Hey Steve, long-time reader, first-time emailer. What do you think is up with Matt James’s cryptic social media activity over the last day or so? Do you know what kind of announcement he’s gonna make other than his book that’s already been leaked? Many thanks for answering this and for all you’ve done over the years for Bachelor Nation journalism.
Comment: I guess it was just his book. Not sure why he needed to delete his whole IG for that, but whatever floats his boat.
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Hi Steve,
Missed the window for 11/2, but figured while the thoughts are still fresh in my mind I’d get this in for next week. I was watching your live on Instagram for a bit last Friday and heard the part when Dave Neal joined. I found it interesting that Michael A is being discussed as the next Bachelor. I think he’d be great, but like you, I don’t really care who the lead is. I thought I would share my perspective on the potential of a single dad being the lead.
I’m a single mom, and unlike most early 20-something wannabe influencers, Michael seems like the type of guy I’d theoretically seek to date. That said, I would never be able to uproot my life to go to Ohio. My separation agreement prevents me from moving out of state without seeking permission from the courts, and I have 90% physical custody of the kids (so it’s not a situation that would screw up overall parenting time). That’s a fairly standard clause in separation/divorce agreements. To even start that court battle, I’d have to be very serious about someone. That alone is impossible to do with my custody situation preventing me from dating long distance. I can barely date locally. I’ve been in a relationship for a little over 2 years and we’re nowhere near moving in together. Blended families are complicated and neither of us are ready for that. The stakes are much higher if it doesn’t work out, and while I’d love to see my boyfriend more than I do (90% custody making it challenging), we’re not at a point where either of us is okay with our kids getting attached. It’s basically a vicious cycle. All of it is actually less complicated when one person is not a parent, but then they don’t “get it” as much. All things that would need to be considered in “real life” dating, but since this isn’t, I guess it ultimately doesn’t matter. Someone just needs to pretend they’re interested in that life to make it to the end, win, and then decide from there if that’s what they want their life to become. That’s IF Michael is the Bachelor. We don’t know yet for sure. Nothing is finalized.
Somewhat related – If Michael A gets the lead, I would love it if you could get Jason/Molly back on your podcast to get their perspective. I know you’ve had them on before, but focusing on the single parent lead aspect of the show would be very interesting to hear. Emily Maynard would be great too (obviously), but I imagine she’s harder to get as a guest. In many ways her situation was closer to Michael’s since her fiance had passed away, and the dynamics with his parents would be interesting to hear.
Thanks as always!
Comment: I’ve emailed Emily in the past. No response. I think Jason and Molly were just from a different time. While they would provide great perspective, they were on during a time where most people that came on the show were sincere. That just isn’t the case anymore, and any contestant who tells you otherwise is essentially lying. Just hard to believe at this point.
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Hi Steve,
What are your thoughts on how this new order of the shows will impact ratings? Alternating between Bachelor and Bachelorette seemed to be a natural cadence that allowed for a built-in storyline. They typically chose someone who made it far in the previous season, so the audience was rooting for them to find love after recently “failing” to do so. With such a short audience attention span/memory, it seemed to work well.
Back to back Bachelorettes followed by back to back Bachelors obviously disrupts that flow… For example, I was excited about the idea of Michael A. being the next Bachelor after Katie’s season… Come May of next year… Eh… Not as much. Especially after watching Clayton for a season prior to that. My interest isn’t as high and I’ve forgotten much about him except that he has a son. Maybe it won’t matter either way and the same audience will tune in regardless… It just seems like they’re messing with the obvious buy-in that people have after just watching the lead get their heart broken on the previous season. (I know Brad 2.0, Emily, Arie, and Nick probably prove my concerns wrong, but those were the exceptions to their standard formula.) Thoughts?
Comment: It’s tough to say. I honestly don’t know why they’re doing back-to-back Bachelors. Maybe because they just gave us consecutive Bachelorettes? I don’t know. But once the announcement is officially made by the show, Rob Mills will address it. He’d be the only one I would think that would speak on it – if he does. He’s kinda been silent since the Chris Harrison stuff.
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Have you heard anything else about the previously announced “seniors” version of The Bachelor? There are old people (like me) who would actually like to see a season like that.
Comment: No idea. That idea seems to have gone away again. Even if it is brought up again, I don’t see when they could even air that on the network. Where’s the time?
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Hey Steve,
I see a lot of people are concerned about ratings on the show. One thing I think people aren’t taking into consideration is how streaming has affected how people watch tv. Both ABC and Hulu are owned by Disney, so I’m sure they’re sharing streaming numbers with the network. Plus there’s people who watch on Hulu Live, YouTube TV, etc. None of those services are covered by traditional ratings, but more people are watching that way. They wouldn’t be adding another season if ratings were as drastic as they look through traditional measures.
Thanks for all you do!
Comment: Exactly. It’s why I’ve said the overnight ratings, while at the lowest they’ve been ever, aren’t what the show should be measured on anymore. It’s only part of the picture.
