The new season of “The Bachelor” has premiered and as the kids say, “We are SO back.” Season 29 features Grant Ellis as the titular bachelor. Grant first appeared on the last season of “The Bachelorette,” but his journey was cut short when bachelorette Jenn Tran sent him home shortly before the week of hometown dates. Although if you’ve read my previous articles on “The Bachelorette,” Jenn made a big mistake – Grant was one of my favorite contestants last season and she instead opted for someone who ended up being the human embodiment of melted ice cream.
That being said, I’m really looking forward to watching Grant’s journey this season. From “The Bachelorette,” he seems to be really down to earth, genuine and kind, many of this season’s contestants seem that way too.
One of the most interesting aspects of the premiere was each contestant’s introduction. During every premiere, the contestants each arrive in a limo, approach the Bachelor Mansion and introduce themselves to the Bachelor/Bachelorette. It’s our first chance to get to know each contestant, and it allows us to see how they will interact with each other. Most of the introductions are very straightforward, with simple “hellos” and occasionally bringing a gift or knick-knack for the Bachelor. However, some of the introductions can be truly over-the-top. During the last season of “The Bachelorette,” one contestant showed up in a sports car while another arrived with bandages covering his entire face so that Jenn would like him for his personality and not beauty. This season carried much of that same absurdity. One woman, Litia, gave Grant a rhinestone basketball–Grant used to be a professional basketball player–and Sarafiena arrived with a giant cardboard cutout of Grant’s head.
I can’t help but look at these introductions and wonder what goes on in Grant’s head as he witnesses them. Is he flattered by these grandiose gestures of romance? Or does he, like me, find that they can be a bit… intriguing?
Enter the “No Drama Llama.” Also known as Llinda, the “No Drama Llama” was brought by Alexe, a woman who grew up on a farm and wanted to show Grant her rural heritage by bringing a llama to an upscale mansion. I don’t know if I wanted to roll my eyes at how cheesy the “No Drama Llama” is or if I wanted to turn off the TV and reconsider how I’m spending these two hours of my life. I do neither. Instead, I remind myself that I don’t watch “The Bachelor” because it’s a form of high-class television. I watch it to laugh at how ridiculous these situations are and hypothesize which of these contestants are secretly planted by the producers to generate entertainment. Because there is no way that Alexe could have shown up with a llama without clearing it with someone, right? The producers had to know about this and sign off on it and I can guarantee that they were thinking it was going to go viral. There have been many articles online discussing the “No Drama Llama” from sources like Vulture, Entertainment Weekly and Daily Express US.
Manufactured, pointless drama and gimmicks have been the show’s bread and butter for years now. Fans may recall last season when Jenn’s ex-boyfriend supposedly flew to Australia and tried to get on the show mid-season and then was turned away in the same episode. If this wasn’t a case of producer trickery, then I don’t know what is. Something similar even happened in the premiere of Grant’s season when a mysterious woman appeared. The contestants speculated as to who the woman was, with some even guessing that she was an ex from Grant’s past. Nope. It was his sister joining for the evening, giving the contestants advice about how to connect with Grant.
It would be one thing if this producer trickery had made me turn off the television and never watch another episode of “The Bachelor” again. But the most interesting thing of it all is that this manipulation has completely worked on me. It’s almost like a toxic relationship. “The Bachelor” manipulates me to stay with it. I have now become completely addicted to the highs and lows of the “Bachelor” franchise all because of manufactured drama that I’m sure the producers are behind. Because we can’t just have normal, sane people on reality TV, right?
