A Case Study: The Bachelor
Portrayals and Perceptions of Romance in Reality TV
Kelsey Uhl
COM 313
Dr. Ted Gournelos
May 3, 2015
On my honor I have neither given nor received nor witnesses any unauthorized assistance on this
work. –Kelsey Uhl
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Abstract
The Bachelor is one of the longest-running and most popular reality TV shows in history,
with multiple international spinoffs and a legion of fans. Scholars argue that reality TV, The
Bachelor specifically, correlates to college age students’ likelihood to alter their expectations for
romance. The methods for this research were a textual analysis of three season promotional
videos and three in-depth interviews with counselors that work with that demographic. The data
fueled the argument that The Bachelor capitalizes on the idealized signifiers of romance, and that
this can backfire and have negative consequences for younger generations. I argue that the
show is popular at least in part because it deals with deeply rooted concerns about social and
personal cognitive dissonance between romance as a lived reality with a partner and “romance”
as a constructed ideal.
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The Bachelor is the longest running reality TV show on air, with an average of 11.3 to
16.7 million viewers in its first season (Dubrofsky 2009, 254) and an average of 8.2 million
viewers in its most recent season (The Bachelor). The premise of this show is that an eligible
bachelor is selected and has the opportunity to find his wife-to-be from a group of twenty-five
beautiful women who compete for his attention. Each week, women are selected to spend time
with the Bachelor on one-on-one dates, group dates or a two-on-one date. At the end of each
week, women who the bachelor is interesting in furthering a relationship with are given a rose.
The women who are not given roses are sent home. The dates are extravagant; they often
include helicopter rides, private concerts and rooftop parties. Each season, the group travels to
various countries to supposedly fall in love. There are three spin offs of the show, The
Bachelorette, Bachelor Pad and Bachelor in Paradise, and there are several international
adaptations.
This paper examines The Bachelor on the basis of its claims to romance and love, and
through textual analysis and in depth interview data seeks to understand the potential dissonance
between those claims and the perceptions of “real” romance of love from its audiences. I argue
that the show is popular at least in part because it deals with deeply rooted concerns about social
and personal cognitive dissonance between romance as a lived reality with a partner and
“romance” as a constructed ideal.
The topic of this case study is the construction of romance. The focus is the portrayals
and perceptions of romance in reality TV. The case study is The Bachelor. These three focal
points were determined over the course of research for this project. What started out as a
discussion of the hook of The Bachelor, and how the marketing campaigns of the show helped
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make it so successful. This research question evolved into a deeper conversation about the
portrayal of the show itself and then the perceived effects of the show.
Consumer loyalty is among the most crucial outcomes for service providers. Without
consumer loyalty, the goods produced loose value (Lewin et al. 2015, 616). The producers of
reality TV have been exceptionally skilled in creating a good that promotes consumer loyalty.
The Bachelor has been skilled in creating a loyal fan-base established on this principle. Jeffery
Lewin, Rajasree K. Rajamma, and Audhesh K. Paswan addressed this research question and
determined that in the $750 billion entertainment industry, which can generalize for other service
areas like the Internet and social networking sites. The knowledge about what drives consumer
loyalty was lacking, so Lewin et al. conducted research on Reality TV because it is a pure
service, for which the consumer audience receives nothing tangible (2015, 616). Their
hypothesized model has to do with self-show connection, fulfillment, and involvement, which
leads to loyalty (2015, 617).
A survey of 578 college students was used to determine if there is a relationship between
college students watching reality TV of a romantic nature or about sexual relationships and their
likelihood to engage in a one-night stand. Joshua Fogel and Lyudamila Kovalenko found that,
“those who watched reality television sexual relationship shows as compared to those who did
not watch reality television sexual relationship shows had a greater percentage to engage in onenight stands” (2013, 328). There was not, however, a significant difference for engaging in onenight stands for those who watched reality TV dating shows, which is the category of The
Bachelor. Fogel et al.’s concern was that in addition to the moral considerations, one-night
stands place individuals at a greater risk for sexually transmitted infections. Moreover, they
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hope their study will result in advocacy for RTV to limit viewer exposure to sexual content in the
shows (2013, 321).
