The rose ceremony. Tears. Group dates. Emotional rollar-coasters. 25 or so men all working to woo the heart of one woman. In other words…pathetic entertainment.

So why does it entice so many women in the United States?

I haven’t followed the show during this season, but I have to admit, I watched it my freshmen year in the dorms with my girlfriends. The Bachelorette or The Bachelor gave us a totally false view of what love could look like, and it was ridiculous from the start. But who could forgo the drama unfolding with each episode, especially as a 19 year-old?

As a 29 year-old, now I see this show quite differently. (As my roommate would say, “This is killing me!”) Therefore, I have come up with an (even more) extended list of why this show is immature, unrealistic, and ridiculous to say the very least.

1. It gives young women a false sense of what love looks like. Love is to be explored and shared between two people, and if one only has one foot in and one foot of out the relationship, there’s no way that love can genuinely grow.
2. Why the heck don’t any of them work? What about their jobs, and how can they take so much time off to go on this show? Can most contestants just go back to work after they are kicked off?
3. The show displays unrealistic rich lifestyles when most of us 20 somethings should see a bigger worldview. The contestants go to extravagant locations, but I have to wonder, why don’t the contestants take time to volunteer in these locations and learn about the economic or social challenges that locals face? It seems like a lot of missed opportunity that the tv producers neglect.
4. The guys and bachelorette are all really really ridiculously good-looking. Yes, I stole that from the movie Zoolander, but, enough said. Totally unrealistic.
5. It promotes the idea that women should find happiness merely in love from a man. This is probably the most irritating one for me. As a Christian, I’m learning more each and every day that my biggest identity comes from God and Christ, and not a man. God gives to me everything I need, and only true peace can come from Him.

With all this in mind, I’m watching the finale tonight with a curiosity of what this does for women around the country. I admit though (shaking my head in shame) – it’s still fun watching it with the girls I live with, even if I am about 10 years older.