S27.E11: Finale and After the Final Rose

[Recyclorette]

15 hours ago, EllenB said:

It's amazing how much I like Sean now, when I thought he was a goody-two-shoes loser at the time I watched his season.

I've felt the same about him.  He may not be preachy now, but I've still seen enough of him.

Did anyone else feel that Catherine didn't seem too thrilled to be there?  It seemed to me that she looked annoyed and checked out when Sean was answering Jesse's questions.

[call me ishmael]

Our long national nighmare is over!

i thought that both Ariel and Gabi did well except that Gabi’s going on so long when Zach came out allowed him to sit there with his furrowed brow “oh no” look and not really answer any questions.  As both Gabi and Ariel indicated there were two questions he needed to answer: first, why did he make her come out to get dumped into the mud and second, if he “had to be open and honest” about them sleeping together then why didn’t he tell Ariel?  It is so clearly not about being transparent but trying to keep Kaity from being mad at him.  If that’s it then own it.  But they let him off the hook on those two things.

[Jax7917]

Just watched Gabi getting dumped. I don't know about you guys, but coming in 2nd out of 25-30 is pretty damn good.. She's not coming in second out of 2 girls. The car ride after the dumping gave major bachelorette audition vibes. The unlovable line has been used so many times since Ben Higgins and each time makes me cringe more than the last.

I do think it's utter bullshit when the lead claims that they have no idea who to choose, only to lay in bed the night before the proposal and a light goes on and they suddenly cannot live without this one person. It's just all so manufactured and Zach knew he wasn't choosing Gabi. He should have just done what others have done in the past and gone to her hotel room and break it off there. Also, usually the contestant speaks before the lead during the two proposal scenes. Did Zach speak first this time? 

[SallyAlbright]

1 hour ago, Jax7917 said:

Just watched Gabi getting dumped. I don't know about you guys, but coming in 2nd out of 25-30 is pretty damn good.. She's not coming in second out of 2 girls. The car ride after the dumping gave major bachelorette audition vibes. The unlovable line has been used so many times since Ben Higgins and each time makes me cringe more than the last.

I do think it's utter bullshit when the lead claims that they have no idea who to choose, only to lay in bed the night before the proposal and a light goes on and they suddenly cannot live without this one person. It's just all so manufactured and Zach knew he wasn't choosing Gabi. He should have just done what others have done in the past and gone to her hotel room and break it off there. Also, usually the contestant speaks before the lead during the two proposal scenes. Did Zach speak first this time? 

Reality Steve had an interesting take in his column today that in past seasons Bachelorettes have been allowed by production to let their second choice person go home early, but that for some reason the producers have been much more reluctant to allow the Bachelors to send someone home early and that they really want both women to show up at the proposal site (I suspect it's because they're gross and like to show pretty women sobbing and devastated).

Anyway, he speculated that with all their marketing of this season as a return to "traditional" seasons that Zach may not have been allowed to let Gabi go early as some have done in more recent seasons. He basically said that Gabi's issue with having to get dressed up and do interviews even though everyone knew it wasn't her is really an issue with the show and the producers, not Zach. I did notice that they returned to having rose ceremonies at the end of every episode and other things like that that were a return to the format earlier seasons. 

Edited March 28, 2023 by SallyAlbright

[Palomar]

Kaity is Rachel-esque so not surprised he picked her. He tried too hard with trying to be ultra transparent but why not let having sex with Gaby be between them...even Kaity said she would rather not have known.  I imagine he also went on to have sex with Kaity in the FS since she knew he did with Gaby. Zach was trying to be like Sean but completely failed. Should have just been yourself Zach!

[OldWiseOne]

17 hours ago, Lamb18 said:

Well whoever shows up first is the loser.

But wouldn't it be something if Zach proposed to the first-comer and then the second person shows up during the celebration.

Like on Jesse Palmer's season!

