SnapeCharmer

I would go out on a limb and state that 99.9 percent of them are in it for Fame and fortune. Love does not fit into the equation. This bears out in the numbers. 30+ seasons combined that resulted in 3, maybe 4 successful couples. I find the mechanisms behind this show more fascinating than the show itself. I cannot wait until the next season of Unreal!

Did you all catch when Bryan said he's his mom's only child. That seemed strange to me. Usually someone would say, I'm the only child. It seems an odd way to phrase it unless his dad has other children outside the marriage. I mean his parents been married for 40 years according to him.

This episode only reinforced my theory. They didn't even try to sell us a believable fantasy. I guess I'll watch this lame horse of a season limp to the finish line and be done for good with this franchise. I wish Eric the best though.

Fair enough. But your original response carried a dismissive tone. Maybe that wasn't your intention. On that note, take care.

I watch Unreal, I don't know if you do too. But a lot of viewers complained about the second season due to the focus on race, and how certain things played out. However the real "tea" of that season is how the production characters manipulated racial issues for entertainment. How they sought out the "Blactivist" and the ignorant proud southern white girl with bigoted views, knowing conflict would ensue (and stoked that conflict). I believe something very similar happened with the Lee situation. They knew his social media posting history, sought him out, and cast him in the show for divisive purposes. The thing that bothers me most is that Rachel went along with that crap by keeping him so long. That's one of a few things that turned me off of her. Another side point about Unreal is how during the first season, they showed producers manipulating Home Town visits. When I watched Dean's hometown visit I could not help but think of Unreal. In the first season, one character was set up to be humiliated during her home town visit. What it showed was that, as soon as producers find something they can exploit, they do. This is what frustrated me about Dean. If he caught how production tried to coax him into a soundbite against Lee, how could he not see the glaringly obvious way they were manipulating his family issues for entertainment? Why would he subject himself (and his family) to that? Further demonstrates to me that majority of those cast on these shows from the leads to their potential mates are in it for fame and to further their respective careers; most likely in entertainment. Fame at all cost I guess. Too bad it doesn't work out for most of them.

Me too. Survivor was my favorite, but I haven't watched it in a while. Same with the Amazing Race, Design Star, and Master Chef....pretty much any of my former faves. This is the first time I've watched a reality show in a while. Not to say there weren't times I delved into the ratchet side of RTV. I had some guilty pleasure like Real World, Big Brother UK/AU/US. But that is as far as I delved on that end of the reality television spectrum.

Yes. there's more going on than just the Lee issue. Many have discussed it on here. Prior to my first post, I avoided getting into those discussions, because I know how these topics go. Also, my point about social commentary in my first post was not specifically about the Bachelor Franchise taking on those issues. It was simply a remark about how I wish reality television in general got back to its roots. It hasn't been anything close to what the Real World started as, a true social experiment. Without all the production manipulation for entertainment value. Yeah it isn't significant to you, I get that. But for me, it is significant.

I did not expect anything, prior to this season. As I clearly stated, I stopped watching the show in 2010. Until...the franchise itself claimed to be changing when they made Rachel the Bachelorette and continuously injected race into the story line. Under the guise they were/are doing something socially significant. They could've kept their light and fluffy white show for another ten plus years and no one outside of its established fanbase would have cared. Media has power. Pop culture for better or worst shapes larger ideas that act out in our daily lives. With great power comes greater responsibility and all that jazz. But aside from that, I'll bet that you don't see my point of view and I probably will never see yours. We come from two different places of thought and experiences.

Well, I'm torn. Before Rachel's season I had never watched The Bachelorette, and prior to Nick's season, I hadn't watched The Bachelor since 2010 . I gave up due to the tone and exclusivity of the show. When all the chatter about Jubilee started trending, and after I watched seasons one and two of Unreal, my suspicions about The Bachelor franchise were cemented; it's a heavily manipulated show that sells fake reality. It clearly isn't geared toward my demographic. But when I learned Rachel got the first impression rose during Nick's season, out of curiosity I tuned back in. Logically, I knew that it was all smoke and mirrors - an answer to the charges of racism that gained speed after the Jubilee drama. The storyline was clear from the start of Nick's season. Rachel was going to be the first Black lead on a Bachelor show. In one way it was good for symbolism's sake, but how its played out - not so good. Her show has followed the same trend as the other seasons, and the message that puts out is not one I'm comfortable with. Oh well, we can chalk it up to entertainment at the expense of others. She'll get her entertainment career out of it, so will Bryan, Peter, Eric, and Dean. But as an African-American woman this doesn't endear me to the franchise. Nor does it accurately represent the challenges and triumphs of black women in the dating scene in a real, just light. So I will not be tuning in to future seasons. Look forward to the day when reality television gets back to its roots (season 1 Real World style). True social commentary that makes you think and challenges you beyond your myopic point of view.