Lies, scandal and heartbreak. These are a few of my favorite things, especially when Chris Harrison is the one telling me about them.
With the recent finale of ABC’s “The Bachelor,” fans everywhere curse Arie Luyendyk Jr.’s name.
After what Chris Harrison, the show’s host, called the most shocking, raw and unedited clip on reality television aired.
Fans saw Arie confessing to his then fiance, Becca Kufrin, that he didn’t want to be with her.
If that wasn’t bad enough, he said he now wants to be with Lauren Burnham, the woman he originally rejected in favor of Becca.
Currently, Arie and Lauren are happily engaged, trying to stay out of the public spotlight as much as possible.
After this rollercoaster finale, fans have rebuked the show and Arie himself, saying Arie is a horrible person and the show promotes poor relationship habits.
For context, on “The Bachelor” or “The Bachelorette,” one person must choose from a swathe of hopeful, potential partners by going on dates and eliminating them one at a time.
All of that in less than two months.
It’s not unreasonable to claim this show promotes poor relationship choices, however, I disagree.
First, the bachelor or bachelorette is under no obligation to get engaged at the end of the season.
If they find a connection with one of the contestants, then more power to them.
The show acts as a facilitator for interaction between these people who may have never had the chance to meet.
Chris and the producers try their best to stay neutral while still giving the audience an entertaining show.
One of the more positive things to come from these shows are the relationships the contestants form.
I’m talking about the friendship these women find with each other.
They bond over their respective dislike of Arie, and were overjoyed when Becca was chosen as the new Bachelorette.
As for Arie, I won’t argue what he did was morally right, but I do respect him for going through with his decision to leave Becca.
Imagine having hundreds of thousands of people invested in your relationship, and then choosing to make yourself the bad guy instead of live a lie.
It would have been easy, in the short run, for him to have stayed with Becca and tried to make it work.
Instead, he chose to let her know his true feelings so that she can move forward with her life and he can reach out to Lauren.
I disagree with his method of breakup, on live TV with no forewarning for Becca. Supposedly, he did it to give Becca a better shot at being the next bachelorette.
Whether that is true or not, we can’t know.
The Bachelor may seem ridiculous and insincere at times, but ultimately it is up to the contestants to find that real spark of love.
How Arie broke up with Becca was, in my opinion, the wrong way to go about it.
However, what he did was hard, took some amount of courage and in the long run, is best for both of them.
Griffen Winget can be reached at [email protected]