Scholars have investigated the construction of romance and the effect of media on these
expectations for decades. Bachen and Illouz (1996) examine what young adults thought of as a
typical romantic situation, and whether what was typical was also ideal (1996, 288). In their
conclusion, Bachen & Illouz refer to a tenth-grade girl who is quoted saying that she thinks in
movies and wants to fall in love quickly. She finds out later that the boys she fell for were not
nice people, and realizes that real romance isn’t always pretty and easy (1996, 306).
Young people today actively seek out reality dating shows and romantic comedies in
order to inform their understanding of romance (2013, 151). Veronica Hefner and Barbara
Wilson acknowledged this and wrote, “From Love at First Sight to Soul Mate” in 2013. There
are four themes that emerge in this article from the conceptualization of romance that have to do
with how ideal relationships should form: (1) love can overlook flaws, (2) love can seek out the
perfect mate, (3) love can happen instantly and (4) love can overcome any obstacles (2013, 152).
These themes are the basis of the study, but the results were that romantic comedies are related to
young people’s romantic beliefs, but the effects were not very pronounced in the data they
collected (2013, 169).
Rachel E. Dubrofsky on the fallen, emotional women in reality TV (RTV) argues that
The Bachelor “frames the emotional behavior of some women as excessive, and therefore
dangerous and threatening, barring them from ‘having it all,’” (2009, 353). According to
Dubrofsky, the problem and hook of the show is the so-called, “money shot” in which the
women exhibit excessive emotion that is beyond their control (2009, 356). In these scenes, they
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loose control over their ability to process their own emotion, and other than this instance are
consistently reluctant to show emotion.
Dubrofsky discusses how, “though the explicit aim of The Bachelor is to unite two
people in matrimony…the narrative focus [is] on how and why women are not selected by the
bachelor: the story is about failed love,” (2009, 355). This argument could be extended to the
conversation about the construction of romance on a larger scale. The inherent difference is
embodied in the tension between the signifiers of romance, for instance, the photo a person
shares on Instagram to show everyone how in love they are, versus the desire for intimacy,
connection and companionship. The need to share your personalized construction of romance is
another way that the story becomes about failed love. The need, in general to move romance
from the private to public sphere is concerning in its own right, but not the topic for the present
case study.
Does the weekly dose of predictably unrealistic romance inform young people’s
understanding and expectation of romance? As Bachen & Illouz discuss, expectations often
precede experience when it comes to romance (1996, 279). The method chosen to seek an
answer to this question is a textual analysis and in-depth interviews.
A textual analysis measures texts, in this case, three promotional videos from seasons
seventeen, eighteen and nineteen of The Bachelor. The objective of the textual analysis is to
determine how the signifiers of romance serve as a hook to maintain viewership. Textual
analysis seeks to examine a text on how accurately it portrays the truth, and how accurately this
truth relates to reality. The sample for this method is videos ranging from three to five minutes
in length that are a season preview for each respective season. These videos follow a pattern
from the beginning of the show when contestants are full of hope, to the middle of the show
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when the breakdown begins, to the end of the show when the hope is renewed for the few who
are still remaining. These three videos were coded for signifiers of the romantic ideal.
It is interesting to note, the rose is a major signifier of romance in the show as it is the
man’s way to tell the woman he is interested in pursuing a relationship with her and is her
guarantee that she will be around until the following rose ceremony. In the three videos coded
for romantic ideal signifiers, a rose was only shown one time. Rather than focus on the rose or
the show as a weekly occurrence, the season promotional videos aim to create a narrative of the
beginning of a relationship. It often begins as a honeymoon stage, when the man and the woman
are both doe-eyed participants having the time of their lives. Then, things get rocky as obstacles
present themselves. Then, once they overcome these obstacles together they are ready to sail off
into the happily ever after that is marital bliss. This is the narrative of the promotional videos.
