On Jan. 6, the 24th season of “The Bachelor” premiered with Peter Weber, the third runner-up of the 15th season of the “Bachelorette,” as 24 women compete for his hand in marriage.
The first season of “The Bachelor” aired in 2002, and the popular show has continued its run with spinoffs, like “The Bachelorette,” “Bachelor in Paradise,” “Bachelor Pad” and “The Bachelor Winter Games.”
Every week, contestants seek to impress the bachelor through group and solo dates and contestants are eliminated in a rose ceremony, where the remaining contestants receive a rose and the eliminated contestants are left empty handed.
“I started watching ‘The Bachelor’ in eighth grade,” Hardeep Kaur, a freshman biology major, said. “I always watched with a group of friends, and it was a way for us to experience a love life since we didn’t have one.”
According to Variety, the premiere of the current season saw a 20% increase in viewership, bringing in an audience of more than six million people. The show has been able to bring in audiences of millions for over 23 seasons with a dedicated fanbase that refers to themselves as the Bachelor Nation. Viewers seem to be drawn to the premise of finding love as well as the drama that ensues because of it.
Weber’s search for love continues on the 24th season of “The Bachelor.â€
“I love how dramatic the show is,” Kate Donovan, a senior social work major, said. “The drama is unnecessary, but I love it.”
Donovan believes that a decent amount of the show is scripted, but the producers find people who are dramatic enough to pull it off.
“A lot of the girls are really catty with each other,” Christina Gluch, a junior biology major, said. Although she has been watching the show for a long time, one of her pet peeves is how she feels that some of the other girls feel they need to talk down to each other.
“I think the women are really young this season,” Cameron Johns, a junior diplomacy and international relations major, said. “They need to find themselves before they find a man.”
Johns started watching the show in middle school with her cousins and has been an avid fan since. She said that her favorite bachelor is Ben Higgins from season 20 because he was a genuine guy who just wanted to find love. She does like the current bachelor, however.
“I really like Peter and I hope he finds true love and not someone who wants him for his air miles,” Johns said.
Fans still say that it is still early in the season, but many have picked contestant Hannah Ann Sluss as the front runner.
“Hannah Ann is playing to win and you have to respect that,” Ellis Mitchell, a junior sports management and marketing major, said.
Mitchell did not start watching the show until he became a peer advisor. He loves watching and talking about the show in his peer advisor group chat, where they share memes and laugh at some of the most bizarre moments from the show. Some of Mitchell’s other season favorites are Tammy, who he believes will bring drama in upcoming episodes and Victoria F. for her dry humor. Mitchell, unlike some of the other fans, is not a fan of Peter.
“Pete is as dry as Victoria F.’s humor,” said Mitchell.
Andrew Byrd can be reached at andrew.byrd@student.shu.edu.
