THE BACHELOR: WHY ARE WE STILL WATCHING?

"It's the most controversial season of The Bachelor in the history of ever" Chris Harrison announces in the Countdown to Nick special before the season premiere. Every season Harrison calls it the most dramatic season in Bachelor history. We scoff. And then we resume watching what we know is probably not the most dramatic thing we have ever seen. But why?

It makes no sense. We realize that we are tuning into not one but TWO hours of tears, staged drama, and gossip. Why are we doing this to ourselves?

I'll hand it to them that this is, in fact, the most unique season so far, because they pulled the stunt of having Nick Viall on the series for the FOURTH time. But no one needs to see the same guy that many times. The Bachelor franchise has already proved that they have access to an unlimited supply of America's most beautiful people, so give someone else a chance for once. This guy had his time. And then some. 

Now, let's talk about the first episode of this season. For starters: how did Shark Girl (aka The Crazy Girl Who Thinks She is a Dolphin) get a rose while several other beautiful women walked out at the end?

Secondly, why did so many girls think it was so cool that Lacey rode up on a camel? She made an awkward joke about humping, and then several girls were like, "Why didn't I think of that???"  Many of these introductions were cringe-worthy and just plain hard to watch. I don't know what was worse: Josephine making him eat a raw hotdog Lady and the Tramp-style or when Lauren pointed out that their last names (Hussey and Viall) together made them a "disgusting slut."

Once again, why are we still watching this show? Or more precisely, why can't we turn it off? It's easy for me to skip an episode or even a season, but when my friends and family tune it, I can't seem to look away.

Maybe it's the beautiful locations.

Maybe it's the insane drama that makes us feel better about ourselves.

Or maybe, it's just that we know what to expect, and for some reason we are drawn to that. The teasers before each commercial break will take something out of context to make it look way more dramatic than it actually is. One girl will force her way into the spotlight until all of the other girls hate her and have to decide whether or not to bring it up to Nick (which someone eventually will--hoping it will somehow make her seem better in comparison). And Chris Harrison will never stop telling us that we have so much drama to look forward to--in the MOST dramatic season in the history of the world. 

Whatever our reasons are for watching The Bachelor, we have to admit that we are the problem. We are the reason that this show is still on the air. In a time where Netflix and Hulu seem to rule the world, we come back every week and provide this show with enough ratings to justify another season. Remember that tonight as you sip your wine and wonder why you are still watching this show.