They also highlight two fallen women per video. This is the concept put forth by Dubrofsky
about the women who completely loose their ability to regulate their own emotions. In totality,
the videos show the peak of and the breakdown of the ideal.
In depth interviews seek to gain a deeper understanding of the perceived issues at hand.
The objective of the in depth interviews was to gain insight about the effect of reality TV on
young people’s expectation of romance. The sample was three thirty-minute interviews with
professional women who currently work or worked with college student within the last 3 years.
They all worked for Rollins College within the past three years, or currently, in the Office of
Student Success. The method was chosen because it would allow for a deeper understanding of
their personal ideas about romance as a lived reality. Further, it allowed for a conversation about
how romance as a constructed ideal can pose a danger to young adults, namely college students.
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The interviews were semi-structured, in the sense that there were questions prepared, but
when appropriate, follow-up questions were used that led the conversation in impromptu
directions. The first interview was with a current Rollins staff-member who works directly with
first-year students. She is in her early thirties and is single. The second interview was with a
former Rollins Student Success coach who is currently working part-time as a licensed mental
health counselor, working primarily with people in their early teens through early thirties. She is
married and has a daughter. The third interview was with a Rollins alumna who in her time as a
student worked as a student coordinator for the Office of Student Success. She currently works
as a recruiter for a major Public Relations company in Washington DC. All three women have
watched The Bachelor and plan to watch future seasons. They were chosen intentionally for
their personal knowledge about the show, and their insights into the college-aged person who
was the focal point for our discussion on the effects of dating reality TV shows.
The results of the textual analysis were that the most prevalent non-verbal cues of
romance were touching and kissing. In the five-minute season preview of season nineteen, there
were twenty-two shots of The Bachelor Chris Soules kissing the contestants. On average, there
were 13 scenes of the contestants kissing in each video. The most common verbal cues were “I
feel like the luckiest man/woman alive” which was said an average of 2.7 times per video. Other
frequent verbal cues are the sentiment that this is the perfect guy that the women have been
waiting for. Glamor scenery shots were also tallied and occurred an average of sixteen times per
video. This highlights the show’s emphasis on falling in love in an exotic location, which is
another method by which they hook viewers. Who wouldn’t want to watch beautiful people fall
in love in beautiful places?
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There were two shots of the fallen women per video, but an average of 8.7 shots of crying
women per text. The fallen woman is the crying woman taken a couple steps further; she has
lost absolutely all control over her emotions. Each video had at least one shot of The Bachelor
crying, to show his distress over the process and his commitment to finding the right woman.
There are also always instances of the women attacking other women, this occurred on average 6
times per video. In the video from season nineteen, there is voiceover from a contestant saying,
“I would rather chew glass and wash it down with a bag of hair than loose to her," which paints a
pretty accurate portrayal of how the women treat one another throughout the show as they vie for
the same man’s attention.
The result of the in-depth interviews was an agreement that the media’s effect of young
adult’s development of their expectations for romance is significant, and concerning. Participant
1 talked about her perceptions of the show, saying that it is, “superficial, not real. It is all people
in their late twenties who all feel like they could have or should have been married by now.
They have a failed relationship and it’s the competition of it that makes them feel loved”
(Appendix 3). She said she thinks of the show more as a comedy than as romance. She opened
up about how she personally developed her expectations for romance, saying that her
expectations shifted really early on when her parents abruptly separated. They had the
conversation about divorce for the first time while she was in the room. From then on, she had a
firm understanding that relationships of any kind were hard work and that even the good ones
end. Participant 1 talked about her concern that these shows were creating an unrealistic ideal,
which poses a challenge to everyone who is still determining their expectations. She said that
figuring out expectations is a constant process of filtering information you are getting, and that
more and more, the emphasis is being put on social media and reality TV.
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Participant 2 discussed about how when she was trying to determine her expectations for
a romance, it was a process of trial and error. She sought out the antithesis of her father in her
romantic partners, which took a while for her to actually accomplish. In college, she was
between two guys, one who would have been like her father and the other who treated her with
respect. She chose the man who treated her with respect, and they are happily married today.
