Real Life vs Reality TV

I was watching the show The Bachelorette the other day with my sister, Robin. She was at her home and I was at mine, almost 6 hours apart. I’m a pretty slow texter, but it was still fun to watch the show “together” this way.

We were texting, because my sister was having trouble talking. She was attacked by a neighbor’s dog last weekend and has a large bite below her lip. It hurts when she talks.  My sister recently completed her student teaching and after years of working in a totally unrelated field, she is all set to be a teacher. Unfortunately, in the state of California, jobs are scarce. So, she’s in the middle of a job search and now has a sizable wound on her face. In addition, her family is moving across town in less than 2 weeks. She’s got some big challenges. This is Real Life.

As we were watching The Bachelorette, the phrase, “here for the right reasons” kept coming up. I’m a romantic so I’m hoping they will find love, but it is obvious that some of the men and women on these looking-for-love-type reality shows are there just to be on television. Why? There have got to be better ways of both getting discovered and making money.

I look at the show and I see a woman whom I’m 95% sure is there to meet the man of her dreams. I also see a house full of handsome young men that surely could not have that hard of a time finding a date. What are they doing looking for love in this way, having to share one woman with a whole group of men?  Are any of them there for the “right reasons”?  Maybe the first few seasons, but by this point, I’m pretty sure it’s all for entertainments sake. This is very much not Real Life.

Will I continue to watch the show?  Probably. I enjoy talking to my sister about it, I’m hoping that it’s a distraction from Real Life for her. Like I said before, I’m a romantic, so I’m hopeful it all comes to a happy ending.

Plus, there’s really not much else on that night.

Image credit: Chase Your Bliss Photography