[SallyAlbright]

As many here speculated, Gabi's last date was first (when he told her he was still torn) and Kaity's was the next day. They were shown in the opposite order.

https://www.etonline.com/the-bachelor-finale-zach-explains-the-conflicting-timelines-of-when-he-knew-kaity-was-the-one

"The beauty of reality TV and editing. It was actually not in that order," Zach explained, adding that his last date with Gabi actually happened before his final date with Kaity, despite how it aired on TV.

"I never want there to be this false narrative, but from what I said, it was true," he said. "When I had that date with Gabi, leaving it, I wasn't fully sure. My mind [was not] made up at all, but when I saw Kaity the next day, I was like, 'Duh, it's you. It's been you.'"

"She gives me s**t for it, but [I was] so in my head, and I just was like, 'You know what? I take this so seriously, an engagement. I want to make sure,'" Zach continued. "And then I was worried. And then I was like, 'Wait, she's here.'"

Kaity doesn't hold anything against her fiancé, as she pointed out he had a "big decision" to make about who his "forever person" would be. "I'll obviously toot my horn a little bit, but [he had] two incredible women in front of him, that's a tough decision," she acknowledged.

And on Gabi:

"I just want to reiterate to her how sorry I am and how I handled things, because I know I was in the wrong," Zach told ET. "I never intended to hurt her with my actions. All I wanted to do was act with honesty, because I knew I had messed up, and I saw the pain that had caused Gabi. I saw the pain that had caused Kaity and Ariel [Frenkel], and that was the last thing I wanted."

"It pains me that... me trying to set this parameter was the worst decision and backfired so strong," he added. "I just wanted her to know that that was never my intention, to hurt anyone." 

Edited March 28, 2023 by SallyAlbright

[Back Atcha]

4 hours ago, Recyclorette said:

Do they really think we're that enthralled with men taking showers? 

And ONE insecure (but nice looking) man over and over and o....

[MMLEsq]

I was really hoping Uncle "Puddy" was going to show up again for the family visits.

[chocolatine]

1 hour ago, Palomar said:

Zach was trying to be like Sean but completely failed. Should have just been yourself Zach!

The big difference between Zach and Sean was that Sean had a deeply held conviction, based on his faith, to abstain from sex until marriage. Zach seemed to want to emulate Sean because Sean is considered a "successful" Bachelor, but didn't fully understand or relate to his motivations. That's why Zach's resolve was so easily broken and he ended up looking like his words don't mean anything.

[Ms Blue Jay]

I find it really annoying that they used David Warburton to kind of "promote" Zach in his first season but this season they didn't even deliver on him 🙄  There was actually zero other reason for me to watch this season.

[Melonie77]

12 hours ago, Back Atcha said:

17 hours ago, GracieK said:

I hope Charity doesn’t spend all season licking her teeth. 

And CRYING!  Her make-up was fabulous...rarely any little "rivers" of tearstains 

Great point! I think at times Charity's 'crying' was a performance. Maybe that's why there were no tear stains! 🤣

She also has an annoying habit of touching and playing with her hair a lot. I especially noticed it during WTA. I thought she was frequently rude and uninterested in the other girls. During WTA she was barely paying any attention unless the conversation was about her. The rest of the time she seemed lost in her own thoughts while stroking her hair. She was also signaling and communicating with people in the audience in what appeared to be separate conversations that had nothing to do with the group discussions!
I apologize for bringing up once again my disappointment in the pick for the next bachelorette but watching Gabi get the 'next-lead-edit' last night without getting the next lead was a big reminder.

[Melonie77]

1 hour ago, SallyAlbright said:

As many here speculated, Gabi's last date was first (when he told her he was still torn) and Kaity's was the next day. They were shown in the opposite order.

https://www.etonline.com/the-bachelor-finale-zach-explains-the-conflicting-timelines-of-when-he-knew-kaity-was-the-one

Thanks for posting this. Last night's show was a disaster in my opinion. It was too drawn out, the editing was choppy and messy and they spent far too much time giving a bachelorette lead edit that they were not going to follow through on.

