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Hey Steve,
I was planning on asking you about what Benoit’s deal is but then I read your opinion today that Benoit isn’t cut out for this franchise. I didn’t know if he was trying too hard like Annalise or if he could probably meet someone easily, just not on this show.
It’s really ridiculous how some people are just obsessed with obtaining a “love narrative” regardless if they have anything in common with the other person.
My last actual question is about sports: I recently, at the age of 37, began loving to watch a pro sport, MLB. Are you a baseball fan? It seems like you primarily like football and basketball, but would love to hear some stuff about baseball as well, if you are into it!
Comment: Yes, I am. But I really never get too excited about the regular. It’s too long, it’s too drawn out, and really ultimately means nothing. Playoff baseball is a whole different animal. Love watching that. It’s such a crapshoot, and the MLB regular season really has the least bearing on predicting what happens in the playoffs.
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This BIP season just seems even more overly and overtly produced than any prior season, and obviously that’s saying a lot. And I think it’s hurting the show. Any update on ratings?
Some examples:
-The Jordan/Jenna/Benoit thing clearly did NOT happen in the order they showed- you can easily tell from the outfits they wore.
Same with the Kendall/Joe/Leo/John thing- and speaking of, John and his ladies (Jubilee and Caroline) were a huge storyline last week (2 dates) then they just completely gloss over Jubilee leaving and their “break up.” And now John and Kendall had a thing supposedly this whole time? Just wacky. Too manufactured to even make sense.
And again with the Eric/Angela thing. They got 0 camera time up to this point, then get one of the only couple dates which is like the most romantic one yet, only to have a “love triangle” immediately thrown in. Just too produced and obvious. The best drama is at least somewhat authentic, this is purely manufactured with no attempts to hide it.
Point is, this season is even more bizarre than prior ones and that’s saying something! I think it comes from contestants being too “in” on how the show works after so many seasons and it’s time for them to change the format again. Hopefully ratings are bad enough maybe they will?
So I agree with you, why even bother trying to figure out the why of it and just observe the silliness and wait for fall tv. Trying to recap this nonsense is futile.
But thanks for trying!
Comment: Yeah, it’s such a different show now because of a lot of these people know exactly what they’re doing when they go on. “Couples” have been formed pre-show, they know by giving good soundbites and playing up drama they can last longer on the show. It’s just not what it was.
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Hey Steve,
First of all, congrats on the puppy!!! How are you both adjusting? Last time you mentioned that sometimes ITMs are recorded in LA. How often are they shot after the show? I’d think it’d be difficult to film even the majority of them during filming.
Comment: Pick ups are usually done within a few weeks of filming ending. They could be done for a variety of reasons. Mic didn’t work, sound was muffled, wind became a factor, a new storyline emerged in the editors mind AFTER the season was over, etc. Whole bunch of different things can lead to pickups.
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Hey Steve,
Just curious…how many hours do you think you spend each week doing bachelor related stuff? Hmmmm, when the season is airing, in terms of actual typind? Probably 10-15 hours. But I’m technically always working since at any point during the day I can get a text, email, phone call, DM, whatever with information.
Also, do you have any idea what the proposal is paying Jesse Palmer? When my hubs gets stuck watching with me he always comments he can’t believe he’d stoop so low. I tried to Google but didn’t find anything. Don’t really have any idea.
Last one.. these podcasters that do the ads..do they get the product free as well for talking about it? Like would they send Ben and Ashley a mattress?
Thanks!
Comment: That’s the way it’s been for me, so I’m assuming it’s for them as well. All the advertisers want you to test the product before talking about it.
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Hey Steve,
Long time reader here because your spoilers and commentary has made this show watchable and I would never have watched as much without your site. ABC should be giving you a cut.
A few questions if you may. I’m watching paradise and trying not to take it seriously but am bothered by a few things:
Why do they film Bachelor In Paradise over such a short amount of time? Wouldn’t they like to keep them there longer for more material? Is it a budget issue because they seem to spend a lot of money on ridiculous things like flying out Ben, Arie etc for that romance novel date. They’ve gotten 5 weeks of 4 hours of programming a week after being there for only 2 ½ weeks. So it doesn’t seem like they need more time. That’s more of a production question. 5 years of this show and (outside of the shut down last season), the max time filming has been is 18 days.
Even with the short amount of time it seems like they leave out big things and don’t finish some cast members story lines. For example: I’m curious if you know what happened between Jubilee and the Venmo guy. They showed their breakup in a flashback as if its not important. Yet every single horribly boring conversation is shown between tia and Colton. It seems like they are leaving something out.
Thank you for all you do. I’ve loved reading your site and enjoying your evolved tone!
Comment: A lot of people have asked about the Jubilee and John breakup and why it got shown in 10 seconds in a “flashback.” I really don’t know for sure why. But they obviously didn’t feel it was important at all or else they would’ve shown it.
