Reality Steve

Reader Emails

“Reader Emails,” Podcast This Week, Overnights, and “Summer Games” is Official

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Hey Steve,

THANK YOU for your hard work this season. I know it hasn’t been easy trying to track down info and weed through all the theories. I had to put my dad into a memory care facility recently, and honestly, reading your recaps has given me something to look forward to each week. Thanks for being a bright spot in this dark patch.

I may have missed it, but do you know what order the overnight dates were filmed in? It seems like if Madison was first, it would make sense for her to be upset if he slept with Victoria and Hannah Ann. But if she was last, then the damage had already been done before she told Peter she’s a virgin. As you saw Monday night, she tells Peter she’s a virgin before they head to Australia. He knew. And he still had sex with others.

The producers are working overtime this season for the drama. I really believe this one has been the most dramatic season. I mean, having the final three meet just so two of them can dish on what they did in the fantasy suites?! Are you kidding me??? It’s almost TOO much producer interference.

Thanks as always!

Comment: I’m really curious to see how that conversation takes place because, yeah, since it’s nothing we’ve seen before, how are they going to make it look organic and not because they were told to?
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Hi Steve,

I’m curious if you can share some about ā€œhappy couple weekendā€ spoilers. Do you usually hear when/if they’re going on? And do they sometimes help confirm or change your ending spoiler? For instance, did you ever hear incorrectly that Tyler and Hannah were having happy couple visits, or did you hear that she was having them with Jed which helped you change the spoiler? Just using them as an example, but it seems like in recent seasons (especially this one), post-filming intel has been so crucial. Would love to know what that time of the season is like for you!

Comment: Every season is different. My changing of the Hannah spoiler from Tyler to Jed had nothing to do with a Happy Couple Weekend. The changing from Peter to Bryan for Rachel’s season did.
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Hey Mr. Steve,

If the lead’s choice leaves before the final rose ceremony (such as Madison) do you think the producers would allow him/her to “cancel” that ceremony and send the other finalist home without the pomp & ceremony that the final rose entails? I guess I’m wondering how important that final limo ride and sunset heartbreak are to the producers? Very important.

Also, has your traffic been higher this season? I’ve never before been unable to load your site but it’s happened a few times to me with Peter’s season. Is it possible that not having the answer has made you even more popular???

Thanks for making the show fun!

Comment: I wouldn’t say it’s spiked tremendously. It’s as solid as any other season, really.
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Hi RS!

I just wanted to get your thoughts on the sudden change of tone in Kelley’s edit. At the beginning of the season, it seemed like she was edited (and probably is this way in real life) to be mature and thoughtful and more serious than a typical contestant. However, this week, her edit made her look arrogant and catty with the other girls.

My thought is that production didn’t account for how well received she would be and for how big of a fan base she would have so when it became apparent that she wouldn’t want to be the Bachelorette, they decided to change her edit to something far less kind and much more dramatic.

Or, do you think it’s possible that she was that way with the girls all along and was just shown in a better light at the beginning of the season?

Always appreciate what you do!

Comment: For whatever reason, they gave her a crappy edit in that episode. I guess because they needed to give the audience some reason to not like her. It was clear that a lot of the stuff she said was on voiceovers, which are impossible to take at face value.
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Hi Steve! Don’t worry, I am old too. I will turn 40 in May so I definitely got the Ghost reference. Now I’m afraid when Survivor starts, some people won’t know some of the cast because they are too young to remember the early winners. Scary! I wish Jenna, Tina, and Richard were playing this season, but I can’t wait. Do you think it’ll be best for Rob and Amber to be put on separate tribes? Well, we all saw how THAT went down in the premiere. The past champions wasted no time in breaking up the Rob/Amber alliance.

I really hope you have Kelley on your podcast! I really enjoyed your recent chats with Mark, Dalton, and Jenni. On the radio this morning, they were talking about the producer theory and whether or not it could be true or not, and the guy said, “What does Reality Steve say?” šŸ™‚ I’d love to have Kelley on sometime, but my guess is it wouldn’t be for a while.

I saw the best comment the other day. It was, “Saying that you enjoy watching The Bachelor for the love story, is like someone saying that they read Playboy for the articles.” I’d say that’s pretty accurate.