Following up on the feeling that it's a bit harder to feel happy over Zach and Kaity after seeing what Gabi went through, I just wanted to repost part of a comment I made in the spoiler thread since it really belongs here:

The producers/editors share in the responsibility for the cloud hanging over Zach and Kaity's engagement. They pushed and heavily portrayed the narrative of Gabi's betrayal and heartbreak. They actually gave Gabi the 'next-bachelorette edit' by focusing so much on her anguish and I'm baffled by their decision to do this. Any other season and I would be certain that Gabi was getting the next lead. The fact that Gabi 'deserved' to be the next bachelorette after what she went through, makes me even less interested than I already am in watching Charity's season. 
I think TPTB sort of sabotaged Zach's ending with Kaity and took advantage of Gabi. I feel bad for the three of them and hope it all works out with the engagement and friendships that were forged during the season.

 

I just read Reality Steve's thoughts from last night and he basically said the same thing when he mentions that production did NOT have to show all of the Gabi anguish storylines. RS was focused more on the idea that they don't care about people but instead are fixated on the drama. I totally agree with this, but I guess I'm taking it another step in saying that I think they sabotaged and possibly sacrificed Zach's relationship w/ Kaity by how they presented the last couple of episodes. I hope they are all able to recover from production's manipulations.

[Rightside]

I didn't watch when Zach was on the The Bachelorette.

It is true he was not really the favorite or liked to be The Bachelor? Why?

[Jax7917]

I think Gabi actually has a good personality for paradise . I can see her doing a lot of talking heads , saying silly things . I’m sure she’ll do well in paradise too .

[DEL901]

According to interviews, the last dates were reversed.  He went out with Gabi. Was conflicted.   Then when he saw Kaity the next morning it was all suddenly clear.  

[deSchenke]

21 hours ago, funnygirl said:

If it mattered that much to Zach to tell Kaity that he slept with Gabi, then he could have waited until they were in the Fantasy Suite when the cameras were off and told her then.

Exactly!

21 hours ago, phlebas said:

Zach's moving to Austin?  I thought he already lived in Austin

Me too!

20 hours ago, JenE4 said:

Okay, we all loved Charity’s brother, but that “disguise” was hilariously bad. If he was really “undercover” he could have dressed as himself—I didn’t recognize him, and I really liked him on hometowns. I’m glad he’ll be there. I bet he’ll give her good advice on who’s There for the Right Reasons.

I doubt the other contestants would recognize him. He should have entered the mansion "au natural".

15 hours ago, Back Atcha said:

I'm guessing they'll have different or no partners by Thanksgiving.

Ah, the "turkey drop" that is routine in high-school relationships as they venture off to different colleges.

3 hours ago, chocolatine said:

The big difference between Zach and Sean was that Sean had a deeply held conviction, based on his faith, to abstain from sex until marriage. Zach seemed to want to emulate Sean because Sean is considered a "successful" Bachelor,

Yep, agreed! I thought this all along!

[Jeanne222]

23 hours ago, DEL901 said:

With Arie and Mesnick, they picked an F1 who seemed best on paper before ditching them for the womsn they really loved and both relationships seem to be working.  

This doesn’t seem to be that way.  His family does seem to prefer Kaity and he lights up around her…. Could he pick Gabi from “Catholic guilt” and then change his mind?

I kept thinking about those couples and I can see that happening here!  He slept with Gabi and he told her he loved her twice.  She was so very real.  Her family life mimics his.  

I don't see that loving feeling from Kaity.  She seems to be more into the show than crazy about Zack!

I could see that happening here.

With that said Zack's talking sister looks a whole lot like Kaity.  They could be sisters!

 

6 hours ago, Recyclorette said:

I've felt the same about him.  He may not be preachy now, but I've still seen enough of him.

Did anyone else feel that Catherine didn't seem too thrilled to be there?  It seemed to me that she looked annoyed and checked out when Sean was answering Jesse's questions.