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Hi Steve!
Do you think there will ever be a time when old seasons of the bachelor/bachelorette will be available to stream? I know season one is on ABC.com, but I don’t understand why ABC wouldn’t give up the rights to have other websites stream them like Hulu. Do they just have really strict laws regarding their streaming? I honestly think if ABC streamed reruns in the offseason it would be wildly popular among old and new fans.
Comment: I thought they were. At least some of them. After these episodes air, I’ve never gone back to watch on streaming so I have no idea how many, if any, old seasons are on there. Sorry.
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Hi Steve,
I’m a fairly recent tuner-inner to your website. I’d like to start tipping my toes into your podcasts as well. In your opinion, which are your 5-10 best, most interesting, most informative, most inspiring podcasts to start with? Or should I just start from the oldest and work my way forward?
Comment: Well, listening to 94 podcasts might take a while. It’s too hard of a question to answer because I don’t know what you’re looking for, who some of your favorite contestans were, etc. If there’s one guideline I could give you and assuming you don’t want to listen to all 94, I’d just scroll through and listen to the contestants that you liked from the show.
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Maybe you already posted this and I just missed it, but did you hear that Courtney and Lily from Winter Games broke up? Courtney wrote a weird Instagram post about it. That means that all of the Winter Games couples are now over.
I guess they won’t renew it.
Comment: Yeah, I saw that. I had no interest in them as a couple, so, while break ups always suck, I can’t say it was even a blip on my radar.
With that said, I don’t think whether or not “Winter Games” gets renewed is based on the success of its couples. If that were the case, the “Bachelor” would’ve been cancelled a long time ago.
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Hi Steve, I read Aly Raisman’s book “Fierce” and in it, she talks about a professional athlete that she dated that turned out to be a complete jerk. She came to see one of his games and then afterward, she went to change the radio station in the car and he said something along the lines of “Don’t touch my radio, you didn’t work out today while I did so I get to do whatever I want.” (There was more to the story but that’s all I can remember). Do you happen to know if she was talking about Colton? I’ve always wondered, especially now that he might be the bachelor.
Comment: I don’t know her dating history other than Colton, so while it could be him, I have no idea for sure. Went to one of his games? Well, since Colton never played in a game in his life, nor ever suited up for one on a Sunday, maybe it’s not him? Or maybe she was talking about she attended a pre-season game that he stood on the sidelines for and she IS talking about him. I really don’t know.
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Hey Reality Steve!
Just a quick and random question… Say a girl goes on a 1-on-1 with the lead and she receives a rose after that date… On the day of the rose ceremony, does get a new rose to hold or does she have to maintain the rose she received on the date?
Comment: They get a new one for the rose ceremony.
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Hello Steve,
Congratulations on your new fur baby, Luca. She’s a beauty! I have been with you for many years and really enjoy reading your spoilers and your perspective. I am looking forward to your spoilers for Colton’s season. My comment/question is that most of the drama surrounding Colton was created by Tia, not Colton. It is obvious that his feelings for Tia were never as strong as her feelings for him. I believe Colton has been a perfect gentleman where Tia is concerned and that he will be a GREAT Bachelor. Why do you and most readers dislike Colton more than Tia? Tia threw Bekka under the bus during Arie’s season and then did the same thing to Colton during Becca’s season. I do not understand why Colton is disliked more than Tia. Please help me understand.
Comment: While you’re correct in that he never seemed into her as much as she was into him, he literally changed his mind 5 different times on her over a span of 6 months. That’s a lot.
anita29
September 5, 2018 at 9:10 AM
This morning I listened to Ashley and Ben’s podcast and they talked to Ashley and Jared via telephone. Jason explained that before proposing, he told producers he didn’t want Kevin present at the proposal, but ABC told him no. He wasn’t very happy about that. He also didn’t like that soon after the proposal, they showed Kevin and Astrid’s conversation. At the end, I felt that they were not happy with ABC in the way they showed the proposal. Ashley is always very careful in not criticizing ABC, so I guess that’s why Jason did most of the talking.
rob22
September 5, 2018 at 9:33 AM
A couple of emails caught my eye (I must be bored to have read them this week). The one that was unsubscribing RS and everyone else around the franchise because (among other things) of politics talk… huh? I think RS is one of the least political people that’s out there today. I don’t recall any politics being discussed. That’s one of the things that makes this site enjoyable. Maybe I’m missing something.
