“The most dramatic season yet”: Bachelorette Review
Girl meets 25 guys. Girl dates multiple guys for six weeks. Girl sends guys home. Girl gets engaged to last guy. With over 20 years of this process repeated year after year, part of what makes each season of “The Bachelorette” unique is the variety of cast members. In this past season of The Bachelorette alone, there were war veterans, former professional athletes, a bartender, a hipster, a firefighter, a Canadian, a singer-songwriter, a barber, a DJ, and an erectile dysfunction specialist.
Joelle “JoJo” Fletcher, a 25-year-old real estate developer, was chosen as the season 12 bachelorette after getting heartbroken on Ben Higgin’s season of “The Bachelor”. JoJo is a native Texan and attended Baylor University.
This past season had everything expected from a reality dating show and more. There were the usual: drama, tears, makeouts, jealousy, and of course love. However, there was so much more…there was Chad.
Chad Johnson was the “villain” this season, which created the majority of the drama. This drama, however, was taken up a notch from other seasons. There was violence – or as much there can be without a contestant being disqualified – and some heated arguments that included very creative threats.
Evan, a contestant, made a joke about Chad taking steroids, which lit Chad’s short fuse. The bomb went off when Chad pulled and ripped the back of Evan’s shirt, then punched a door, which bloodied his knuckles.
Right before leaving for a date, Chad threatened to Jordan, “You think this is a show, and you think you’re safe for now, but one day this ends. And when this ends, you go home. And when you go home, you think I can’t find you? You think I won’t go out of my way to come to your house?”
Chad was put in a tough spot as the guy everyone chose to gang up on. He was backed into a corner and forced to go on the defensive. However, the other guys did have good reason as Chad frequently made off-putting comments and usually resulted to violence or threats.
Chad’s abrasive and straightforward personality alone made the show infinitely entertaining, but there were also several genuine connections between JoJo and some of the guys. From the very first night, JoJo had palpable chemistry with multiple guys and the couples’ journeys from being strangers to being in love were the show’s main highlights.
Throughout the season, JoJo had very strong connection with five of the guys, and ultimately fell in love with the final two. But in the end, true love won and JoJo got engaged to Jordan Rodgers, a 27-year-old former professional football player.
Their engagement at the end of the season was a predictable surprise, as he was a fan favorite since the beginning despite questions that arose about his intentions. Jordan received the First Impression Rose, however it was not all smooth-sailing from there. For several weeks, JoJo was warned that Jordan was only there for the fame from several of the other contestants.
Although it was a little rocky getting there, JoJo and Jordan are happily engaged. Their relationship after the show has been slightly different due to the controversy and speculation over Jordan’s feud with his brother Aaron Rodgers, the Green Bay Packers quarterback.
Beyond the drama and fights, the show is ultimately about love. In the words of Chris Harrison, the host, “This season is the most dramatic season yet!”