Sean seemed extra nervous in his remarks.  I think she expected more  confidence from him!

[LindaT]

Charity is a great gal but it seems like Gabi deserved to be the Bachelorette because she was the heart-broken lady in second place.  Why wasn't Gabi chosen to be the Bachelorette? Poor lady was chosen second and doesn't even get chosen to be the Bachelorette. That is just going to reinforce her belief that she isn't good enough. 

[Starlight925]

Re:  Zach's famous uncle Patrick Warburton.

We only saw him once, that time early in the season on the couch.

When Zach took Christina home for their first date, apparently, Patrick Warburton was there, but not on film.  And he was never shown again.

My theory is that Warburton, being a SAG member, likely has a contract which enforces payment every time he's on screen.  ABC likely paid that first time, and then just let him simmer in the background.

Edited March 29, 2023 by Starlight925

[DEL901]

2 minutes ago, Starlight925 said:

Re:  Zach's famous uncle Patrick Warburton.

We only saw him once, that time early in the season on the couch.

When Zach took Christina home for their first date, apparently, Patrick Warburton was there, but not on film.  And he was never shown again.

My theory is that Warburton, being a SAG member, likely has a contract which enforces payment every time he's on screen.  ABC likely paid that first time, and then just let him simmer in the background.

Apparently he was involved in one of the early group dates.  It was cut for some reason.  

[Starlight925]

Just now, DEL901 said:

Apparently he was involved in one of the early group dates.  It was cut for some reason.  

Yes, that's my theory.  He was cut from that, plus the family Christina date, and any other scenes, due to his SAG member agent contract.  

[kazza]

13 hours ago, SallyAlbright said:

I obviously do not know him and never will, but as a fellow people pleaser I recognize signs of that in him. He seems genuinely rattled and upset when other people don't like him or react badly to him, which is also something I struggle with.

This makes a lot of sense. In the Bachelorette, there was a scene when Zach tried to cheer up Rachel by suggesting she let out a primal scream. At the time, it was just sweet and empathetic, but it totally also fits the narrative of a people pleaser. 

[coconutcookie]

So they're going to move in together this summer and are thinking about getting married in 2025. That sounds like a good plan. 

[Hip-to-be-Square]

Charity is boring and her brother is too. I know a season is going to be tiresome when they rope in family members or friends that barely had any screen time to try to jazz it up with some whacky predictable hijinks.  Good for Gabi for stopping Zach from talking after the rejection- who gives a shit about compliments when the damage is done.  I'd leave and ask the driver to take me to the nearest Denny's so that I can binge/cry it out over a Grand Slam.  Let's wrap this up and go to casting Senior Citizen Bachelor already 😃👵🧓🙌💯!  

[Melonie77]

56 minutes ago, Hip-to-be-Square said:

Let's wrap this up and go to casting Senior Citizen Bachelor already 😃👵🧓🙌💯!  

LOL! How many years have they been advertising for this senior season? I'd love to see this come true but I can't help but laugh over the length of time it seems to be taking to get enough cast members. And they never mention the age range they are looking for. There is a vast range of ages that could fall under the vague heading of seniors. I originally thought they were going to do a somewhat older season - maybe people in their 40s - 50s. But now they are specifying 'seniors' - do they mean folks in their 60's, 70's or 80's!!?? They could also try doing a season of all 30-somethings.

[Back Atcha]

7 hours ago, LindaT said:

Charity is a great gal but it seems like Gabi deserved to be the Bachelorette because she was the heart-broken lady in second place.  Why wasn't Gabi chosen to be the Bachelorette? Poor lady was chosen second and doesn't even get chosen to be the Bachelorette. That is just going to reinforce her belief that she isn't good enough. 

I don't watch The Bachelor/Bachelorette often...and when I do, it's very few episodes.  I met one Gabi on the first couple of shows, happy, confident, quirky--and a different one (whining, crying continually) on the last two.  Even watching sporatically, I don't think I could handle MORE "poor me, poor me--always second choice," on another season.  Did she run out of meds 3/4 of the way through this time?