So Madi tells Peter her thoughts on the fantasy suite dates. If Peter knew Madi was the one he wanted to marry, he wouldn’t sleep with Hannah Ann or Victoria, and he’d marry Madi. Obviously that didn’t happen. I think Madi must be especially grossed out that Peter knew Victoria had recently been with Chase Rice, he heard she slept with multiple married men in her hometown, and yet he still wanted to sleep with her in the fantasy suite even though he didn’t see a future with her. I cannot imagine Madi and Peter ever getting married. Neither can I. But then again, I can’t see him marrying any one of his women this season.

I am going to keep hoping Angela or the girl who got screwed over by Pauley (I am blanking on her name) could be bachelorette. They actually seem to want to settle down. I’m coming around to the idea of Tia, but Kendall is a terrible idea. She said she was blindsided by her recent breakup with Joe (he decided he wanted to live in Chicago, not LA). I think you’re talking about Danielle. Yeah, it’s not gonna be her.

Finally, is this season and the emails you are getting, the most annoying ever? Or does another season stand out as the one where you kept thinking, “I cannot wait for this season to be over!” In a word, ā€œyes.ā€

I haven’t written since your aunt passed away…I am so sorry. I agree with her great idea that you and Howard Stern should sit down and discuss The Bachelor one day. I’d also love for you to have Alison Williams (I think that’s her name)…the Girls actress who is a huge bachelor fan…on your podcast!

Comment: I’m game for either, but that might not be so easy.
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Hey Steve,

I’m sure you’ll get more emails like this but figured I’d ask anyway. I know we are a week assay from your next reader emails column, but whatever. I saw Kendall posted on her story a video from her ā€œdown to dateā€ podcast’s IG page, which was an interview clip of her discussing her breakup and talking about how she’s ready for love and marriage. I love Kendall but this kind of wreaked of desperation for bachelorette, which I can’t picture her trying to do, but she was saying how she’s not closed off to love and marriage is her goal and all this stuff that people really only say on the bachelor and bachelorette, not real life. Have you heard anything about her wanting the gig or trying to get it? Cause I can’t see much of any other reason for her posting that and saying it in those words. I mean, she’s a candidate just because she’s single now. But I really have no idea if she will even be asked.

I like Kendall a lot and think she’s super cool, but can’t see her as the bachelorette. Especially can’t see them going back 3 seasons to cast an old contestant who wasn’t super memorable or crazy obvious ā€œbacheloretteā€ material. But then again, Peter had bachelor written all over him and has turned out to be a terrible choice in terms of decision making and rewarding drama.

Comment: Always remember, the show is made in casting. They can get away with a lead being ok.
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Hi,

Thanks for all the work you’re doing to get the spoilers this season. Sounds like it’s been a lot of work and it makes the show a lot more fun to watch.

Question 1: Do you have any theories as to WHY you haven’t found out the ending yet? I’m guessing you normally hear how the final rose ends up via leaks from crew members or others on the set. It’s always in a remote location so it couldn’t be members of the public. Do you think they just did a really good job convincing everyone to keep their mouth shut this time around? Perhaps they told everyone in the crew they’ll get a huge bonus if the ending stays unspoiled until the finale airs? You’re making A LOT of assumptions with this. The thing is, and I’ve said this before, I’m pretty sure I’ve been told the ending. The problem is I’ve been told so many, I’m trying to pinpoint which one is the correct one.

Question 2: You said you doubt the Bachelorette will be anyone from Peter’s season. I agree, I can’t think of anyone except maybe Hannah Ann, but it would be super weird timing to do that given that we won’t find out if she’s with Peter up until right before they announce the Bachelorette. So thinking through who else it could be: obviously not Hannah B, Hannah G, Cassie, or Caelynn – what about Tayshia! She’s single and she’d be amazing, definitely proved during BIP that she can carry a storyline and be interesting on camera dealing with lots of drama.

Thanks!

Comment: I don’t see it being her.
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Hey RS,

Something I’ve always wondered about is how do the producers keep the girls isolated whenever they fly commercial? They have to be in an airport. Why are they never seen? How do they keep them away from TVs, phones, and magazines?

