The Bachelor: A Flawed Concept

Okay, I admit it. I watch garbage TV. While I get my share of "60 Minutes" and "Charlie Rose", I find myself watching shows like "The Bachelor." It's like the accident on the highway that you can't help but look at as you drive by.

I never used to watch these shows until DVR came along. Now it's too easy to hit "record series" and catch an hour show in 35 minutes which for whatever reason seems like an efficient use of time. Never mind, the fact that I "spent" (wasted?) 35 minutes watching this garbage.

Now in it's 13th season (wow, it's been on for 13th seasons?), there must be a reason why "The Bachelor" is still on the air, right? But of the 12 completed seasons, 5 resulted in proposals, and apparently 2 are still engaged, but there have been no weddings. Interestingly, there have been 4 seasons of "The Bachelorette", all of which lead to proposals (granted, not all accepted proposals) and only one wedding. So despite the rating success of the show, a 6% marriage success rate (we'll see what happens with single Dad, Jason) seems pretty dismal. (BTW, thanks wikipedia for those stats because I never would've come up with them on my own!)

Taking a step back - WHY on earth would someone think this formula would actually lead to sucessful marriages? One guy gets to pick among 25 women, all vying for his affection. Sure the guy is usually good looking, successful, and they go on amazing dates, but why do these 25 women all want to marry THIS guy? They just wait around to be picked, hoping to get that final rose. This really doesn't seem that much different than a mail order bride. Sure, the Bachelor gets to know them and vice versa, but why does the Bachelor get to make all the decisions? The whole concept seems a bit absurd.

He's Just Not That Into YOU

A New York Times bestseller and now the #1 movie, "He's Just Not That Into You" should be familiar to most single women across the nation and yet, I'm convinced that most single women do not think the "YOU" in the title actually means them.

Single Girl: "We went out a few times and had a great time. We finally hooked up on Saturday. Now it's Thursday and I haven't heard from him. He usually calls/texts/emails by Tuesday or Wednesday to ask me out or at least check in...."
Single Friend: "Oh, don't worry. He'll call. I'm sure he's just been busy"
Single Girl: "Should I send a quick text?"
Single Friend: "Sure, it can't hurt. He's probably just busy at work and would appreciate you reaching out "

WHY, do we always feel like we need to be the "good friend" and protect the Single Girl's feelings? Why can't we just tell the Single Girl that if the guy really liked her and wanted more than a hook up, he would've called by now?!

So, the Single Girl calls/texts/emails the guy and what happens? Perhaps they go out again and maybe this dating situation gets dragged out a little longer. But honestly, if the guy was really into her, wouldn't he have contacted her first? So isn't the Single Girl better off not contacting the guy? Then if he never calls, she knows he was just looking for a hook up OR maybe he ends up missing her and makes contact. But in any case, wouldn't you want to know sooner rather than later what the real deal is?