A review by lynnaeaowens
Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America's Favorite Guilty Pleasure by Amy Kaufman
3.0
I watch The Bachelor for several reasons:
1) Community - it gives me something juicy to discuss at work
2) Vicarious drama - it is lovely watching drama unfold that in no way will impact my real life
3) Mystery/intrigue - trying to predict who will do what next, who will win, and what "the edit" really reveals
Now this book touches mainly on the community aspect of the show or "Bachelor Nation" the mythic realm where show contestants and show fans interact. This part, along with a dissection of the show's history, were interesting. Unfortunately, he author tries to tie The Bachelor into current feminist discussion in a way that felt really forced. The ending tries to nail this concept but really it just sort of trails off like "the bachelor is pretty horrible towards women, and even men, but feminists can still watch it ya know?". Further, the inclusion of snippets from other celebrities who watch the show were repetetive and uninspired ("I kind of hate myself, but I keep tuning in every week" is the gist of every single "essay").
I was disappointed that there wasn't much drama in this book - we get a sense that this is a key component to the show's success, but most of the actual drama discussion is tied into discussion of production. This is where this book shines - Kaufman provides insider info into the contracts contestants sign, the techniques production uses to prompt "drama" or to edit clips in a way that creates a compelling episode, even if it misrepresents the truth. These tidbits were juicy, but unfortunately if you're already passionately steeped in Bachelor Nation, most of this isn't new ground. Even the show Unreal has illustrated most of these points in a more compelling manner.
3/5 - Detailed and interesting, but often revisits information that is readily available outside the book.
1) Community - it gives me something juicy to discuss at work
2) Vicarious drama - it is lovely watching drama unfold that in no way will impact my real life
3) Mystery/intrigue - trying to predict who will do what next, who will win, and what "the edit" really reveals
Now this book touches mainly on the community aspect of the show or "Bachelor Nation" the mythic realm where show contestants and show fans interact. This part, along with a dissection of the show's history, were interesting. Unfortunately, he author tries to tie The Bachelor into current feminist discussion in a way that felt really forced. The ending tries to nail this concept but really it just sort of trails off like "the bachelor is pretty horrible towards women, and even men, but feminists can still watch it ya know?". Further, the inclusion of snippets from other celebrities who watch the show were repetetive and uninspired ("I kind of hate myself, but I keep tuning in every week" is the gist of every single "essay").
I was disappointed that there wasn't much drama in this book - we get a sense that this is a key component to the show's success, but most of the actual drama discussion is tied into discussion of production. This is where this book shines - Kaufman provides insider info into the contracts contestants sign, the techniques production uses to prompt "drama" or to edit clips in a way that creates a compelling episode, even if it misrepresents the truth. These tidbits were juicy, but unfortunately if you're already passionately steeped in Bachelor Nation, most of this isn't new ground. Even the show Unreal has illustrated most of these points in a more compelling manner.
3/5 - Detailed and interesting, but often revisits information that is readily available outside the book.