Comment: It’s happened a couple times, but not often. One thing you gotta remember is that when they’re flying around the country filming the show, very few people know who they are because they aren’t diehards that follow the spoilers on a daily basis during filming. They aren’t recognizable at that point because they haven’t been on TV yet. NOW, if Madison or Hannah Ann was flying somewhere would they be noticed? Absolutely. Because people have seen them on TV for the last 7 weeks. But when they are filming, it’s basically luck if they get noticed and it’d have to be from a SUPER fan who follows this shit every day. Because an average/casual fan wouldn’t recognize them in an airport or on a plane.
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Hey steve!

Was just wondering if you think the reason this season is so messy and catty is because Elan Gale is no longer there? Has he commented on this season?

Comment: I don’t know. Don’t follow the guy. But Elan was just as bad as these producers manipulating contestants and getting them to say/do stupid shit on camera. He’s no different. And was easily replaceable.
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Steve! Just read the update on the final 2/rose ceremony! SO awesome….

Questions –

I can’t recall if you have said this before but for ratings purposes, is it still in the mix when people record the show on Monday and watch it the next day? Or are those numbers only based on live viewings? The overnight ratings are, obviously, ones who watched it at some point on Monday night. Even if it was on their DVR. But they have DVR +3 DVR +7 as well, which is watching it within those time frames. But most advertisers really care about overnight numbers. Some shows have a big streaming audience, but not a show like the ā€œBachelor.ā€

Based on how Kelley reacted to Peter being indecisive, etc., do you expect her to sever all ties with Bachelor Nation or do you think she’ll get sucked in and end up in Paradise? Not sure. Tough to get a read. I think we’ll know come WTA.

I’m assuming your theory on the final episodes is accurate, so given that info, do you think Hannah Ann would be considered as Bachelorette or will they already have selected someone and announced her? And if she’s not in the running, would you expect her to be in Paradise?

Thanks for your spoilers- I read your stuff almost daily!!!

Comment: I don’t see Hannah Ann getting the ā€œBacheloretteā€ gig.
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Hi Steve,

I wouldn’t go through a season without reading your spoilers! Thanks for all of your efforts!

My question is are the contestants required to post on social media about their The Bachelor experience? I’m looking at Madison’s IG and wonder how she could post ā€œthe most perfect date with the perfect guyā€ if she chose not to stay with Peter in the end. All I can think is they have to post pictures per contract. Do you know?

Comment: It doesn’t specifically say you HAVE to, but, to build your brand and your viewership engagement, it makes the most sense to.
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RS,

This has been bugging me way too much. I know with this show, the bachelor and the bachelorette usually have sex in the fantasy suite, with the bachelor usually sleeping with more of his top three. Unfortunately there is a double standard (see Hannah brown). I assume peter has sex with at least two of his top three. I know Hannah had sex with peter, but not Tyler or Luke. Does she have sex with Jed in the fantasy suite? This is bothering me way too much, and I can’t find news to support that they have sex (Hannah and Jed), in the fantasy suite

Comment: I’m pretty sure she did. Do I have confirmation of it? No. But it really would be a head scratcher to admit to having sex with Peter 4 times and eliminate him at the very next rose ceremony, but not have it with Jed and make him your final choice. I don’t think it’s far fetched to think she slept with Jed.
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Good morning!

Reading what you have about Peter’s season, you seem as fed up with The Bachelor as all of us are at this point. I just wanted to say thank you for all of your spoilers. Honestly! I am not a person that enjoys being surprised and will pull my hair out trying to figure out endings to things, so your site has been a game changer for me. Anxiety is a bitch. I hope you have a fantastic day, and I hope people will stop being dicks about what you can’t tell them.

Comment: I’m sure they won’t, but I appreciate the support. It’s seasons like these where, yeah, I’m gonna hear it non stop all day every day until people have their answer unfortunately.
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Hi Steve,

I really love your website and your posts, I’m hesitant to send this because I bet you are already getting tons of messages/ and you’ve probably thought the same thing.

It seems like from the new promo and when we see more of Peter’s mom breakdown that it would be about Madi. But then she says “This is what love stories are made of” and if it’s about Madi, how is this what love stories are made of? I can see where that could be a love story.

