The Bachelor (Reich)

Introduction
It is hard to imagine where our society was before the Internet was introduced. The amount of information we have the ability to access as users has increased tremendously the further technologically advanced we have become. Having desired information in the touch of a few buttons not only allows us to be more efficient and productive with our time, but have a wide base of knowledge that was unavailable before. The Wikipedia is one example of the Internet at its finest. Bringing collective knowledge on a subject matter together on one site, with the liberty of anyone to edit the page to improve or correct something is astounding. As users we only see the Internet as this positive entity that gives us what we want when we want it, but Nicholas Carr seems to see a problem with that mindset. He explains how he believes the Net is “chipping away our capacity for concentration and contemplation, and that our mind expects to take information in the way it was distributed”. In a sense his concern is that we have become too reliant and dependent on information that was written by other people assuming that everything is accurate and correct. That’s why sites like the Wikipedia can raise question and doubt in academic settings, because of the doubt of the political correctness of the information being displayed for everyone to use. However, even in light of this worry the barriers that have been broken through sites like Google, Web 2.0, Wikis, and etc. takes us into a whole new world of knowledge that was never possible before.

Surrounding the theme of knowledge, through looking at Frankenstein it has taught us the remedies that could go along with too much of it. In Frankenstein Victor’s continual pursuit of unleashing new information and knowledge led to his down fall, and also self-destruction. Instead of appreciating the current forms of knowledge he constantly had the desire to learn and know more which could lead to a downfall in our modern day society as well. While technology has been an incredible resource and has opened the doors for new outlets of information, we should not lose sight of the older forms of media that have brought us to where we are today. There has been a continual shift in our society from the role that the author plays in relation to the text and the reader. Early on the focus of a text was heavily tied back to the author when orality and print were the main form of media. While orality had a sense of organic and honest form of communicating ideas, print brought into the equation the permanence and finality a text can have, allowing more credibility and accuracy of information being passed down. Today there is a higher emphasis on the text itself as well as the reader due to media becoming heavily digitalized. Currently that is one of the most prevalent ways a text is mediated to us as users through digital literature on the Internet. Many forms of literature as well as other texts have been remediated in forms of videos, games, music and the list goes on. The way we come to interpret a text relies heavily on the way it is mediated to us as readers, and the form in which we are experiencing it.

For my project, I decided to focus on the communities surrounding the show the Bachelor. Having been almost seventeen seasons of the show it has accumulated a large range of followers and fans. Being a reality TV show brings in a whole new element into the fans discussion-questioning the integrity and realness of the characters, connections, and outcomes. One of the major themes from class that is linked closely with the Bachelor is this idea of hypermediacy. Throughout the show you are constantly being reminded it’s a reality TV show by having a host who oversees all the events, elimination of women, and through the vacation settings that remind you it’s almost like a fantasy world. The reader is consistently becomes aware of the confines and boundaries of the Bachelor, which can alter one’s understanding and meaning they attach to the text. Although there can be much dispute regarding the show, the communities run fairly deep due to the engaging drama followed by the hopes of watching two people fall madly in love with one another. For the fans in a sense it’s like you’re going on the journey with 25 women and a single bachelor. Picking out your favorite girl and predicting who he will pick in the end after they just meet him gives the viewer a sense of excitement and anticipation that keeps you watching throughout the entire season despite the petty drama. The Internet has become a collective outlet for the communities surrounding this show to communicate and display thoughts, opinions, and ideas about the show. In order to dissect the Bachelor communities on a deeper level we will look at Wikis, Blogs, Fan Fiction, and Fan videos to further explore the interpretative disputes, knowledge communities, and forms of remediation. Living in a wired world allows us the opportunity to be able to consume in this online culture and experience texts having a broader more knowledgeable understanding.

Interpretative Disputes
The Bachelor falling under the category of being a reality TV show brings an exceptional amount of debate and questioning surrounding the basis and plot of the show. When looking at Interpretative disputes, it gives the readers of a text the chance to collectively derive their own meanings. Ideally this show surrounds the fantasy of being put in a mansion with 25 beautiful, smart, idealistic women in order for the man to fall hopelessly in love with one lucky lady and live happily ever after.Nearly 16 seasons of the Bachelor and fans have become completely immersed and obsessed with following a show that is suppose to lead to “perfect love”.