[Back Atcha]

3 hours ago, coconutcookie said:

So they're going to move in together this summer and are thinking about getting married in 2025. That sounds like a good plan. 

This is EXCELLENT!  Whenever I DO watch, I'm always talking back to these wannabees.  "Calm down. You're not making a Life or Death decision."  "Hold on, Missy!  This is supposed to end in an engagement--no license required...which should continue for months.  This isn't a terminal illness where you've been given six days to life."

 

[Back Atcha]

7 hours ago, LindaT said:

Charity is a great gal but it seems like Gabi deserved to be the Bachelorette because she was the heart-broken lady in second place.  Why wasn't Gabi chosen to be the Bachelorette? Poor lady was chosen second and doesn't even get chosen to be the Bachelorette. That is just going to reinforce her belief that she isn't good enough. 

 

1 hour ago, Hip-to-be-Square said:

Charity is boring and her brother is too. I know a season is going to be tiresome when they rope in family members or friends that barely had any screen time to try to jazz it up with some whacky predictable hijinks.  Good for Gabi for stopping Zach from talking after the rejection- who gives a shit about compliments when the damage is done.

 

10 hours ago, Melonie77 said:

I apologize for bringing up once again my disappointment in the pick for the next bachelorette but watching Gabi get the 'next-lead-edit' last night without getting the next lead was a big reminder.

ALL OF THE ABOVE make me wonder if that "surprise" dressing room selection of Charity for The Bachelorette occurred ONLY because Gabi had been their first choice for Bachelorette.  Maybe she asked to think it over and then decided she didn't want to deal with this "franchise" ever again.  Because Zach's rejection happened months before the broadcast(s), maybe Bachelor Nation decided to cover their buds and "choose" Charity before more fit hit the shan and Gabi was First Choice.

[DEL901]

4 hours ago, Hip-to-be-Square said:

Charity is boring and her brother is too. I know a season is going to be tiresome when they rope in family members or friends that barely had any screen time to try to jazz it up with some whacky predictable hijinks.  Good for Gabi for stopping Zach from talking after the rejection- who gives a shit about compliments when the damage is done.  I'd leave and ask the driver to take me to the nearest Denny's so that I can binge/cry it out over a Grand Slam.  Let's wrap this up and go to casting Senior Citizen Bachelor already 😃👵🧓🙌💯!  

What would have been fun…Ariel and HER brother. 

[dleighg]

Wait a minute. I must have missed something. What is the role of Charity's brother? Certainly not as a contestant. What, co-host?

[JenE4]

3 minutes ago, dleighg said:

Wait a minute. I must have missed something. What is the role of Charity's brother? Certainly not as a contestant. What, co-host?

“Undercover brother.” They showed him get out of the limo in a normal suit and greet Charity. Then in a cut scene they showed him put on a terrible Party City wig, mustache, trench coat, and hat say he’s going to check out the guys as “Undercover Brother.” But I’m pretty certain they’ll just have him mingle around the cocktail party dressed normally and then have him give Charity a rundown of who is or is not Here for the Right Reasons, and that’s the extent of it.

[SallyAlbright]

9 hours ago, coconutcookie said:

So they're going to move in together this summer and are thinking about getting married in 2025. That sounds like a good plan. 

What's even more promising to me is that Kaity is continuing to work as a nurse (she said her next three-month contract is why they aren't officially moving in together until summer) and Zach says he has no interest in Dancing With The Stars and just wants to be normal. Unless they are really amazing actors, they genuinely seem to have little interest in becoming LA influencer types. 

Also, I think the Bachelorette choice was as simple as the filming schedule. Charity is already filming the third "week" of dates for her season. There was no way to make Gabi the Bachelorette without majorly spoiling Zach's season considering ABC wants to start airing the Bachelorette in June. 

