"Hold up . . . what even is the premise? I'm confused." — a thought I had about 17 times while watching the premiere
Allowing American Idol and The Bachelor to coexist independently just wasn't enough for ABC, apparently, so the network threw those two into a blender and the resulting concoction was essentially this show. Drink up, people!
Damn, OK, so this is a pair-up-or-peace-out kinda situation? After being forced to couple off, they're pretty much stuck with that person as their duet partner until the end. I mean, sheesh, what a way to kick-start a brand-new relationship! "Hi, nice to meet you! Shall we team up for an intimate performance of a love song even though we've only shared six cumulative hours of conversation together?" No pressure!
The stakes are pretty darn high: the winning couple get to go on tour together after writing and recording their own original songs. Phew! When you're a contestant who gets eliminated on The Bachelor, the most you're losing out on is more Instagram followers and #sponcon deals. I repeat: no pressure!
There's, ahem, quite the incentive to fake a connection. As host Chris Harrison described it, "The relationships come first and the music comes second." But with a prize package that huge, some contestants are bound to act like they're really digging their partner just to make it through to the end. As they say, that's show biz, baby.
Whew, is it refreshing to have contestants who genuinely know nothing about one another. I love Bachelor in Paradise, but no preexisting, Stagecoach-related drama? Perfect.
Y'all, these rose ceremonies are whack, and I'm living for it. Will the men have the power? Will a random celebrity decide who goes home solely based on how convincingly a contestant rubbed their partner's arm while singing on stage? Will straws be drawn? Will the audience vote? Who knows what's next!