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Devon Ivie:Its become evident over the past few seasons that Bachelor Nations viewership is waning.
I miss the quality of the meme and news cycle that used to churn out with every episode.
Why do we think this is happening?
Emily Palmer Heller:Ive been experiencing that.
People in my life who are passingBachelorfans are like, Oh, I havent been watching.
Ive heard its gotten pretty bad.
It hasnt gottenbad; it just doesnt know what it wants to be.
DI:A proper crisis of identity.
TheBachelorkeeps messing with its formula because it doesnt know how to grapple with that ridiculousness.
Theres no correlation between how entertaining a lead is and their romantic success.
it’s possible for you to put that on the Mount Rushmore of Bachelor Nation Endings.
EPH:For Gabby and Rachels season, the producers werent producing.
So now were just watching the same stories over and over again.
I dont want to see another story line about someone whos there to just get followers.
Lets be honest, thats the reason youre all here.
They vetted a contestant and unearthed consequential information that these hired professionals failed to do.
That tells you everything you oughta know.
DI:Yeah, like gotcha sleuthing.
EPH:The show expects me to keep up with that?
it’s crucial that you tell me what youre talking about.
Ivie:People arent online all the time.
To get the full experience, you now have to follow both of them.
EPH:The show is canon.
Everything happening outside of it is not.
There was an expectation of a long-term relationship.
Now its just an incestuous influencer parade.
The roots of this show arent even in consideration anymore; its just about who makes good TV.
And I dont necessarily need that to change I want to watch good TV!
Oh, they didnt handle that very well.
Oh, that was actually really mature.
Thats fun to me.
Theyre trying to sell the fantasy, but we know this isnt how successful relationships are built.
DI:This reminds of something Trista Suttertold me a few months ago.
What do you think of a change like that?
EPH:I dont like the idea of a total reboot.
I watchThe BachelorandThe Bachelorettelike spring training forBachelor in Paradise.
I like having recurring characters who we get to see grow and change, for better or worse.
But I do like the idea of the lead being someone weve never met before.
Thats a very fun idea.
You cant come back for another try.
If it didnt work for you, sorry, that was your chance.
If you want to go to the show, go to the show.
DI:We need to retire some phrases at this point.
Theyre not there for the right reasons.
They just want to be the lead.
The seasons blur together because its the same conflict every time.
EPH:Theres no variation in the drama.
It was very clear by the end of Chriss tenure that he was checked out.
He was hitting his mark and then he was out.
But heres another thought: Theres no reason that the different versions of the show cant have different hosts.
If Jesse Palmer hostsThe Bachelor, Tayshia and Caitlyn can hostThe Bachelorette.
I very much enjoyed the coven vibes they brought to the show.
DI:It seemed like they wanted to foster a genuine sisterhood.
EPH:And then we could have rotating celebrity guest hosts forBachelor in Paradise.
Ill admit that if I were producing this show, I wouldve chosen Ben Higgins instead of Jesse Palmer.
He was very good at being the Bachelor and I think hed be good at being the host.
EPH:Its not a good omen, especially given that its new lead-in isClaim to Fame.
The man has come a long way.
Im really proud of him.
Hes married with a baby now.
I wonder if he knows he has the entire Bachelor Nation rooting for him.
EPH:Good for Dr. Murphy.
I havent watched more than ten minutes of that show, but Im happy for him.