Edited March 29, 2023 by SallyAlbright

[Katie111]

35 minutes ago, SallyAlbright said:

 

Also, I think the Bachelorette choice was as simple as the filming schedule. Charity is already filming the third "week" of dates for her season. There was no way to make Gabi the Bachelorette without majorly spoiling Zach's season considering ABC wants to start airing the Bachelorette in June. 

I agree.  I wouldn't be shocked if Gabi ended up being the Bachelorette in a future season.  Unless of course, she ends up on the beach. 

I also agree that this season with Charity is going to be a dud.  I said to my husband around week 2 that there was just something off-putting about her, snobby or mean, I just couldn't put my finger on it.   At hometowns most of her friends seemed to be white so I'm thinking she'd be open to dating all types of men which production probably likes.  I did think it was a bit odd that she had so many people at her hometown date, there have been a couple of occasions where a best friend might show up but not 10 sorority sisters.  Wonder if they were just trying to frame her as fun and popular. 

[Hip-to-be-Square]

3 hours ago, DEL901 said:

What would have been fun…Ariel and HER brother. 

Yeah!! Imagine the quick wit of those two in a room 😃.  I loved how intelligent and intense Ariel's brother was- super HOT to me 😄🔥.  All of the other siblings were pretty boring and non-confrontational, but Ariel's brother was very deliberate and bold with his questioning of Zach, and I really liked that- he could be a police interrogator! 

Edited March 29, 2023 by Hip-to-be-Square

[Hip-to-be-Square]

7 hours ago, Melonie77 said:

LOL! How many years have they been advertising for this senior season? I'd love to see this come true but I can't help but laugh over the length of time it seems to be taking to get enough cast members. And they never mention the age range they are looking for. There is a vast range of ages that could fall under the vague heading of seniors. I originally thought they were going to do a somewhat older season - maybe people in their 40s - 50s. But now they are specifying 'seniors' - do they mean folks in their 60's, 70's or 80's!!?? They could also try doing a season of all 30-somethings.

When will they ever cast and run the Senior Citizen season?! I hope its 60+ and maybe they could even have a senior citizen host in keeping with the theme.  That season will be great: no likes, vocal fry or uptalk 😄. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

35 minutes ago, Hip-to-be-Square said:

Ariel's brother was very deliberate and bold with his questioning of Zach, and I really liked that- he could be a police interrogator! 

Based on his eager offer to beat up Ariel's ex-boyfriends, I'd say you're right.  But he'd be a wrong-reasons police interrogator.

[chocolatine]

22 minutes ago, Hip-to-be-Square said:

When will they ever cast and run the Senior Citizen season?! I hope its 60+ and maybe they could even have a senior citizen host in keeping with the theme.  That season will be great: no likes, vocal fry or uptalk 😄. 

I love that idea! They should pick Tom Bergeron. ABC owes him something nice after the unceremonious firing from DWTS a few years ago.

[Hip-to-be-Square]

30 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

I love that idea! They should pick Tom Bergeron. ABC owes him something nice after the unceremonious firing from DWTS a few years ago.

Tom Bergeron would be perfect as a host for Senior Bachelor 🤗- that is such a great idea, Chocolatine!!  I can't believe that he was let go from DWTS and I also loved him as a host for America's Funniest Home Videos. 

33 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Based on his eager offer to beat up Ariel's ex-boyfriends, I'd say you're right.  But he'd be a wrong-reasons police interrogator.

Ooh a side hustle idea for him- an ex-bf interrogation and roughhousing service! I'd use those services, "You can run, but you can't hide, Gary!" 😅

[Starlight925]

I applied for Senior Bachelor (I’m female) the first time they advertised it.  Sent in my pics, application, the whole deal.  Never heard a word.  Not even a rejection. 
 

FWIW, I’m considered attractive, in decent shape, professional, educated, etc.  Divorced, age 61 now.  (60 when I applied).  
 