She talked about how grateful she was to have made that decision, and thirteen years later they
are still together and raising a family. She watches The Bachelor for the sheer sake of
entertainment. She says that she knows the show is totally skewed, but that she carries an
internal hope that the feelings are genuine. Participant 2 shared her concern that these shows can
skew people’s expectations of what is normal to get out of relationships, which can manifest in a
huge let down. She thinks that reality TV and social media about romance can lead to a lot of
self-absorption and that it can cause people to forget the real value of the relationship. She
stresses that it is important to gain awareness early on about how reality TV and social media
affects you personally. Each person must have a foundation based in reality, that way when you
are inundated with a false “reality” you have a sounding board to go back to.
Participant 3 says her expectations of reality evolved as she had a better understanding of
reality as opposed to the fairy tales she grew up watching and reading. She asserts that
maintaining relationships is the theme of her life now, whether they are personal, professional or
familial. Her primary concern with romance in reality TV is that it sets an unrealistic
expectation that romance can happen quickly and should happen quickly. Social media and
reality TV have become omnipresent, so it’s hard when your brain tells you that this isn’t
realistic, it becomes normal and normal seems real.
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The results from the three in depth interviews all end in a sense of concern that there is
the possibility that romance in RTV can cause harm in personal relationships. Their advice as a
collective is to start having conversations about these things early on, whether it is as a parent, a
teacher, or a friend. This brings us back to the literature, when Fogel et al argued that, “as
television can have a strong influence on young adults, we suggest that psychology and public
health organizations consider advocating for reality television shows of such genre to limit
viewer exposure to sexual insinuations during these shows” (2013, 330). Reality TV still seems
like a new phenomenon, but this is not the case. Reality TV began in the 1950’s on Allen Funt’s
show, Candid Camera. Sixty-five years later, the repercussions of this genre are becoming clear
and pronounced. It is time to take proactive measures to ensure the dangers that RTV poses to
adolescents and young adults are addressed early on.
The textual analysis shows how The Bachelor uses ideals and signifiers of romance, and
the breakdown of these ideals as a primary hook for the show. Key signifiers, like the rose, were
left out of the promotional videos altogether, though they play a major role in the structure of the
show. In this way, the promotional videos string together the top two percent of the season into a
three to five minute synopsis. There are kissing scenes back to back, and scenes of women
crying one after the other. There are glamour scenery shots throughout, giving the viewer the
idea that if they watch the season, they will get to travel the world alongside the contestants. The
in depth interviews revealed the perception that the show is popular because it deals with deeply
rooted concerns about social and personal cognitive dissonance between romance as a lived
reality with a partner and the constructed ideal of romance. There is a gap between what we
want and what we watch when it comes to romance. There is research to show that what we
watch, however, can change how we act. This creates not only a cognitive dissonance, but also a
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major dilemma for our society as a whole. How are future generations going to be able to
determine what is reality and what is a construct when they are inundated by reality TV that is
based solely on a constructed ideal? If the goal of reality TV producers is to create a sense of
consumer loyalty, the cycle will continue and the drama will only get more intense as the
consequences become more real. I argue that the producers are aware of this gap and are playing
on the need intentionally. The Bachelor is popular because the writers and producers are aware
of this gap between romance as a lived reality with a partner and “romance” as a constructed
ideal, and more importantly, know how to put a spin on it to maintain viewers.
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Appendix I: Textual Analysis
Physical cues
Touch
Kiss
Roll around on the
beach
Rose
Verbal cues
In love
Luckiest man/woman
Fairytale
Beautiful
Perfect guy
What I’ve been
waiting for
Season 17
IIIIIIII-7
IIIIIIIIII-10
Season 18
IIIIIIIIII-10
IIIIIIII-8
I
II
Season 19
IIIIIII-7
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-22
I
I
III
II
II
I
I
II
II
II
III
I
II
II
Breakdown
Women attack women IIIIIIIIIII-10
Crying women
IIIII-5
Crying man
II
Fallen women
IIIII-5
IIIIIIIIIIII-12
I
II
III
IIIIIIIII-9
IIII
II
Glamor scenery shots
IIIIIIIIIIII-12
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-18
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-18
Appendix 2:
Interview Script
I want to thank you for taking the time to talk with me today. My name is Kelsey Uhl, could you
please state your name?
