Champagne-Gate Is Dead, but Fans Are Still Annoyed With ‘The Bachelor’ Producers Over It
When ABC told Bachelor Nation to expect turbulence, they should’ve taken the warning more seriously. After 24 seasons, The Bachelor 2020 might actually be the most dramatic season in the franchise’s history. And while the group of women selected as contestants certainly have made things far more challenging for bachelor, Peter Weber, a lot of fault rests with the producers. Not only is there speculation that a producer ends up with Weber, but there has been more production meddling than usual this season.
The Bachelor 2020 drama
One example of the producers doing things that would knowingly cause drama for The Bachelor 2020 is none other than Chase Rice. He was invited to perform on a one-on-one date that included Weber and Victoria Fuller. Unbeknownst to Weber, Rice and Fuller had a prior romantic connection. In fact, Fuller claims that Rice was her boyfriend. While Rice has a different story, it’s clear that the pair had history together and that the producers exploited this history in order to incite drama. But, the most ridiculous incident that can be traced back to the producers is Champagne-Gate.
Champagne-Gate
Though Champagne-Gate occurred very early on in The Bachelor 2020, the drama will not be forgotten soon. To recap, Kelsey Weier brought a bottle of champagne from Iowa that she’d been saving since her last birthday. She set it out (likely at the encouragement of the producers) hoping to steal a special moment with Weber during the cocktail party. Coincidentally, (but more likely deliberately) producers also set out other bottles of champagne as well. It wasn’t long before another contestant, Hannah Ann Sluss, ending up popping Weier’s special champagne, claiming she didn’t know it belonged to her.
Fans have mixed opinions about whether on not Sluss was truly unaware she was popping Weier champagne. But, one thing that Bachelor Nation agrees on is that the entire situation could have been completely avoided. If any of the producers would have informed Weber or Sluss that the bottle of champagne belonged to Weier, Champagne-Gate would never have happened. But, since The Bachelor feeds on drama and drama produces ratings, it’s clear why the made an alternative choice.
Hannah Ann Sluss and Kelsey Weier seemed to have moved past the drama
Fortunately, Sluss and Weier seemed to have moved past Champagne-Gate. Where Sluss once accused Weier of being a bully and Weier accused Sluss of being a manipulative princess, the pair seems to be playing nice as of late. Their decision to make nice clearly has served them well since they have both made it to the final four. In fact, the pair seems to be friends now. Fans have noticed the many heart-to-hearts they shared in the most recent episode. Furthermore, when Weber returns home with Sluss as his final pick for hometowns, Weier was the first to engulf her in a huge hug.
Fans were pleased that the contestants let bygones be bygones, but they had a bone to pick with The Bachelor 2020 producers. They felt annoyed that the producers failed to show how their friendship grew and evolved instead of setting it up to seem like it came out of nowhere. “Lol they’ve come so far from champagnegate! Producers, you robbed us from the scene when they made up??? Where’s [the] women empowerment scene when this happened?!?! So unfair! So robbed!” one person commented on Instagram. “Wish we could have seen the development of that. I would like to see at least a little bonding between the ladies instead of all the hate,” another fan declared.
Fans want to see more of the contestants bonding
Other fans echoed these thoughts. “I wish we saw more of the friendships instead of quick friendly glimpses of them arm in arm and less of the pointless drama. Like nicer and cooler conversations and not them talking sh*t about the other women… sigh. The drama this season was literally about absolutely nothing,” one Instagram user penned. “Agreed. When it is male contestants they always show them getting along and bro bonding. Why can’t they show some more women empowering each other?!” another person co-signed, citing the differences between The Bachelor and The Bachelorette.
Bachelor producers always curate drama for the cast
While we understand why people are annoyed with producers, we certainly aren’t surprised. After all, the producers’ main concern is not for the contestants, but for the show and the franchise. If that weren’t the case, perhaps they would’ve intervened with Hannah Brown sooner, rather than let her get engaged to a known cheater. Only time will tell what other drama they’ll cook up or exacerbate for the rest of the season.