My guess is, they comb the dating apps & approach the people they want.  While there are many attractive single older people, there are a ton who turn out to be either completely fake spammers or who are looking for sugar daddies/mommies.  Looking for a “nurse or a purse”. 
 

It’s tough being single at this age because of all these minefields.  You meet someone nice, only to find out they’re broke (sad at this age), or have illnesses for which they want care.  Or simple “life didn’t turn out right” bitterness. 
 

Im betting they’re just having a hard time finding quality people.  Me!  Me!

[StatisticalOutlier]

7 minutes ago, Starlight925 said:

Im betting they’re just having a hard time finding quality people.  Me!  Me!

With all due respect, have you learned nothing from watching this show?  Surely you don't think they'll be less heinous to Senior Bachelor contestants just because they're old. 

[Melonie77]

5 hours ago, DEL901 said:

What would have been fun…Ariel and HER brother. 

Yikes! That certainly would have made for the most DRAMATIC season ever! I can just see Ariel's brother interrogating each of the men and chasing them off the show if they don't know her birthdate.🤣🤣🤣

[Jax7917]

2 hours ago, SallyAlbright said:

 

Also, I think the Bachelorette choice was as simple as the filming schedule. Charity is already filming the third "week" of dates for her season. There was no way to make Gabi the Bachelorette without majorly spoiling Zach's season considering ABC wants to start airing the Bachelorette in June. 

I think so too. The only way they could have done it is if they didn't announce who the bachelorette was and just started filming . Realistically, unless you read spoilers like I do , you wouldn't know who the bachelorette was going to be unless it was publicly announced.

[Melonie77]

41 minutes ago, Starlight925 said:

I applied for Senior Bachelor (I’m female) the first time they advertised it.  Sent in my pics, application, the whole deal.  Never heard a word.  Not even a rejection. 

Thanks for your very interesting post! I can't imagine why they would not have contacted you. I thought applications were where they got most of their cast. Perhaps you will hear from them yet...or maybe they are casting for a different age group? "Senior" citizens could broadly fall anywhere from age 55 to 100. I find it odd they haven't mentioned a specific age group. People in their 80s and 90s still hit up online dating apps. They need to narrow the age bracket down. To be honest I would not be interested in watching geriatric seniors and would probably worry the show would take advantage of them and/or make fools of them. Keeping it at 50s to 60s sounds good.

[Starlight925]

Well with my level of snarkiness, I’d only want to be Senior Bachelorette, not contestant for the one loser dude (see Zach in 30 years lol). 
 

All kidding aside, I’m glad he picked Kaity.  Gabi is exhausting.  Her constant need for reassurance was getting so old. 
 

There were 2 people in that Fantasy Suite that night.  No, he shouldn’t have told the world, but you made the choice to get intimate. 
 

I hate the way he handled it, and I hate the way he handled other things this season, i.e. Jess.  Obviously, some thing very strange went down the last night he was with Rachel, so I hope these are just anomalies, and that he in Kaity will live happily ever after.

[Melonie77]

@Jax7917 @SallyAlbright @Back Atcha

Regarding the bachelorette choice and filming schedule...something happened this past year that threw the usual timeline for the entire franchise of shows off and they aired differently. BiP last year ran during the fall instead of the summer.
I wish they would get back to their normal schedule and allow for more time to select from an entire cast when choosing their next lead.
They were able to take Rachel and Gabby from Clayton's season when they finished 2nd and 3rd and they have picked from the last couple of cast members from other seasons as well.
I think this year is the first time the bachelorette started filming before the bachelor was finished airing so they had more of a predicament. I think they could have still gone with Ariel though. I'm sure they could have kept their choice of Ariel as bachette secret while shooting her first night at the mansion and then keeping her first week of dates in closed sets.

[call me ishmael]

2 hours ago, Starlight925 said:

I applied for Senior Bachelor (I’m female) the first time they advertised it.  Sent in my pics, application, the whole deal.  Never heard a word.  Not even a rejection. 
 