Madi says she couldn’t move forward if he sleeps with anyone else and then it seems like he does, even though he knows how Madi feels. Peter’s behavior is not what love stories are made of (At least in my opinion).

Comment: I see what you’re saying, but I don’t think you’re thinking long term. It’s certainly possible. Believable? That would be up to each individual person to decide. But definitely possible.

Hey RS, the Champion of Everyone! Thanks to Olivia Caridi for that, and she was RIGHT ON!

RS, you hear it all the time, and it is true…. Thank you for all that you do. Your spoilers and your behind the scenes info make the Bachelor SOOO much more interesting. This season is a great example. Peter and the women may not be the most enchanting. I was about to give up watching this season. But now that you have spilled Madison’s self-elimination, you betcha we will be tuned in to see how this hot mess all plays out!

Wonder if production foresaw this happening, so they conveniently set up the chat among Madi, Hannah Ann, and Victoria? We will see!

You were commenting about the reference to Ghost (movie) at the beginning of the Oscars, and you feel OLD because the youngsters did not know what it was. BTW, I think I am a bit older than you, and YES, this sort of stuff makes me feel old too!

Anyway, you wrote in response to a reader email, ā€œI’m still floored by that. If in a future season, they put the lead in a flying DeLorean and no one knows what that is, I’m gonna hurt somebody.ā€

Well, this was kinda already done, by Cassie Randolph and her sister Michelle Randolph, in the ā€œYoung Onceā€ series (Cassie filmed this prior to Bachelor of course).

Episode 1, season 1 – Cassie and Michelle were models in a photo shoot in ā€œsome 80s car.ā€ They joked about how their mom may be excited about it.

Funny that they do not say ā€œBack to the Future,ā€ but us old fogies know exactly what this was. Proud old fogies, we are!

Comment: I liked Cassie a lot before you told me that story. Now she’s dead to me.

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23 Comments

23 Comments

  1. crushonspivey

    February 19, 2020 at 10:51 AM

    Seeing how this is all going down, I think it is safe to say that Pete wanted to end up with none of these girls, so he was game for putting them all through the ringer. That is, until Pete’s mom got in his ear about Madison to go get her, then he thought better of it. I hope Madison had the self respect to tell him to shove it. Because Pete just doesn’t seem to be acting like a guy who loves Madison at all. Just like a guy who wants to get some. They just aren’t a good match at all.

  2. dogmomma

    February 19, 2020 at 12:39 PM

    I wanted Madison to be the girl he picked because she wasn’t in all the drama, and seems like a cool girl. But after all the crap that has happened with Victoria… Peter not letting her go sooner and then sleeping with the other girls on overnights… I hope Madison doesn’t go back to him because she deserves better than that.

  3. ctrealitygirl

    February 19, 2020 at 1:06 PM

    I’m with you dogmomma! I just read an interesting article online about Tyler Cameron tweeting about Madison – apparently smitten with her basketball skills…so now fans are screaming for Madi to ditch Peter and go after Tyler. I vote for that!

  4. dogmomma

    February 19, 2020 at 1:41 PM

    That’s hilarious! And it would definitely give people something to talk about and the two of them would gets lots of attention (which isn’t always good). I just don’t think Peter made good choices and he needs to learn from them the hard way.

  5. joanne

    February 19, 2020 at 1:46 PM

    I definitely agree Madison should not ever be with Peter as she’s way too good for him.

    And I think it’s disgusting producers put her in a suite with the other two, just so Madison will find out Peter had sex with both of them. This is all going to play out in front of millions of people. Sure, Madison chose to go on this show, but it’s a great example of how producers don’t view the contestants as real people with feelings, but just a way to make money and get higher ratings.

  6. chocolatetherapy

    February 19, 2020 at 3:47 PM

    Can Anyone tell me why Victoria P has not gotten a lot of talk as a Bachelorette candidate? She seems nice, grounded, and genuine? I know there was some drama with Alayah but can you imagine any of the other girls as Bachelorette? Ugh

  7. aussiefan24

    February 19, 2020 at 6:54 PM

    Most of the girls on this season are duds, except for Hannah Ann and Madi… Wouldn’t mind seeing Madi as Bachelorette although she is probably still a bit too young/ready, and doubtful the producers would cast too many religious guys like what she’s looking for anyway. It doesn’t seem like the right environment for her.

