The Bachelor season 27 has been a pleasant surprise so far, because the producers finally seem to be listening to fans. For the first time in years, viewers appear to be getting what they want. Zach Shallcross, the season’s leading man, knows exactly what he is looking for from his Bachelor experience, which is a wife. He and host Jesse Palmer have emphasized that his season focuses more on love than drama, which is something that Bachelor fans have been hoping for.
Unlike The Bachelor‘s Zach Shallcross, in both Matt James’ and Clayton Echard’s seasons, the women were portrayed as catty, and incapable of supporting each other. Petty fights and intense arguments were prevalent onscreen, and the show was heavily criticized for its misogynistic portrayal of women. Mental health issues were not addressed in a sensitive way, as the producers seemed more concerned with creating drama than diffusing it. However, Zach’s season has already been a breath of fresh air, and is giving fans exactly what they want.
Zach has made it very clear to the women that he is completely against drama. On The Bachelor season 27 premiere night, Christina Mandrell jokingly told Brianna Thorbourne that she hated her because she won America’s First Impression Rose. When Brianna confronted her about it later, Christina apologized. However, Brianna then decided to speak to Zach about the situation, but he quickly removed himself from the drama.
When Brianna asked if he wanted to know the name of the woman whom she felt insulted her, he told her that if it was already settled, there was no reason for him to know. He also said that he does not like drama, and did not want to be a part of it. In the comments section of a Bachelor Instagram post, thehealthfulconsumer wrote, “I actually feel Zach will be the best bachelor we’ve had in a long time … Just seems like a real level decent human who’s actually ready and mature the real deal.”
On Matt’s Bachelor season, he had to play referee between Jessenia Cruz and MJ Snyder, while Clayton did the same with Shanae Ankney, and most of the other women. Matt James had to deal with Anna Redman and some of the other contestants bullying late arrival Brittany Galvin. Clayton even had to struggle through a two-on-one date between Shanae and her enemy, Genevieve Parisi. However, on Zach’s season, the producers have so far spared him the indignity of having to tolerate manufactured drama. It is a refreshing shift, and it really does feel as though the focus is on love and romance, rather than chaos.
Many former Bachelor contestants have expressed that they were friends on the show, but those friendships were never aired. Instead, the producers have chosen to focus on the arguments between the women, perpetuating the stereotype that women cannot maintain strong female friendships. In the comments section of a Bachelor Instagram post, user joygraciriley wrote, “I just hope he is smart enough to get rid of the troublemakers and the mean girls right away. There are always some mean girls in every season.” Although The Bachelor season 27 women are in an awkward situation, in which they are all dating the same man, the majority of their time is spent together. Now, the producers are showing those relationships developing as well.
Zach’s Bachelor season has aired many scenes of the women empowering each other. When Christina and Sonia Sharma realized they were wearing the same dress in different colors, they laughed it off. Christina even said in her confessional that Sonia had great taste in men and dresses.The women gave each other sincere praise on the first night, and shared lots of smiling and laughing as they began to bond. So far, they’ve also been supportive of each other on the group dates. The women have bonded about kissing Zach, which was a bit uncomfortable for some of them. It was certainly very nice to see them lifting each other up, instead of tearing each other down.
The women are mature and kind, including Christina, who simply apologized for hurting Brianna’s feelings, rather than arguing with her about it. She also did not brag about meeting Zach’s family on their one-on-one date, just like Bailey Brown did not boast about getting the very first kiss on the first night, before she even entered the mansion. The friendly atmosphere of The Bachelor season 27 is making it relaxing to watch, rather than stressful.
The Bachelor has capitalized on the contestants’ pain, rather than helping them through it. However, The Bachelor season 27 has already had a producer step in to check in on Gabi. She had removed herself from the other women at the end of a group date, because she felt that her conversation with Zach did not go well. She was in tears at that time. Rather than exploit the situation as an opportunity for drama, The Bachelor producers made an effort to help Gabi feel better. The fact that she said that she was hurting allowed her to open up.
The Bachelor season 27 was rumored to be a throwback to the heyday of the show, and so far, it certainly feels that way. Zach is the ideal leading man on the show, as he avoids conflict as much as possible, so he can truly focus on finding his wife. The Bachelor producers seem to have taken fans’ complaints to heart, and are making an effort to change the show for the better. So far, The Bachelor season 27 has been a wonderful surprise.
The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
Sources: The Bachelor/Instagram, The Bachelor/Instagram, The Bachelor/Instagram