Today we will be discussing the effect of media on young people’s expectation for romance.
I will ask you a series of questions, if you wish to not respond or have clarifying questions please
ask!
All responses will be used for class purposes only! I will be taping the audio of our conversation,
is that okay?
1. Can you please tell me about what you do for a living?
2. How would you describe your TV consumption habits?
3. How would you describe how regularly (if any) that you watch RTV?
4. Do you/ have you ever watched The Bachelor?
5. Who do you think watches the most reality TV?
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6. How would you describe how you developed your expectations of romance as a child?
7. How would you describe how you developed your expectations of romance when you
were a teenager?
8. How did these expectations change as you entered young adulthood and your life
currently?
9. Do you think the romance portrayed on RTV is accurate or genuine?
10. Do you see any issues with this difference, can you tell me about the issues you see?
11. Are you in a relationship currently?
12. How do you determine what are realistic or unrealistic expectations for romance?
13. Do you ever feel your expectations are too high, or unattainable by your romantic
partner?
14. Do you think the media has an affect on how young people develop expectations today?
Thank you again for your time today!
Appendix 3:
Interview Transcripts
Participant 1
 “I was worried about her for a while” (re: Desiree, Bachelorette from Season 9)
 “Expectations shifted when she learned the reality of relationships, which happened early
on”
 “My parents abruptly separated when I was 17, which was a game changer mentally”
 “They had the conversation about the divorce with me in the room”
 “The best relationship I know in my entire life, are my very best friend from 5th grade
Rachel and her husband John. They started dating in the sixth grade and are still married
with four kids, completely obsessed with each other. Like a Nicholas sparks movie. And
they just have a beautiful family, he coaches the baseball team, she’s a dance mom and
all of that.
 “Superficial, not real. All people in their late 20’s who all feel like they could have or
should have been married by now. They have a failed relationship and it’s the
competition of it that makes them feel loved.
 “It’s not romance, it’s comedy to me”
 “I think a lot of what people look for in romance is so superficial”
 “Part of me thinks people know they are being unrealistic when they look for their whole
check-list but they do it anyways”
 “I think Facebook screws with people too because it only shows the top 2% happiest,
most beautiful moments in people’s relationships”
 “It’s small compared to all the images you see of how it is otherwise which is really
contrived”
 “It was hard enough before we knew every detail about everyone’s lives”
 “I see it in my niece already and she’s 10. She’s self conscious, but she’s also really
proud to be her. She’ll think other girls her age won’t like her. She isn’t buying into what
people think she should be, but because she’s not doing those things she is internalizing
the thought process that she won’t be well received by her because of it”
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


“I hear the stuff that gets filtered from Facebook. So I’ll see what everyone else sees, of
look how happy I am. But I’ll hear, dang this is the worst, this has been the hardest, I am
struggling in my relationship…”
“I think you’re constantly figuring out your expectations from all the information you’re
getting but I think for whatever reason we put a lot of emphasis on social media, but you
can’t because you’re inundated.”
