Relationships August 2, 2019
If only we all had our own personal Chris Harrison.
This past Monday ABC’s hit, The Bachelorette, reached an all time high for this season. With a viewership rating of 6.41 million on this week’s new episode. Along with the long running Bachelor franchise other reality romance shows, like CBS’s Love Island and MTV’s Are You the One?, stand strong in viewership as well.
If our country is as obsessed with love shows as the ratings show, then why is the divorce rate still standing at 50%? According to The New York Times the divorce rate is actually going down, but so is the marriage rate. Millennials seem to be changing the game of love by living through others rather than experiencing it themselves.
Once upon a time I was dating this guy during a six month stay in Florida. We were only together for about two to three months. During that time the relationship was never too serious, but we did agree to be exclusive. One thing that seemed to bug me the most though, was his inability to get over his ex.
The constant talk of what they used to do together and what her favorite things to do were, how much fun they used to have, and so on and so forth was irritating to say the least. (I should also add that at this time his ex was engaged to another man.)
So, there was absolutely no chance of them getting back together. The weirdest thing of all? He refused to watch The Bachelor with me because it was “thing.” If he loved love as much he said because of the reality show, then why wasn’t he focusing on the relationship he had right in front of him?
Now, perhaps there was more to the story on his side than meets the eye. And because we’re now broken up, I guess I’ll never know.
In my opinion, reality love shows are a far cry from the real thing. Yes, people have actually met their “soulmate” on these shows. However, in actuality the shows seem to give off a false reality of what love is like in the real world.
The contestants on the show have little to no contact with the outside world while filming. The producers strategically pick contestants who are competitive. And with love as the prize people will literally fight for that love simply due to the fact that it’s the only thing to do there.
With the recent news of this season’s contestants, Jed Wyatt and Peter Weber dumping their exes to be on the show, it feeds more into the idea that reality show love is more of a fantasy than a reality.
Whether the rumors are true or not, the idea of people leaving what they already have to compete for love against at least 20 others seems like a crazy idea to me. As the ratings prove, it is definitely entertaining for others to witness.
Like everything else in this world, I’m sure our love of reality love shows will eventually fade. Although, until then instead of directing all of our focus on TV love, we should be redirecting ourselves to the reality of our actual lives. Even if true love isn’t on your agenda, think about your other relationships in your life you could be neglecting. I’m guilty myself of getting too wrapped up in the reality of reality shows, but at the end of the day, I always remind myself that the people I already have relationships with in my life are all I really need.