Due to the nature of the show, one of the obvious disputes that arises is whether or not the Bachelor can be a place where true love can really be found, or if it’s just another excuse for a reality TV show that includes large amounts of drama and suckers in viewers. No surprise that this question of whether the show produces real love or not encompasses communities that tend to lean one way or another.

On a website HubPages that is similar to Wikipedia includes user generated information, yet is primarily put into place to allow communities of people surrounding a specific topic who can voice opinions and discuss with one another.One in particular contributor who is a part of the Bachelor community voiced her opinion how the Bachelor actually impedes the chance of the contestants finding true love. Jan Peterson explains how the show is filmed in a 3-month period, and just pressures and rushes the Bachelor and contestants to make quick decision, not allowing for a true chance for love to develop. Jan also explains the dynamic of the show, and how it can become easy to view getting proposed to at the end of the show as “winning” instead of looking at is a chance to have a lasting relationship with someone you love. In Season 16 of the Bachelor this was actually one of the most debated and heated issues surrounding the season. The woman the Bachelor (Ben) picked was constantly referring to her place on the show as merely a competition and opportunity to out shine other girls. Needless to say, when Ben watched the taping of the season it was not a happily ever after for that couple. Another major problem that is mentioned is how throughout the show they travel all across the world to the most beautiful and exotic destinations, only to start a real life that has real challenges after the show? It’s easy to fall in love on an island in Fiji with a romantic sunset, but there is concern that creates almost a false sense of reality and possibly reason for “falling” for someone in the first place.

On the flip side there is a part of the Bachelor community that I located on The Tangential blog about how the relationships formed on the show share similar components and has the ability to offer the same opportunity for love. One of the points Jay the author uses to refute the idea that the only reason people fall in love is because of the romantic, idealized settings is stated how in a sense we all create an artificial setting when going on a date with someone. He used the example of bringing a picnic to a beach, or going to an extravagant restaurant downtown. We could argue that is not “reality” in terms of building a meaningful relationship as well, yet people still find their true love that way in the real world. The author of this blog also brings to the table the idea that people fall in love despite themselves. How although much of the show is staged, artificial, scripted, and a bit unrealistic these are still real people putting their hearts on the line in order to find true love. While many of the contestants do not go on the show for the right reasons, you got to believe there are a handful that truly desire to find someone to spend the rest of their life with, and are willing to put it all on the line for love.

Knowledge Communities
Knowledge communities focuses not so much on the opinions and meanings derived from a specific text, but how that knowledge becomes fused into a general form that becomes public. Looking at online forums, Wikis, and spoiler sites are generally a key source when trying to localize information regarding a specific text whether that’s a TV show, movie, video game, or film.

The Bachelor just finished airing their 16th season a few months ago, and the communities continue to eat it up. The Wikepedia surrounding the Bachelor includes an intense summary of the plot of the show and all the particulars and whereabouts including the number of people involved, the elimination process, the dating process and spin-offs. What I found to be particularly interesting is the Bachelor not only has a general Wikipedia page, but has a specific page for all sixteen seasons that the show has been airing. On these pages it provides you with who the bachelor is and his general information. It also lists the 25 contestants that are on the show, and goes through week by week by using a chart telling you who got eliminated as well as highlighting all the significant rose ceremonies (including first impressions roses, contestants leaving show, and group date scenarios). Also on these season wikipedia pages it goes through each week of the show and gives you all the information you need to know including where it was filmed, who went on the one-on-one and group dates, as well as any exciting or note worthy information that happened at the cocktail party before elimination. There are also wikipedia pages for all the contestants coming onto the show in the coming season going into their biographies and other specific details that are not known on the official bachelor site.

