Behind the Roses: The Moral Void in Reality TV

Of course this is a Canva AI photo!

"Do I have a choice?" Jennifer Tran, the star of season 28 of The Bachelorette, asked during ABC's recent finale broadcast. The seemingly rhetorical question would also reveal a disturbing truth about the show's potential to exploit its participants. 

For those unfamiliar, The Bachelorette is a reality TV program where one woman dates around 30 male contestants. Each week, the Bachelorette eliminates one contestant until one remains. If everything goes well, the show concludes with a proposal. You might find the main idea of the show very romantic, but the actuality is often more Orwellian.

In the name of honesty, I must confess I occasionally dabble in reality TV for its substantial anthropological insights. I am curious about the psychology of human behavior in such settings.

Nevertheless, the end of this season demonstrated a less-friendly side of the genre. A troubling aspect of the finale was the Bachelorettes' forced reliving of a traumatic experience. I felt more like a witness to an ill-conceived psychological experiment than a viewer of a TV show. 

Although people willfully apply to be part of the series and know the risks, the showrunners still have the upper hand over the contestants. They may change or omit subplots to create controversy or boost viewer excitement. As such, this makes me wonder which contestants have true agency over their own narrative. 

As the first Asian-American Bachelorette, Tran's representation could have been handled with greater sensitivity. After getting engaged to her final choice, Devin later disclosed that he called off their engagement soon after filming was completed, saying he had never loved her.

The network's approach in the finale appeared to prioritize capturing the drama rather than ensuring a respectful experience. While promising its audience a good time, the show is no guarantee that the contestants will have a good time.

That's what they signed up for, right? While her inclusion might be seen as progress, it does not necessarily guarantee a positive experience. Perhaps the network has been adept at exploiting people, and it's just changed who they've made the spectacle of. 

The finale's abrupt transition to promoting The Mormon Sisters (another reality show) while Tran remained visibly distressed further points out the show's insensitivity. Such practices are only the tip of the iceberg, demonstrating a broader issue of exploiting personal trauma for fun.  

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Consuming such shows comes with risks – it offers a high reward for the really nosey brain, but also poses a high risk of developing short-term brain rot. Therefore, it is important to be aware of the ethicality of things and question the genuineness of the entertainment we consume.