The other was the emailer talking about the potential that the Colton & Tia thing was producer staged to get Colton in position to be the Bachelor. That includes the idea that Colton (via the Bibiana pep talk) “decided” to try it with Tia. Then (since he couldn’t very well be dating Tia when they made the announcement), had them do an emotional breakup. Absolutely I believe this is what happened. That whole thing was massively produced to give Colton both more exposure and some plausability and story line for the Bachelor. Personally, I think they botched the second part of that, but what do I know. I totally agree that this is what happened. Colton’s body language and demeanor never once screamed, “hey, I’m really into Tia”. Colton friend zoned her before the show even started. I’m a little bummed for Tia that she was used in that way. Par for the course, I guess.
tinyred500
September 5, 2018 at 10:19 AM
RS take on Robert Mills, I’ve always thought he was rather disingenuous at times. It’s clear he puts out the franchises ‘narrative’ he/they want us to think or believe, and that’s not the pearly white truth.
The whole Colton and Tia thing was a produced and manufactured piece by the franchise, it’s was more than obvious, rather too obvious in fact. It was shoved in our faces till it got totally silly.
To the emailer who wants to see some of the old bachelor/bachelorette seasons. ABC did have many previous seasons which you could view (for free) in run up to Arie’s season on their website (I’m guessing they aren’t there anymore?). I only know because I tried to view them, sadly being outside of America I couldn’t view, not even with a VPN. iTunes sell seasons from Jason M to Ben H’s season. Ali F to JoJo’s season and they are not hugely expensive either. Amazon sell some older seasons too, but not many. I wish you could purchase the entire bachelor/bachelorette set, I’d love to compare and see how the series’s have changed over the years.
I’m going to listen to what Chris and Des had to say on Ashley’s etc podcast, I’ve never heard Chris talk outside of the franchise yet. 😀
justa_viewer
September 5, 2018 at 3:03 PM
Well, if Jared was so naive as to think he and Ashley could go to the location where Kevin was and get engaged without the franchise showing any reaction from Kevin, well, that’s on Jared.
Apparently, Jared was not concerned enough to change his mind and get engaged in private.
As for Colton, I expect I’ll read the recaps and watch the finale. I’ve done that before. I personally have no interest in watching a 26-year-old male allegedly “look for love,” especially when I believe he’s really just looking for fame. In my experience–yours may vary–most 26-year-old men are focused on growing their careers and having casual or semi-casual relationships. But seriously looking for “the one”? Someone to trot off into the sunset with? Not so much.
tamara
September 5, 2018 at 3:55 PM
For the first time, I won’t be watching this season either. Too much manufactured drama and no hope of Colton actually being ready for a relationship. May cancel my hulu subscription and save some money. I’ll still read Reality Steve, though!
elizabeth82
September 5, 2018 at 5:01 PM
@rob22, I hardly ever read many of the reader e-mails but I did this time too, ha. Anyway, re. the reader boycotting because of politics, I think h/she was referring to RS’s podcast with Ashley Spivey and not listening because of political views she’s expressed on social media. Some people are super-sensitive about that stuff.
realitynyc12
September 5, 2018 at 6:08 PM
I am a bit disappointed that there was not even the tiniest of recaps of yesterday’s BIP, everything has been completely monopolized by views on Colton, which I’m sorry, but how many times can everyone keep going around in circles about it. I was actually looking forward to getting RS s humorous take on the insanity that was last night’s episode. I mean, They’ve gone off the deep end with some of their contrived drama before but yesterday’s episode takes the cake. Wtf was that. From Fatal Attraction love triangle with Shu/Kamil/Annaliese, to the ” Russian witch hunt”, this was truly beyond ridiculous. And just as I started to feel bad for Shu for being a part of that mess and getting skewered mercilessly, there she goes burning Kamils picture at a bonfire, with a smirk on her face. She legit couldn’t even keep a straight face herself at that nonsense by that point. The things these contestants do to stay relevant, mind boggling. Maybe Shu and Annaliese can star together in some low budget piece of crap and finally get their SAG cards, since that’s clearly what they’re after, it’s so transparent.
Looking forward to this trainwreck to end next week.
tinyred500
September 6, 2018 at 12:47 AM
I took the boycott in relation to Steve and Ashley’s podcast too and some contestants are political. The franchise is seen as a lighthearted topic, not so when RS and the like wade in and start lecturing viewers and listeners over what they should think. So I don’t think it means some peeps are super sensitive, they just don’t want to hear/read another persons political/social views when listening to a podcast (or via Twitter) about relationships, the bachelor franchise etc.
GoingBlonde
September 6, 2018 at 5:05 AM
@anita29, who the hell is Jason that you are talking about?
GoingBlonde
September 6, 2018 at 5:06 AM
Annaliese couldn’t be anymore desperate if she tried. She’s pathetic.
tinyred500
September 6, 2018 at 6:20 AM
Methinks Jason is a typo, instead of Jared. 😉
realitynyc12
September 6, 2018 at 7:36 AM
Shes playing a role, 100%. Girl has acting aspirations big time. And after last episode, starting to think these people wont stop at anything, doesn’t matter how pathetic it makes them look. Do you think Shushanna came off looking great? If anything, she looked 100% worse than Annaliese, producers must have told her she was auditioning for the remake of Fatal Attraction. All that was missing is an actual script in theory hands. Such an outrageous storyline, witches and spells , whoever came up with that needs to be fired, truly.
