Dear Steve,
Thanks for bringing us all your spoilers and behind the scenes information. It really is impressive how much you find out and are able to report to us.
I’ve been watching old episodes of BIP and was wondering about something. Toward the end of each season, there’s that time that Chris Harrison sits everyone down and tells them they need to think seriously about their future together and either accept a fantasy suite date or break up and leave immediately. I don’t understand why so many of them walk away at that point. It’s at least a nice date and a private night in a hotel with a hot person they’ve been making out with in a palapa for a few weeks – not to mention more screen time. Do the producers encourage some of them to leave at that point?
Cheers!
Comment: Absolutely. It’s why we’ve seen more than few couples immediately get back together right after they leave the island broken up. Joe and Kendall did it. Kevin and Astrid did it. There were others I’m blanking on.
_________________________
Hi Steve,
Are you watching the Olympics at all? Thoughts on Simone Biles? Feel sorry for her, but also feel terrible for her teammates who missed out on a gold medal. Unfortunate all around. If the issue roots from her not wanting to disappoint the whole world with the weight on her shoulders, this is literally the only way she could have done that. Hopefully she pulls out from the rest of the event finals and allows her teammates (Jade on AA, MyKayla on vault) to shine while she handles her issues privately. No shame in doing so. Absolutely zero shame in what she did and it disgusts me seeing some of the responses to it by some of the talking heads in media. When I say this world is so divided right now, this is a perfect example. What horrible takes I heard yesterday coming from people of influence. They should seriously be suspended for some of the garbage they were spewing. But that’s what they do. They spit out controversial takes, their fanbase eats it up, it draws ratings, so they think it’s ok. Wash, rinse, repeat. That’s what these blowhards thrive on. One of the reasons I’m glad I’m not in that industry anymore. So many phonies.
Why did Katie seem so defensive during MTA?? Questions that could’ve been light hearted, she answered like a defensive pageant girl. I’m so over her.
I don’t think Hunter did anything to deserve the bullying he received. I mean, people are calling him ugly, commenting on his appearance and speech impediment. He did nothing to deserve it. And that’s why I refer to this fanbase as Toxic Bachelor Nation. Or the Bachelor Klan as Rachel Lindsay likes to call them. We’re not wrong.
MTA was overall very lackluster. T&K didn’t control the room well at all and the segment about Kaitlyn and Jason was random and unnecessary.
Looking forward to this season coming to a close. Onwards.
Comment: They had to kill time somehow. I didn’t mind the Jason and Kaitlyn segment. That’s the first time I’d seen it since I don’t listen to her podcast.
_________________________
Hey Steve,
Any confirmation if BIP this year will air on both Mondays and Tuesdays as is usually the case? (Maybe this is always how they do it no matter what, but thru a quick search online it seems that they only keep referencing/promoting the premiere date of August 16, and nothing confirmed in writing about “airing Mondays and Tuesdays” or similar wording). I believe it starts the 16th, and then starting the following week it’s every Mon. & Tues.
Also, any hint as to how many weeks it will be on? It looks like it was always running at 6 weeks, but the most recent season in 2019 stretched into 7 weeks. Everyone keeps saying that it’s a big cast this year so thinking it could be 7+ weeks but maybe that’s just a broad generalization. I know that Michelle’s season doesn’t start airing til October 19. Thanks as always!
Comment: Well we know that DWTS starts Sept. 20th, so my guess would be BIP runs until Sept. 13th, which is 5 weeks. But maybe it’s possible they only do 1 hour on the 20th and wrap up on the 21st? Because yes, every season has aired for 6 weeks, and with the biggest cast ever, you’d think they wouldn’t cut it by a week. I guess we’ll see. I haven’t heard exactly how long they’re running.
_________________________
Hi Steve,
I don’t know if you’ve been following all of the Delta variant stuff, but things are starting to get bad here in the midwest (and before people ask, yes…Minnesota is the midwest). A few questions about that…
Do you know whether the show is requiring all contestants and crew to be vaccinated? Casting reached out to a friend of mine for Michelle’s season. He spoke to them briefly, but wasn’t that interested. But he said they didn’t ask him if he was vaccinated. Maybe it’s a legal and/or PR thing to where they can’t require it? Then again, this is a show where everyone is making out with the same person, so it doesn’t seem unreasonable to require vaccinations if these guys want the Insta followers.
Do you think the show will actually film in Minnesota if Delta gets worse over these next two weeks? The hotel they booked in Minneapolis is not a resort, so it doesn’t seem like they can film everything there unless we’re getting a ton of conference room dates. It seems to me like the bubble in Palm Springs would be the safer option with Delta being so easily transmittable and even vaccinated people getting it. What would happen if one of the men tests positive during filming? Shut down filming for a few days and quarantine and test everyone?
Even if the show makes it to Minnesota, do you see real hometowns happening? Maybe it depends on who makes hometowns and the locations, but it seems risky to have all of these people traveling quite a bit if things get as bad as predicted in a month.
And a question unrelated to Delta, but to Michelle’s cast…Did casting really not find at least one teacher/professor/counselor/etc? Some very handsome guys, but there’s a ton of personal trainers and aspiring actors/models/singers on her cast. More than I would have expected for the months they had to cast specifically for her and find people with a similar passion for education and kids. Not a single one even though a good chunk of filming is during summer break?
Thanks!
Comment: All great questions – and not a single one I have an answer to. I have no idea about the production of next season. All I can say is, while that hotel is not a resort and in downtown, they still have it to themselves. So if the only people involved are cast and crew, they should be fine as far as the hotel aspect goes. But I have no idea about vaccinations with them and what not, or, if now the hometown factor is going to change. It very well could. I haven’t heard either way.
Maybe Michelle wasn’t interested in meeting another teacher?
_________________________
Hi Steve,
Long time listener and reader and appreciate what you do. So my question is concerning Michael A. It definitely seemed as though he got the Bachelor Edit, but if he becomes the Bachelor what will they do with his son? He left this season early because it was too many weeks away, to then turn around and become the Bachelor without bringing his son along (which doesn’t seem feasible) would make all that effort seem disingenuous right? I mean that’s a commitment for the full time away not just a chance you might make it to the end and might not. How do you think they could pull that off or would they even try?
Comment: He definitely wouldn’t be with him the whole time filming. And yes, he would have the exact same issue you would think being away the whole time. I still think they’d find a way to sell it. Because if he’s named the Bachelor, from that point forward, most people will forget what happened on Katie’s season.
_________________________
Do the Olympics affect the shows ratings? They do in a way it just adds more competition to Monday night. I mean, the “Bachelor” drew 3.1 million viewers on Monday night, which was the most watched show on network TV on Monday night – besides the Olympics which drew over 13 million. So they’ve basically done what they’ve done every week. They’re the most watched network show on Monday night and have been all season.
_________________________
Do you think James was told or prompted to say “Maybe Daddy doesn’t wanna see me anymore”?
Comment: I wouldn’t want to speculate on something like that. I have no idea. We know production can coerce any contestant to pretty much say anything. But are they really trying to do it with a 2-3 year old? Sorry, I don’t know how old James is.
