Since Clare's season of The Bachelorette is indefinitely delayed, the franchise decided to fill the empty air space with a new series dubbed The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons—Ever! The first episode aired June 8, but before the series dove into the highlight of Sean Lowe's season, Chris Harrison brought out Peter Weber and Kelley Flanagan for a quick update on their relationship. Since Bachelor fans have been following the unlikely relationship on social media, Peter and Kelley's update was a huge waste of time.
Peter and Kelley first met prior to his season of The Bachelor. When Kelley stepped out of the limo on night one, both she and Peter were very open about the fact that they met just before the season started filming. Peter seemed excited about his relationship with Kelley, but his initial passion wore off as the weeks went by. His relationship with Kelley took a back seat to some of the other romances on the show. When Peter realized that he with Kelley hadn't progressed, he sent her home right before hometown dates. He continued with his season and proposed to Hannah Ann Sluss, only to take back the proposal and reignite a relationship with his runner-up, Madison Prewett. When that relationship also came crashing down, it seemed that Peter would end up alone. Just a few weeks after his finale aired, however, Peter was spotted in Chicago with Kelley. A few weeks after that, Peter and Kelley made things Instagram-official and announced that they were dating, much to the joy of Peter's mom, Barb.
With all the information available on social media, why did the Bachelor franchise feel the need to provide an on-air update to Peter and Kelley's relationship? This move is just the latest in a long effort by the Bachelor franchise to pretend that everything on the show happens within a bubble. Rather than acknowledging that many Bachelor Nation stars spend all their time together offscreen, the show prefers to have full control of the storyline. They ignore outside information and conveniently like to pretend that the only "truth" that matters is what happens while the cameras are on. This attitude also allows them to ignore the poor behavior of former contestants, such as sexual assault allegations or racist behaviors. If those things didn't happen on camera, they simply don't exist – at least as far as Bachelor producers are concerned.
Peter and Kelley's update revolves around the same idea, though in a much less nefarious form. Everyone already knew they were dating. Not only have they been posting about each other all over social media, but news outlets have been reporting on the ins and outs of their relationship for months. By pretending that their relationship announcement was such a huge revelation, the show proves that it's still resistant to change.
Beyond the need to promote every new development on camera, the Peter and Kelley update shows that the Bachelor is still clinging to a happy ending for Peter's season. If someone ends up on their own after a Bachelor show, the franchise views it as a failure. Peter's season was a huge mess, and it all ended with him alone. Rather than allowing that to be the end, the franchise continues to cling to a happily ever after, this time in the form of Peter and Kelley's relationship.
If the Bachelor wants to find continued success, they need to move into the modern world. Not every love story needs to end in a happily ever after. Social media is a very real thing that influences each new installment of The Bachelor. By ignored these truths, The Bachelor pushes an antiquated format that people are growing tired of. The show doesn't happen within a bubble and it's high time, especially with everything going on in the world, that the franchise starts to acknowledge what's happening outside the Bachelor mansion.
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