“While a lot of people have an internal issue with it, it is so hard to fight against. And it’s
happening younger and younger”
Participant 2 (Laura)
 Licensed Mental Health Counselor (early teens to early thirties), and a mom
 Big fan of reality TV, especially The Bachelor and Bachelorette, The Voice
 When it’s in season, she watches the shows weekly
 Watched Full House and other sitcoms which touched more gently on issues of love and
romance
 Not based on her parents, they were not good role models in that sense
 Tried to find the antithesis of her father
 Trial and Error
 Did not have a lot of strong role models, still finds herself seeking out healthy dynamics
in real life
 That’s why I like the bachelor, the hope that you can find happiness, and a partner
 Trying to manifest what she thought of as a happy couple in her own life
 I remember being in college and just kind of dating around when she was single for the
first time, and wanted to be alone but also explore a little
 There were 2 potential people, one would have been her old way and the other was Brian
(husband- together for 13 years) and she’s so glad it went that way
 The idealized version is what I found with Brian which was a mutual respect, and he
treated me like a real princess which was unusual for me
 Perception of girls at Rollins which was a hard nut to crack, it was hard being a girl at
Rollins
 I think the Bachelor is totally skewed but I carry an internal hope that it’s genuine
 A real reality would be after the ring and the day to day, but no one would buy into that
 Those shows can skew people’s expectations of what is normal to get out of
relationships, which can manifest in a huge let down. It’s the ideal versus reality, and
when the expectations are unrealistic it doesn’t allow you to just be present and it can
always look like a let down. It can lead to a lot of self-absorption
 All of that stuff is not love
 It is important to gain an awareness early and know how social media affects you
 The foundation must be based in reality, that way when you have to deal with RTV you
at least have that sounding board to go back to
Participant 3 (Amy)
 I would day I began understanding what romance and love is through seeing relationships
in my real life and movies.
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









As a young girl with 2 sisters, we watched a lot of princess movies which had an affect
on my developing an expectation of a happily ever after
I’m not sure my expectations changed that much when I was a teenager, more evolved
because I had a better understanding of reality as opposed to fairy-tales.
I think my expectations changed in that when I was little you had boyfriends when you
were 17 and you were married by the time you were thirty, and I didn’t thin about what
happened in between then.
As I grew up I realized relationships are a fundamental part of happiness, and that can
take shape in a number of ways: romantic, friendship, family and that they’re the most
important parts of our lives, and it is important to dedicate time and energy to
maintaining and supporting those relationships.
Maintaining relationships is the theme of my life now, even including professional
relationships.
No, I think it’s all crap, it is forced and fake and only sometimes accidentally turns into
real love.
Whether it’s based on looks, or other superficial characteristics, they still don’t build a
strong foundation and fall apart very quickly
Reality TV sets an unrealistic expectation that romance can happen quickly and should
happen quickly. And is based on things like physical attractiveness, playing hard to get,
and romance games. Where I don’t think that sets people up for success.
I think the hardest part of transitioning from courting/dating to long term dating. It is
hard to maintain that level of affection, time and energy. At that point you need the
really strong communication so that you can both know that you are loved even without
pulling out the stops for each day.
Social media and RTV has become omnipresent, so it’s hard when your brain tells you
that this isn’t realistic, it becomes normal and normal seems real.
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References
Bachen, Christine M., and Eva Illouz. "Imagining Romance: Young People's Cultural Models Of
Romance And Love." Critical Studies in Mass Communication 13, no. 4 (1996): 279308. Accessed March 9, 2015.
Dubrofsky, Rachel E. "Fallen Women in Reality TV." Feminist Media Studies 9, no. 3 (2009):
353-68. Accessed March 9, 2015.
Fogel, Joshua, and Lyudmila Kovalenko. "Reality Television Shows Focusing on Sexual
Relationships Are Associated with College Students Engaging in One-Night Stands."
Journal of Cognitive and Behavioral Psychotherapies 13, no. 2 (2013): 321-31. Accessed
April 28, 2015.
Hefner, Veronica, and Barbara J. Wilson. "From Love at First Sight to Soul Mate: The Influence
of Romantic Ideals in Popular Films on Young People's Beliefs about Relationships."
Communication Monographs 80, no. 2 (2013): 150-75. Accessed March 9, 2015.
Lewin, Jeffrey, Rajasree K. Rajamma, and Audhesh K. Paswan. "Customer Loyalty in
Entertainment Venues: The Reality TV Genre." Journal of Business Research 68:616-22.
Accessed April 28, 2015.
"The Bachelor: Season 19 Ratings." TV Series Finale RSS. March 10, 2015. Accessed March 14,
2015. http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/the-bachelor-season-19-ratings-35170/.