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Hey Steve,
Firstly keep up the good work. You’re killing it with the spoilers for Clayton’s season. Thanks. But remember, I know nothing. At least that’s what others love to tell me. Foreshadowing.
Can I ask if you received any negative “tea” on Thomas Jacobs from Katie’s season? You don’t have to go into specifics, but something still seems off about him even though he’s flying high with Becca Kufrin right now. He has demonsterized merch and a domain name. Just curious if anyone reached out to you with anything.
Thanks much!
Comment: What I can say to this question, since I get asked it a lot, is I get negative info on pretty much every contestant. Even all the ones you love. They have some of the worst tea about them. It’s unreal some of the stuff I’ve been made aware of about these contestants. Heard some huge stuff last week too that would just make you shake your head. But hey, not my concern. Maybe Ducks Moy will post it. Oh wait, they only post stuff they don’t vet.
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Dear Steve,
Been reading your blog since Jason’s season – keep up the good work!
I have two questions:
At the end of the Express Yourself group date, Jamie pulls a producer aside and says “I need to speak to you. Jamie mentions that he thought the other guys would be more competition, so something along those lines. He then rags on Michelle for her “Spring Break” attitude and mentions that he finds that unattractive. The way he speaks suggests that he thought he was #1, and was hoping that the producer would speak to Michelle on his behalf. Otherwise, what is the need for the conversation? To embarrass Jamie.
Michelle went back to teaching right after her filming ended. Don’t most leads move to SoCal and try to capitalize on their new found fame? Have there been other recent leads that went back to their “real life” after filming?
Thanks for keeping us entertained!
Comment: Not any in recent memory I can think of.
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Hey there, new fan here (but wish I was following you all along, love the spoilers & insider info!)…
Couple questions/comments about your latest Episode 3 Recap on Michelle’s season:
1. You asked does anyone truly know what Will and Peter were actually fighting over…. I believe it originated from the group date with the kids classroom questions where Will called Peter a narcissist. Not for nothing if someone was making that accusation about me & basically attacking my character like that, I would be angry too. Unfortunately Peter handled himself exactly like a narcissist would, so ultimately little sympathy from me there. That’s right. I’d already forgotten about the classroom date the week before. So while he probably didn’t like getting beat at the jousting, he already didn’t like Will from the week before.
2. You touch on the lack of camera time with Clayton (#FreeBritney let them spin hahaha). And also you say we already know he gets a 1-on-1 date in Minnesota. When did you reveal this spoiler? I try to follow you on all outlets but I think I missed it…. I remember back in August you told us for Episodes 5 and 6 you knew of three 1-on-1s: Joe Coleman (at the ball game), then Nayte (on the pontoon date), and Brandon (at her parent’s house – who at the time we thought was Peter). When does Clayton’s come? Well I haven’t done any episode by episode spoilers, but the season promo showed Clayton on a 1-on-1 date and some kids were involved. I’m not sure when it happens, other than we know it happens in Minnesota. It’s definitely not episode 5 since we know Joe and Nayte have those two 1-on-1’s. So it’s either in 6 or 7.
3. Did you reveal Michelle’s Top 4 yet? I know you confirmed Top2 but I read a spoiler somewhere else (not necessarily from a reputable source) that Rodney and Joe Coleman are also in the Top 4. In this week’s recap you talked about Rodney’s 1on1 (btw it was Him feeding Her because the time before that roles were reversed – she was doing a blind taste test with him guessing different apples & the “lasagna flavored” pizza ). You mention that producers know who Michelle is into the most, so those people usually get the best dates and the fact that Rodney got a crappy date is meaningful. So I was confused and just making sure I didn’t miss the Top4 announcement from you (I know you like to have actual proof before revealing). No, I don’t know. Although knowing that Joe goes far, which I don’t think is news. I just don’t know if he gets eliminated at 3 or 4. I don’t know who the 4th guy is.
4. You talked about the 2nd group date being centered around Jamie (villians gotta vill!!). I was wondering your thoughts on the convo we see between him and a producer after Martin gets the Group Date Rose. I feel like this is the reason they titled the episode so dramatically because they actually show us some ‘behind the scenes’ footage, which is rare, and we hear Jaime basically bad-mouthing Michelle (aka “spring break mode”).
Keep ’em coming!
Comment: Yeah that was done strictly to continue their villain edit of Jamie. The producer probably made him feel comfortable about opening up regarding how he was feeling that date, then they turned around and used it against him. Oldest trick in the book for production.
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Hi Steve
I just realised who Kaitlyn and Tayshia remind me of…Statler and Waldorf from the Muppets! Especially watching them on the balcony in the most recent episode. Epitome of the peanut gallery.
Comment: I honestly haven’t noticed them much this season. They basically play the same role Chris does. Maybe a short convo at the beginning of the episode, pass out the date card, announce a date when it happens, then are there at the rose ceremony. Nothing’s really changed in terms of their role and what they do.
