File under “I could have guessed as much,” but a recent docuseries on ViceTV has confirmed that the producers on the hit dating show The Bachelor consciously manipulate contestants into saying and doing crazy things with a mixture of alcohol and personal secrets.
(Sidebar: if you want an idea of what this process looks like, watch Unreal - a fictional show about producers on a show just like the Bachelor. Or watch the documentary itself, Dark Side of the 2000s.)
It’s shocking that producers use personal trauma to produce drama, poking and prodding at contestants using material in personal dossiers on past breakups, family hardships, their sexual proclivities, and more.
What made so much sense to me, reading about their tactics, though, was that they frequently use alcohol to turn up the volume on the drama.
One time, some contestants were kept in a limousine en route to the mansion where the show is produced, with nothing to do and nowhere to go - but with an ample supply of champagne. They were then left to "get blotto” and urinate in their dresses just outside the car.
But in general, the drinking led contestants to share more than they wanted, fight over stupid things, get emotional more easily, kiss more, act crazier, and in general create “good TV.”
Here’s the thing: in life, we rarely want to be good TV for ourselves, our friends and our families. We want to be in control, making good decisions, listening to our inhibitions, aware of our surroundings. The less drama, the better. The fact that The Bachelor producers use alcohol to do precisely the opposite is food for thought!
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