This is answered today in “Reader Emails” but just wanna mention it off the bat again since it has to do with there not being a new “Bachelor” episode next week. The NFL hasn’t officially announced what their playoff format is going to look like moving forward in future seasons. In particular, Super Wild Card Weekend like this upcoming weekend. But I gotta believe they’re gonna stick with this format that starts this season with our first ever Monday Night playoff game. NFL Playoffs have always been on Saturday & Sunday for as long as I can remember. This is the first year they’re pushing one of the opening weekend games to Monday night, which is why there’s no “Bachelor” next Monday night. I have a feeling this is going to be the norm going forward, so, looks like we’re always gonna have an early season week off in the “Bachelor” world as long as they continue to start their season on the first Monday in January. And that’s been the norm since 2009 I believe, so I don’t see why that would change anytime soon.
Suzana over at @Bachelordata on IG has your Instagram growth since Monday’s episode. It’s still early in the season and these numbers aren’t even close to what some of the top women will be at the end of the season, but, here’s a look at who’s doing well so far:
This first email is a really good, thought provoking question sent in by a reader last week, and I wanted to make sure it didn’t get lost in the shuffle. It’s something I’ve really had to think about the last 7 months or so and something I’m constantly dealing with when it comes to this franchise. Every story is a case-by-case basis, so there isn’t some universal answer to this question. But just wanted you to have an idea of what I tend to go through anytime I get info now. If you’d like to chime in on the type of stuff you want to hear me report, please feel free.
Steve,
Loved the Shayne Lamas podcast. Looking forward to part two.
This is in response to your question on your site today about whether to report it if a Bachelor Nation (BN) person is dating someone from outside of the franchise if they are another reality star, famous football player, etc. There is obviously more interest if someone in BN is dating someone else who is a public figure.
My guess is this is also about the great response and acknowledgment from other outlets that Justin from Justin Takes the Bach got when he reported that Blake Horstmann is dating Giannina from Love is Blind that I am sure brought more traffic to Justin’s site. Justin did mention though that he didn’t like it when one outlet called him a BN gossip site. He said he sees himself as reporting BN news. I think Justin brings up a good point. What is the difference between gossip and news?
Gossip definitely has a negative connotation whereas news does not. One definition of gossip is passing along secret information about other people. One definition of news is sharing important or newsworthy information.
Blake and Giannina did not decide to go public themselves. They were keeping it secret and were outed by Justin. So technically that makes it gossip I suppose. On the other hand, a news show like 60 Minutes specializes in uncovering secret information and sharing it with the world. Does that make it a gossip show? It is all how you spin it.
The main point is you don’t want to be dragged through the mud again for ruining people’s lives. But you do want to garner public interest. It is a fine line to walk. Announcing a couple before they go public themselves does not really hurt their brand or cause then harm. It may not be exactly what they want but they both realize that they are taking a risk that someone will find out and be the first one to get the scoop. It seems to me that it is minor for them but it is a big win for you.
It must be hard for you to see someone else get the scoop when you were privy to the information before them. I say go for it.
Comment: I have no idea who Justin Takes the Bachelor is. I just saw that People reported the Blake/Giannina dating story. But yeah, I was told within days of Blake returning home from filming that MTV show he had a new girlfriend. And I assumed it was someone he met on that show. Once I found out what US women were on that show, I used deductive reasoning, common sense, and a tip from someone that told me it was her. I probably would’ve eventually said something since both are known people, but once People did I didn’t have to think about it.
But yes, it’s definitely a fine line between what is considered gossip and what is news. Blake and Giannina dating is definitely not news that would ruin either of their lives. I’m not a gossip site. I have posted gossip in the past. There’s a difference. And for the last 7 months, you haven’t heard me report anything of the such on my site. But I guess it all depends on what each individual’s definition of gossip is. Can something be both gossip and news? Or it has to be one or the other? The Google definition is “casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true.”
I’d say that’s a pretty big distinction. By that definition, Blake and Giannina dating can be considered gossip by some people. It also can NOT be considered gossip by others. If gossip is “details that are not confirmed as being true,” and Blake and Giannina are dating, but only a select few people knew (before the story hit), then what is it? Technically it’s not confirmed to be true publicly, since neither released a statement or a picture together. However, it IS true and it’s not like they were doing everything they could to hide it. She was posting at Blake’s house, in his bedroom, and in his bathroom. Just without him in it. So does that mean it’s gossip? I tend to lean towards no.
Gossip would seem to be all the negative things I hear about contestants from other people. But again, it’s only gossip because it’s not “confirmed as being true” publicly. What if it’s confirmed to be true in emails/texts/DM’s that are shown to me? So I know it to be true. The person who told me about it knows it to be true, and a maybe a small circle of people as well know (the amount of examples I have of this from this seasons contestants and past seasons is endless). So what makes it gossip if it IS true, but only very few people know it is? You know what gossip is? Deux Moi. Because they just post anything, don’t vet a single thing, and anyone can send anything in with zero repercussions. To me, that’s gossip. And you know I despise that site and everything they do for that exact reason. It’s garbage. And while yes, I think Deux Moi is garbage, I’m also very well aware of how popular it is. Why is it popular? Because people eat up gossip. This is the world we live in. Is anyone trying to cancel Deux Moi for all the unfounded rumors and gossip they post? The answer would be no. But if I did exactly what they did, just strictly with Bachelor Nation info, I’d be done. So yeah, you can see my frustration with the hypocrisy of this fan base.
I don’t want to do that. But I do want to share information and stories that I think are relevant that can be backed up with facts. But in that same breath, most of those stories don’t paint contestants in a popular light, which then in turn makes the narrative that I hate them, I’m out to get them, I have a vendetta, etc. Which couldn’t be further from the truth. My job of this site has always been to report news that I think is relevant in Bachelor Nation. The problem is, almost all that news/info is negative. Yes, I pick and choose what I deem to be relevant. 95% of the info I get I don’t post. Trust me, I could ruin practically every single one of these contestants reputations if I just posted every single thing I got about them, whether I looked into it or not. Yes, that includes some of the most beloved ones in this franchise that a lot of you think walk on water. I’d practically have a new story every day, and I could just go down the line of every contestant every season. Hell, if we started with Clayton’s women there’s been a ton of shit told to me already about them that is not flattering at all. But I’m not Deux Moi.
So bottom line, yes, now you know what a struggle it’s become on what to report versus what not to. Anything I would report is almost inevitably negative, which in turn would get picked up by some/all news outlets, and definitely all the IG accounts that just parrot everything I say. So once I put it out there, it’s a negative story, it spreads like wildfire, and Reality Steve becomes the bad guy. Yet, you can lie to yourself all you want, but trust me, you would all eat it up if I kept posting stories like that. You LOVE the tea. You WANT the tea. But ONLY if it’s about someone you don’t care about or who has a negative edit/not well liked. Cassidy? Shanae? You’d be frothing at the mouth waiting for something on them. But God forbid it was about anyone not a villain on Clayton’s season, and then all the sudden I become the story, not what I reported, because it’s about someone you’d already determined in your mind could do no wrong. And sorry, that’s completely hypocritical of you as a viewer/reader.
So what’s the solution? I have no idea. Honestly. I fight this every season now. I’m not even talking about doing some sort of expose or anything like that, but I can’t even make a comment like, “Yeah, well that doesn’t surprise me considering what I’ve heard about (so-and-so).” Even saying that nowadays is too much for people and I’m not even giving any details. Fun times, I tell ya’.
“Reader Emails” begins on Page 2…
