How Season 15 of The Bachelorette Got Me (Temporarily) Hooked

Earlier this summer, I logged onto Twitter to see what was going on and to post a few tweets. It was Monday and, as usual, The Bachelorette staring Hannah Brown was trending. The show that aired that night featured Luke P acting like… well… Luke P. I wasn’t watching anything I was interested in so I changed my channel to my local ABC channel to watch The Bachelorette and see what the fuss was about. After watching the episode, I was hooked and stayed to the end of the season.

The problem? I didn’t like The Bachelor and The Bachelorette.

I watched The Bachelor and Bachelorette in my early 20’s because everyone watched it, which made me curious about it. Ironically, I hated it. If you’re reading this and are stunned by the fact I hate The Bachelor/Bachelorette, I also need to admit I’m very picky about romance novels, movies, TV shows, and anything romance themed. So, when I lost interest in The Bachelor/Bachelorette, it wasn’t a surprise to me or anyone who knows me well.

The problem is I actually didn’t like The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. There are so many reasons I didn’t like it, but they included the bachelor or bachelorette went on dates with multiple people and the dates are so impracticable and out of my price range it was laughable. And, of course, I’m in the group of people who question the authenticity of the show. In short, I preferred a Jane Austen historical costume drama to The Bachelor or The Bachelorette no matter who was the star.

But that changed with season 15. Seeing the story of the show, and Luke P, made me want to watch the show. Despite being too busy to watch all the episodes as they aired, I continued to watch the series until the series finale. Afterwords, the only thing I could think was “Wait, I just watched The BACHELORETTE. What just happened to me?!”

Watching season 15 and watching Hannah B search for love struck a cord with me. I’ve had a lot of problems trying to find a loving, lasting relationship and had my share of Luke P’s (AKA men who don’t respect women) to deal with. I’ve been criticized for my Christian religious beliefs by “good Christian men” who think that because they’re on a date with me they own me and it’s their duty tell me how to live my life. (Fortunately I had good male friends who backed me up instead of a camera crew and security like Hannah B had) I’ve been in love with a man that lied to me and tried to make amends with a man I ignored the affections of in hopes of a second chance of love. In other words, I saw myself in Hannah’s struggles with love. Especially her resolution to want a husband because she wanted a husband instead of needing one to make herself complete.

Although I’m older than Hannah B, it makes me happy to see a woman on TV that overcomes the struggles of trying to find a man who will accept her for herself. Also, watching The Bachelorette made me realize things about myself and my quest for love. Mostly that I’m on the right track and I shouldn’t settle for a man less than what I know I need him to be.

So, after watching this past season of The Bachelorette, am I now hooked on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette? No. I’m still not interested in watching either show in the future. Not am I going to watch the current spinoff that is airing right now, Bachelor in Paradise. But will I rule out The Bachelor or The Bachelorette? No, I will not. Despite having no desire to watch either show, I still plan on giving both shows a chance in the future.

But no matter if I like future seasons of the show or if I completely ignore the shows and go back to ignoring and disliking them, I’m still glad season 15 showed up on my radar. It came at the right time to remind me about my principles in love and what I need to work on.

Well, that’s all for now! Thank you for reading!