During my most recent trip to L.A. for the #StarWarsEvent and #ABCTVEvent, we had the pleasure of interviewing Chris Harrison, host of The Bachelor. I have to admit, I’m not a big Bachelor fan. I haven’t watched many of the seasons, and I always marvel at the #BachelorNation and their dedication to the show. OK, maybe I did watch Trista during the first season of The Bachelorette. Oh, and Bachelor Jake’s season. Dude, remember when Juan Pablo was a complete JERK during his season…wait, maybe I am a fan. Secret’s out.
Chris Harrison had lots of input about season 20 of The Bachelor, which airs TONIGHT at 8/7c, and the reasoning behind the show’s fame. As someone who was married for 19 years, it was refreshing to listen to Chris’s views on production, characters, and how The Bachelor shows the importance of love in our lives.
When it came to deciding on this season’s bachelor, Chris says “with Ben, it was a no brainer, and it’s nice when you have something that’s such an easy choice…there is that fragility and there’s that vulnerable side to him, where he does have some issues to deal with and some things to get over.”
Chris says the wonderful thing about The Bachelor is that we as viewers can relate to what is going on within each show and season. He says this is why the show has spanned 15 years and 20 seasons. It’s relatable.
Season 20 features Ben Higgins, a hometown guy looking for true love.
“It’s a great season. We were a little bit pressured because we wanted to really stand up to this 20th season, although you can’t really do that because you can only work with what you have. Luckily, I think we hit a home run with this guy. It’s a great season, he’s a good guy, the women are fantastic. When you have a guy that is a catch, like Ben, obviously the level of interest and the level of competition is up…from night one, it was on. When the women came in and saw what they were after, and it was on.”
It was so interesting to hear Chris’s views on my favorite season, Trista as The Bachelorette.
“Trista came along, and that was a huge controversial idea. How dare we put a woman in charge and have The Bachelorette? It was really crazy back then. Now, it seems so benign and commonplace but back then, it was a wild idea. And Trista is just a perfect storm, great guys, wonderful woman, and I think that legitimized our franchise. That was our tipping point of ‘Oh My Gosh, this is for real.’ Ryan and Trista are so incredible. That was the Fairy Tale, and that set the stage for everything that happened after.”
The power of the Bachelor Nation shows in social media, and other online and offline conversations. The reason is that this is a show about finding love, which can be such an adventure, whether it’s filmed or not.
I think Chris summarizes The Bachelor experience with these wise words:
“There’s this man and this woman, scared to death, hoping that they found true love. And as cheesy as that may sound, it is that one thing that no matter where you go in the world, kind of connects us all. It’s companionship, it’s that hope, that dream of finding somebody. I think that is why the Show has just been so relatable.”
Are you excited about tonight’s premier episode, and to meet Bachelor Ben? Here’s a quick breakdown:
Fans won’t have to wait too long to see Ben Higgins try to find love on The Bachelor. ABC has announced The Bachelor Season 20 will premiere with a two-hour episode MONDAY, JAN 4 8|7c. Higgins is no stranger to Bachelor Nation, the handsome software salesman stole America’s hearts when he was sent home by Kaitlyn Bristowe last season on The Bachelorette after confessing to Kaitlyn he thought he was “unlovable.” Now, Ben is ready to open himself up again to love and will attempt to put his heartbreak behind him and overcome that fear as he searches for his soulmate.