FWIW, I’m considered attractive, in decent shape, professional, educated, etc.  Divorced, age 61 now.  (60 when I applied).  
 

My guess is, they comb the dating apps & approach the people they want.  While there are many attractive single older people, there are a ton who turn out to be either completely fake spammers or who are looking for sugar daddies/mommies.  Looking for a “nurse or a purse”. 
 

It’s tough being single at this age because of all these minefields.  You meet someone nice, only to find out they’re broke (sad at this age), or have illnesses for which they want care.  Or simple “life didn’t turn out right” bitterness. 
 

Im betting they’re just having a hard time finding quality people.  Me!  Me!

My theory is that since they only know how to find 20 somethings they are actually picking people now and waiting 30 years for them to become the right age for senior bachelor.

[Soobs]

12 hours ago, Back Atcha said:

I don't watch The Bachelor/Bachelorette often...and when I do, it's very few episodes.  I met one Gabi on the first couple of shows, happy, confident, quirky--and a different one (whining, crying continually) on the last two.  Even watching sporatically, I don't think I could handle MORE "poor me, poor me--always second choice," on another season.  Did she run out of meds 3/4 of the way through this time?

I'm slightly worried about her mental health and I'm not sure she could handle the roller coaster of being the lead. The show really did her dirty by not at the barest minimum have a producer send her a text telling her that world will know Zach told everyone she had sex in the FS. It was cruel and toying with the emotions of a perhaps not totally stable person.

During her interview she said that week in Thailand she and Zach had an amazing talk about their mental health. Why aren't we seeing these deeper conversations? Many of us watch to see a new relationship unfold in real time. There's so much lame, vapid conversation it makes the show dull and the people look stupid.

Obviously, it isn't because they are trying to protect the contestants' privacy. It seems to be that whoever is in charge doesn't really have their finger on the pulse of Bachelor Nation, a term that also needs a serious rebranding.

 

Edited March 29, 2023 by Soobs

[tennisgurl]

I thought that this season was actually pretty decent, not too much drama and I think that the top four women were all really solid choices. I feel bad because I always tend to end up disliking every lead by the end of the season, with a few exceptions, but I think Zach came out alright. He made some really big mistakes, like sleeping with Gabi while it seems like he was already planning on proposing to Kaity, but he seems like a basically decent person and he and Kaity seem to be happy. In general I am glad that the season was light on the constant fighting, crying, and obviously contrived drama. There was certainly plenty of that, but there was actually some parts where people seemed to be actually having some fun and the final four women all did seem to really like each other. 

The thing I thought was interesting was how many people, in the press and in the show itself, about how badly edited the season was, even more than usual. A lot of people said that a lot of the best material was cut or that whole conversations were changed to make things look different than they actually were. I don't know if there really was more editing in post than usual or if people are just being more upfront about it, but it makes it sound like the show didn't get quite as much of that juicy drama they love so they tried to add more? Or its the less conspiracy filled theory that the show just does not think we care about things like people talking about mental health, which is really too bad because a lot of the things that were apparently cut sound a lot more interesting than anything that we see. I just want to see cool people connect in pretty locations, I dont want a bunch of trash.

I like Charity but she isn't all that interesting, I would have preferred Gabi as the new lead. And as much as I liked Charities brother, this whole "undercover brother" bit sounds like its going to be majorly cringy, hopefully its just some silly thing they do in the first episode. 

Edited March 29, 2023 by tennisgurl

[Mabinogia]

4 hours ago, call me ishmael said:

My theory is that since they only know how to find 20 somethings they are actually picking people now and waiting 30 years for them to become the right age for senior bachelor.

In a few years they can just recycle some of the losers. Bachelor: A Second Chance at Love. Watch as the losers of the past come back with their AARP cards to try again to find love amid the foodless dinner dates and random reasons to strip group dates coming this fall to ABC.

Edited March 29, 2023 by Mabinogia