    I would love to see Clare Crawley (Juan Pablo’s runner up) as Bachelorette. She has the sad back story with her dad passing away, crowd favourite at the time for pushing Juan Pablo away after he rejected her at Finale and giving him a spray for being a pig, and she’s of a mature age and probably would take it quite seriously. I know it’s been a while but they brought Arie back after a big gap of years after Emily’s season. Can’t think of anyone else suitable right now.

    I think Hannah B will do it again, but not for another year or two. I saw Steve’s spoiler she’s doing more DWTS Roadshows, and I’m sad shes out of the running now. But at least she will avoid over-exposure in Bachelor Nation.

    Thanks for the great updates Steve, loving every minute of this.

  8. ctrealitygirl

    February 20, 2020 at 6:48 AM

    I agree that the producers this year are really stooping to new lows. Do we fans like some occasional drama? Sure. But the way it’s being so obviously manufactured is such a turn-off and very insulting to our intelligence. And we don’t want so much drama that it takes away from showing any romances/relationships developing. If they continue down this road they’ll start losing viewers. Setting up Madison by placing the 3 final women in one hotel suite for the sole reason of having her find out that one or both of the other women had sex with Peter, is beyond cruel. And I’d love it if she took them to task for that …left the show and refused to have anything more to do with the franchise. But the fact that Steve discovered they are filming something with her in her hometown suggests she’s very much still in it. Either they’re filming her making up with Peter or shooting an intro for her as Bachelorette…she’s def in the mix. I’ve posted before about my new obsession with Married at First Sight. RS thinks the premise is hogwash. But several of the couples are having successfully marriages, and rather than sabotage relationships ala the Bachelor producers…MAFS has on staff counselors (one a clergyman) who meet with the “contestants” when they’re struggling with something their partner did, and they encourage them to do things to mend the relationship. It’s actually a breath of fresh air compared to witnessing mean/cruel behavior. Watching the Bachelor/ette has always been my guilty pleasure…but not so pleasurable any more šŸ™

  9. dogmomma

    February 20, 2020 at 7:25 AM

    It seems that most people are feeling the same about the level of manipulation this season. I agree how mean and cruel it was to put all 3 girls in the same room during overnights, especially since it’s never happened before and we all know why they did it. I started watching this show from the first season and I remember how much fun it was to try and figure out who “wins”. Then when Reality Steve came along, I enjoyed knowing the final person and watching that person’s love story unfold. The show is changing so much and it’s becoming too fake and produced, and now that everyone wants to be a social media influencer, there are fewer and fewer people who go on it that are actually trying to “find Love”. A little drama is okay, but the whole season has been nothing but drama and it got old quickly. I guess I will have to check out some of those other shows to see if I can find a substitute because this one is going downhill fast. I almost hope that they pick Madi to be the bachelorette and clean up her season and go back to finding romance, but I also think she can do so much better than what she finds on this show. I hope she hasn’t taken Peter back if he goes after her.

  10. debb0

    February 20, 2020 at 8:53 AM

    So many are questioning why Madison, with her values and religious life signed up to do the show with ā€œWindmill 4x Peteā€. I’ve thought that maybe she signed up thinking Tyler C was the bachelor and being that he was so respectful of Hannah B’s wishes of not having sex in the fantasy suite……just a thought.

  11. ctrealitygirl

    February 20, 2020 at 9:07 AM

    good observation debb0! Have you read the recent press citing Tyler C’s social media posts about Madison? I think it would be awesome if the two of them hooked up! MUCH better match than her and “Windmill 4x Pete”!!

  12. debb0

    February 20, 2020 at 10:29 AM

    No I didn’t, ctrealitygirl. Hmmm, interesting. Wonder if candidates are allowed to ā€œback outā€ once they learn who the lead is. I mean, can’t think the show would force someone to stay if they were dead set against it.

  13. debb0

    February 20, 2020 at 10:30 AM

    That may be a question for Steve ?