GoingBlonde
September 6, 2018 at 10:15 AM
Possibly Annaliese is acting, but no I really think she’s 30 and sooooo desperate to get engaged on this dumb ass show. Just like Carly was sooo desperate to settle for a guy she couldn’t stand and actually ended up marrying him because she was rejected by everyone else.
elizabeth82
September 6, 2018 at 11:34 AM
Just a clarification re people being super-sensitive about politics: I didn’t mean if RS and Ashley actually bring it up on podcast, I just mean if person is boycotting their podcast because of stuff Ashley puts on social media (I think person mentioned what Ashley said re Supreme Court pick) but doesn’t bring into podcast. I agree that that stuff should stay off Bachelor commentary, but I wouldn’t not listen to someone talk about the Bachelor because of political views they’ve expressed elsewhere.
tinyred500
September 6, 2018 at 11:50 AM
I agree on that. I have friends and family who have different political views, I don’t ignore them because we differ on that score, and I’d treat others similarly. 😀
janela
September 6, 2018 at 1:08 PM
“Well, if Jared was so naive as to think he and Ashley could go to the location where Kevin was and get engaged without the franchise showing any reaction from Kevin, well, that’s on Jared.
Apparently, Jared was not concerned enough to change his mind and get engaged in private.”
Justa_Viewer I completely agree but am pretty sure that they did it for the ring which is worth somewhere between $50-100K. And also they are both milking this franchise for all it’s worth. Aside from Ashley doing Winter Games Jared was on BIP in I think Australia five minutes before he officially committed to dating Ashley.
tinyred500
September 6, 2018 at 2:16 PM
Totally agree with you and Justa-Viewer! 😀
screenname
September 7, 2018 at 1:35 AM
I agree with the emailer about what Blake posted about not being willing to change who he was in order to become the bachelor, as in they wanted him to probably do things/say things to get the gig. It’s obvious that Colton would jump through any hoop to become the bachelor and that he “won” the job because he did just that in paradise. This is probably going to be the most ridiculously produced and predictable season yet because Colton will do anything the producers want him to do (which is why I think they picked him). I don’t see any similarities between Colton and Sean Lowe aside form the virgin thing. and even with that, Sean did it for religious reasons (I believe) whereas Colton doesn’t (and will likely lose his virginity on the show because he’ll do whatever the producers want). The only thing that might be interesting is if Colton decides to not propose at the end (because he’s obviously not ready for marriage).
For the reply regarding people complaining about Colton and not “getting why people are bitching and complaining”– since when is it wrong to express your opinion on something, whether or not you think it will change anything?? I mean, that is an eye roll-inducing statement coming from someone with his own website dedicated to his own opinion/bitching/Tia obsession.
Also, what in the hell did Ashley Iaconetti do to you?? the shade.
GoingBlonde
September 7, 2018 at 6:42 AM
It doesn’t matter that Spiteful Spivey doesn’t talk politics in the podcast. She’s a disgusting and ugly excuse for human being. She’s absolutely horrible and hateful. No one should give her the time of day and it’s disgusting that Steve has allowed her to influence him so much that he himself has become a social justice warrior. He’s gotten so caught up in kissing the asses of these contestants, it’s pathetic.
adelina
September 7, 2018 at 10:09 AM
Awwww @GoingBlonde, I totally disagree with you regarding Carly “settling” for Evan. I think they’re a great couple and genuinely in love.
Also, describing someone (Spivey) as a “disgusting and ugly excuse for human being” is a little heavy, no?
alynn89
September 8, 2018 at 11:28 PM
I have to agree. I love reality steves site and podcasts, but I can not stand Ashley Spivey.
jlal
September 10, 2018 at 4:51 AM
I agree with everyone that Colton is way too young and green to be the next bachelor. I was on vacation, out of the country, and out of touch so found out when I returned. Very disappointed. It will be like watching a little boy try to play grown up. Maybe they’re trying to appeal to the younger audience members after having Arie on. I hope all the women are like 22 or 23, because otherwise Colton will seem like a kid (frankly he is a kid), experience and maturity wise.
From the posts on here, I’m happy I missed the last couple of weeks of BIP. Sounds like they jumped the shark with witches and spells, WTF?
lexq
September 11, 2018 at 7:09 AM
I couldn’t AGREE with you more about Carly & Evan!!! I always thought about it!! How can you not like someone that much and so awkward to all of a sudden being in love. Pathetic!!
lexq
September 11, 2018 at 7:10 AM
It’s like someone FINALLY said it!!!! ????????