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We love you, man, says Jonathan when Mark prepares to depart.
They grip each others hands and embrace warmly.
Guy wipes tears from his cheeks.
He was my best friend, says Pascal.
Did reality TV change?
ForThe Golden Bachelorette, the friendship boom might well have something to do with its unusual participants.
It really helped me pull myself out of the hardship that I experienced, he says.
Its a successful journey for me, to have [it] along with my friends.
Its a different form of love.
I did find it.
Many of the men onGolden Bachelorettedescribe similar feelings.
Theyve felt isolated from close relationships after their marriages ended.
Some of them are recently retired and have lost the regular social connections that came with their careers.
Its also gotten easier to keep those friendships as the secondary reality-TV industry becomes more formalized.
Its not that different from pledging a fraternity or rushing a sorority.
For reality shows with non-lifestyle structures, though, friendship is the current name of the game.
