Chris Harrison Calls ‘The Bachelor’ the ‘Most Socially Impactful Show’
The Bachelor can undoubtedly be considered a pop culture phenomenon. Despite the issues surrounding a general lack of diversity shown and its portrayal of women, season after season, fans across the nation tune in to see which woman the eligible bachelor will choose to be his wife.
Host and producer Chris Harrison recently said to The Bachelor was one of the ‘most socially impactful show’ ever. Find out why below.
Early days of ‘The Bachelor’
The dating reality series The Bachelor took the world by storm in Mar. 2002, introducing the world to a young bachelor who agreed to participate in a social experiment of sorts so that he could find his future wife. Surrounded by cameras and producers, each bachelor was tasked with dating 30-some women with the hopes that, in the end, he could propose and ultimately get married.
When The Bachelor first aired, one Washington Post critic called it a “spectacle of cattiness, humiliation, and general female degradation played out against a backdrop of cheesy ‘Dream Date’ cliches.” Despite this scathing review, the show has returned for 24 seasons and counting, cultivating a following fondly referred to as Bachelor Nation.
Through the years, The Bachelor has been generally well received by fans and celebrities alike, even inspiring a multitude of spin-offs including The Bachelorette, Bachelor Pad, Bachelor in Paradise, The Bachelor Winter Games, and, most recently, The Bachelor: Listen to Your Heart.
How ‘The Bachelor’ has impacted the world
In an interview on The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast, Harrison addressed the many ways The Bachelor has inspired everyday life. He called the series “the most socially relevant and most socially impactful show probably in the history of television.” Harrison conceded that shows like American Idol and Dancing With The Stars have changed television, but they haven’t changed our lives in the ways The Bachelor has.
As a show that touches on social issues like relationships, sex, love, and in some cases, marriage, it’s understandable why Harrison would say that about The Bachelor. From the way people date to how they get married — even intimacy and how people give roses to others, The Bachelor has changed the way our society handles these situations.
The Bachelor has had to evolve, as well. Throughout the many seasons of the show and the subsequent evolution of how our society dates, producers have had to figure out ways to kind of push the envelope. This is especially true when it comes to forcing people into certain situations so that they face their reality, as we’ve seen in Peter Weber’s season with Madison Prewett.
After almost two decades of The Bachelor being on television, it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere any time soon. Despite the lack of lasting relationships that have come out of The Bachelor, people continue to audition to be on the show and season after season, Bachelor Nation continues to watch.
As Weber’s season draws closer to a conclusion, fans are wondering who he will end up with, but also how Weber’s season might impact future seasons of The Bachelor, too.