  14. dogmomma

    February 20, 2020 at 11:26 AM

    I went back to Tyler’s twitter feed and saw the comments he made. Then I read the comments that people made and EVERYONE wanted Tyler to contact/date/marry Madi!!! I love it! my fear is that Peter’s mom got hold of him after the final rose fiasco and pressured him into going after Madi. I don’t want to see her with him. I’m now on the Tyler/Madi team!!!

  15. ctrealitygirl

    February 20, 2020 at 11:27 AM

    WEll, if you recall, the year they started with two Bachelorettes – Kaitlyn & Britt – and they had the men vote for who they wanted to assume the role, one guy eliminated himself after they named Kaitlyn as he said he was only there for Britt. And other people have opted out in mid-season saying that weren’t feeling a connection with the lead. So, she could have gotten out soem way or other

  16. dbla31

    February 20, 2020 at 12:36 PM

    Anyone who thinks Tyler would “date” Madi has been reading too many harlequin romances! The guy has been catting around the world with models and actresses. He just bought an apartment in NYC. He’s not about to settle down with some virgin from the Bachelor franchise. If he didn’t go back to Hannah B then he’s not going there with Madi.

  17. crushonspivey

    February 20, 2020 at 1:15 PM

    Amen dbla31. Tyler has entered peak franchise delta bravo status, and is all about promoting himself and hooking up. He’s Petey 2.0 right now. Not a good match for Madi at all, and not ready for one.

  18. dogmomma

    February 20, 2020 at 5:56 PM

    I probably need to read more Harlequin Romances because I’m not getting the romance on this crazy show. If I wanted drama, I’d watch the Kardashians.

  19. jlal

    February 21, 2020 at 3:41 AM

    I am so happy other feel as I do about the producer manipulation this season going to a new low. They have always had the person afraid of heights have to zip line or something, but this show they sunk to new lows. Setting up Chase, Victoria, and Peter the way the did, having Victoria’s ex show up right before hometowns, and putting all the final three in the same room is beyond manipulation it is down right mean. It is such a big turn off.

    This show has moved so far from the original premise that it is not really the same show. I realize social media is a huge factor, but the show had little control over that. However, the obvious and malicious producer set-ups have gone too far. Makes me sad, as I have watched since the very first show.

  20. dogmomma

    February 21, 2020 at 6:19 AM

    jlal I agree 1000%.

  21. feck

    February 21, 2020 at 12:15 PM

    crushonspivey – Not the type to usually comment on these sites, but since my wife makes me watch this show. I will just say this, being a guy and knowing guys like peter. Its obvious from the very first episode of this season, by the way he talks to the girls with the same BS and how quick he is too make moves, its very obvious that Peter is just a Male Ho. I doubt he would be faithful to any of them. He tells every girl what they want to hear and when the tell him what he doesnt want to hear or the truth he ships them out. Its just another failed season.

  22. rob22

    February 22, 2020 at 7:45 AM

    Yeah, I don’t see any real romance coming on this season. Victoria P is gonzo after this week, and I don’t even know what you call the relationship between Pilot Pete & her. Very dysfunctional. How does that happen in such a short time? The other two girls are too young to know anything. There is obviously no way that Windmill Man and Madison the virgin can really be a thing. They can fake it obviously, but why? That leaves Hannah Ann, who’s young and pretty, and just kinda there. At 23, she doesn’t have a clue about life. So, she’s really going to sign up with Pilot Pete. Well, I guess. There are cash and prizes involved. Not that there was ever really love involved in this show. You capture people in a bubble for 6-8 weeks and focus it on one guy, and I guess that’s what you get. But usually the show is able to pull together a love story for the end. I guess we know why Peter hasn’t picked anyone… at least not yet. It’s kind of a disaster.

  23. tinyred500

    February 24, 2020 at 4:12 AM

    If Hannah Ann and Madison are the final two….does Madison decide not turn up at the end (so Peter can’t propose)…and that’s what different with this ending?

    Agree with so many of the above comments. The producers have reached a new all time low with the moral standing of this programme, with the overnight dates all being in the same suite is just gross. Notwithstanding, Peter went along with it and that says a lot about him IMHO. No respect for himself or the girls involved.

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