got involved in the first place.

Bachelor in Paradise follows that route and as it ends, the formed relationship faces tough real-life challenges. What happened to people just meeting at the park or church?

Bachelor in Paradise airs on Fridays at 7.30pm on Vuzu (DStv Channel 116).