What is missing from this season of “The Bachelorette”

Graphic by Jamie Mere

Before getting into the drama of The Bachelorette, you’re going to want at least one glass of wine. I would recommend a cheap and light bottle that can easily be chugged, just so we can match the attitudes of all the contestants’ drinking habits on the show. 

The first few weeks of this season are one for the books in Bachelorette history. Due to COVID-19, they all had to quarantine for weeks—all while already in a bubble. Because of the circumstances, fans saw Clare as a promising contender to find her one true love despite being the oldest bachelorette  at thirty-nine.

The thing with Clare is I don’t think she understood the rules completely, I guess the host, Chris Harrison didn’t clarify, as she was supposed to show at least some interest in all of them, and not only the model and ex-athlete.

Within the first few dates with over 20 guys, she found love at first sight with a guy named Dale, who may not have had the same motive at the time. 

Yet, it took only four episodes for Clare to decide she fell hard for Dale, both agreeing to leave the competition to start their lives together. This is not what this show ever plans on happening. She thought she found love and that’s good for her—but not good for long-term television. 

During this, Clare acted like she had no sympathy for the other guys trying to find love. As soon as they left the resort, the new bachelorette, Tayshia, got to meet all the guys who had dealt with Clare’s drama.

Another aspect that is completely different due to COVID-19 are the dates, since they cannot leave the resort bubble they are in. This means the dates are lower quality than previous seasons due to them not being able to leave the resort. You can tell producers are struggling with ideas. 

With Tayshia making her first appearances and going on dates with all the guys, it is obvious how much more effort she put into these guys than Clare did. Tayshia also takes no bullshit from any of the guys and has given almost every guy — even if she shouldn’t — lots of energy.

Out of all of my picks for the guys who have been impressive this season, Ivan definitely fits into that category. Previously on last week’s episode, they had a one-on-one date in Tayshia’s suite, which included playing the floor is lava and ordering room service — what a date!

Things didn’t get steamy until Ivan started talking about the racial injustices he has experienced coming from his brother. Ivan advocated the social media movement around Black Lives Matter, acknowledging that all of society has to be more vocal with this sort of activism, which Tayshia agreed with. 

For one of the contestants to discuss such a heavy topic is very impressive, given what I usually assume about the intelligence of people on this show — one group-date challenge included a contestant that went to Harvard failing to spell the word limousine.

The season has been filled with drama, not just from the bachelorettes but from all the male participants, as they all carry different maturity levels, all having started some sort of drama amongst themselves. It will be intense to see what will happen in the following episodes, especially with the season being delayed a few weeks.

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