After a brief hiatus following the conclusion of Matt James’ season of ‘The Bachelor,’ ‘The Bachelorette’ has finally started airing. This season features Bachelorette Katie Thurston, a 30-year-old woman from Seattle who is looking to meet the love of her life. While the season has been entertaining thus far — and is there anyone sweeter than Michael?! — I can’t help but count down the days until ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ premieres in August.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the ‘The Bachelor’ and ‘The Bachelorette.’ I love the hilarious group dates, the dramatic two-on-ones, and the touchy-feely one-on-one dinner conversations. That being said, sometimes the leads are dull, or they give roses to contestants that I find unappealing. It becomes difficult to remain invested in ‘The Bachelor’ or ‘The Bachelorette’ for an entire season if the primary relationships lack chemistry, or if the lead is difficult to root for.
‘Bachelor in Paradise,’ on the other hand, contains everything I love about reality television. The cast is always entertaining, because the producers bring back the fan favorites from the recent seasons of ‘The Bachelor’ and ‘The Bachelorette’ — the contestants who were funniest, most dramatic, or most loved by viewers. We already know all of the faces, and it’s exciting to see who is interested in who. And each season there is usually a good love triangle or two!
Often on ‘The Bachelor’ or ‘The Bachelorette,’ I wonder if the contestants convince themselves that they are in love with the lead simply because the show conditions them into believing that there is a connection. Since there is not a lead on ‘Bachelor in Paradise,’ the contestants seem more likely to form meaningful relationships.
Even though it has been over two years since the last season of ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ filmed due to the pandemic, the two main couples from the show are still together. In fact, Caelynn and Dean just bought a house together in Las Vegas!
Additionally, ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ feels more entertaining because the contestants do not sit around the mansion waiting to be chosen for a date. They tan on the beach, they swim in the ocean or the luxurious pools of the resort, or they drink at the bar and talk to Wells, Bachelor Nation’s favorite bartender. This setting also makes the drama less predictable — no more repeating the same storyline of the contestant who is offended that they didn’t receive a one-on-one date.
My favorite part about this summer dating show is that new faces arrive every week — so if one episode is a bit slow, you can bet that the next one won’t be. Catch the first episode of ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ on August 16, 2021!
