When Becca was dumped at the end of last season's The Bachelor [1] by Arie, my heart was absolutely broken for her. This was a woman who was so clearly head over heels for her new fiancé [2] and who was excited about what the future held for them. Then that future was ripped from underneath her . . . while the entire world watched aghast [3].
The only positive that came from the entire heartbreaking debacle was the fact that she would become the franchise's newest bachelorette, and you can bet 2 million roses that I was here. For. Her. Season.
To Becca's credit, she's been pretty incredible so far. She asks the right questions, eight-sixes guys the second she's not feeling it (remember her Minnesota friend in the premiere and Jean Blanc's cringe-y exit? [4]), and she's taking this whole "journey to find love" thing pretty damn seriously. The only problem is that ABC isn't living up to its part.
Sure, this is a TV show that — in order for it to succeed for us to even want to watch — must be entertaining. We understand the need for a tangled Tia and Colton storyline [5] or for a narcissistic (somehow lovable) villain [6], these things are ultimately harmless. My beef lies elsewhere.
The Non-Stop Arie Talk
We get it. Becca got dumped by Arie last season. But does he really need to be the ghost that hovers above her head in every single episode? Not only did a quarter of the men bring him up in their limo entrance, but an entire date in the second episode was dedicated to smashing Arie-related memories. Wasn't the whole point of that date to put Arie behind us? But nope! he's always on the tip of someone's tongue and ABC can't resist an Arie soundbite [7]!
ABC Was Sloppy With Keeping the Winner a Secret
No spoilers here, but before Becca's season even premiered there was a bounty of leaked images of her and the winner. This was something that ABC had control over, as the images were taken while the show was filming. TMZ got the images, which were carelessly distributed and not properly marked. A lot of people who wanted to watch the season "spoiler free" weren't able to, which makes it way less fun to watch.
The Casting Has Been Horrendous
People can hem and haw all they want over Jordan, but the real trouble in ABC's casting lies elsewhere. I don't think we've had a worse group of guys since JoJo's season, and Becca does not deserve this at all.
Let's start with Lincoln, who was convicted of indecent assault and battery [8] a week before the season premiere. ABC could have easily figured this out, as the incident occurred in May 2016. Aren't they responsible for doing criminal background checks?
Then there's Leo, whose history in porn [9] we might be able to let slide if it weren't for the fact that he also allegedly has a thing for sending unsolicited dick pics [10].
Also, Garrett — as sweet as he comes off on the screen — has exhibited bigoted behaviour on social media. After some sleuthing done by Redditors and former franchise contestant Ashley Spivey, it was revealed that he "liked" a series [11] of homophobic, transphobic, racist, anti-feminist, and conspiracy theorist memes on Instagram and Twitter. He has since apologised [12] but just . . . ew.
To end this on a positive note, I want to express my adoration for Wills, Jason, and Blake. My hope is that after this season is over, we can finally move on from Arie and that ABC chooses one of Becca'a exceptionally good guys to be the next Bachelor. A girl can dream!