No true love from competitive dating shows
TV ClubHouse: Archive: The Bachelor / Bachelorette:
The Bachelor III:
No true love from competitive dating shows
Warrenn | Thursday, April 03, 2003 - 09:11 am     There are a lot of shows like the Bachelor where the dating is a competition. That is, one suitor and many suitees. I don't think anyone could find a lasting relationship in this environment because the motiviations of the people are not like in normal life. The suitor can basically ask for whatever he wants and act any way he wants to. The suitees will usually comply because they want to win the competition. So, for example, if 30 minutes into the date the suitor were to say that he's looking for a good kisser, the suitees would be jumping for the chance to demonstrate their kissing ability. That is just not real life. At the end of the competition the suitor is thinking he found someone who will do whatever he wants and the suitee is thinking that she won the competition. That's not the basis of a good relationship. But on shows like Blind Date where there's no competition--it's just one couple--I feel that a relationship could come from it. People don't seem to be acting out of character just to make the date work. If one person isn't feeling the chemistry, he or she won't do wild sexy things just to 'win' on the date. When a couple does seem to be clicking, it's because their personalities or interests mesh. That's what relationships are about. So I would say to enjoy the shows like Bachelor, Joe Millionaire, etc., but don't expect that couple at the end will live happily ever after. There's very little chance that the things that brought them together will keep them together after the show. |
Realfan | Thursday, April 03, 2003 - 12:36 pm     I think it works better when the woman is doing the choosing, because she is looking for relationship-strong characteristics. We'll see if Trista and Ryan last, but so far they seem to have a shot. |
Warrenn | Thursday, April 03, 2003 - 02:26 pm     Yeah, it might work better if the woman is the chooser. But the man would still need to be a very giving person. The whole dating processes is based on how well the suitee can satisfy the suitor's desires and not vice-versa. So after the show's over, who knows if the suitor has any interest in satisfying the suitee's desires. |
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