Another large community that surrounds the Bachelor, similarly to Survivor is the spoiler community. Reality TV is normally a target arena for spoilers to become involved and useful in leaking information before it’s released. Especially when eliminations and juicy information means everything in this show. The Bachelor just finished airing its most recent season, so to avoid long drawn out anticipatin the producers created an almost identical show called the Bachelorette that is essentially the Bachelor in reverse. This show is actually going to begin airing at the end of this month, which means the spoiler community is hot and ready. One of the noteworthy spoilers of the Bachelor/Bachelorette series is named Reality Steve who has been spoiling since season 13 of the show. Since this upcoming season is being filmed in Charlotte, NC he explains how the smaller community will make it easier for other people to help do his job for him, but promises to be up to date on all the essential information. Reality Steve explains how he works in conjunction with other spoiler groups such as the Bachelorette Spoilers and others. There is already information regarding the contestants and their past dating history evolving in these circles. While some of the spoiler groups including the Bachelorette is primarily about giving the community inside info for those who truly can’t wait for the show, Reality Steve is known for spoiling information surrounding this show in a condescending, joking, and sarcastic manor. While this attitude does offend a large portion of the community, many avid watchers can laugh along with the snarks and jokes surrounding the show because it’s entertaining and sometimes more or less true.



Ultimately there are countless wikias, wikipedia pages, and other online forums that can be informative and can accumulate collective knowledge in order to learn more about the text, as well as being able to discuss opinions, thoughts, and predictions surrounding the show.

Remediation
The Bachelor has been a hit reality TV show series that has captured millions of viewers through the endearing hopes of watching a young eligible bachelor find his true love in a pool of 25 talented, smart, and beautiful women. It is no surprise that this show has generated a wide range of fan fiction, fan videos, and other forms of the text that have been remediated.

On the site FanFiction.net there are many different authors that take on the Bachelor in the form of their own written stories. They use a similar plot and follow generally the same guidelines as the Bachelor but create their own rules, characters, and settings in order to create their own interpretation of the show. One particular fan who goes by the name Sapphiregirl1226 published her own story called “The Bachelor Meets his Match”. This girl creates a story that includes 20 sections basically breaking down her own version of the Bachelor. It includes sections that are very similar to the TV show, such as “Meet the Bachelor”, “Competition Heating up”, “Deeper Feelings Emerge”, all elements that are incorporated in the actual show, but this reader turning it into an actual text including her own fantasies, characters, and drama that entices her the most.

Another form of remediation that surrounds the bachelor is fan videos. One that I found particularly intriguing was a trailer for a TV show called “The Bachelor Games”, which includes elements of the Bachelor, as well as from the Hunger Games. These individuals had their own vision surrounding this show bringing in two popular forms of media in our culture together. The trailer follows the story line of the Hunger Games, where there can only be one survivor at the end. The authors use the idea of having only one person “winning” the Bachelor and making that the reason for the games but obviously making it a lot more extreme. There are still roses given out, and eliminations being made throughout the trailer so it doesn’t veer too far away from the show, but was an interesting spin putting elements of the Hunger games with it.

The Bachelor not only has been taken on as a text through fan videos and fan fiction, but also in the form of a video game. While video games are normally expected to come out from popular movies like Harry Potter and Twilight, I was shocked to find out there was a video game called The Bachelor that was released about two years ago in July. I can’t imagine too many reality TV shows have video games, or maybe I’m just naïve? The objective of the game is the same as in the show, trying to be the one the bachelor picks at the end. The game can either be played in single or multi-player mode. In single player mode you’re competing against all contestants in the game in order to become noticed and spend time with the bachelor alone.



However, on Wii you can play with multiple people where the other characters you are playing against are your friends. There are obstacles and ways to sabotage the other contestants during the journey, in hopes of getting another girl eliminated. Experiencing this show as a reader in a form of a video game dramatically changes the way you come to encounter the text. Obviously dealing with animated characters and having a controller in your hand is an obvious difference, but in a way it becomes more personal when it’s your character that you’re trying to keep in the game, as opposed to having a favorite person you’re pulling for in the show. There immediately becomes more of an emphasis on the journey then just worrying about the destination when being a viewer, because of the stakes that are incorporated when playing the game.

Links and Resources Official Bachelor Website

The Bachelor Wiki

The Bachelor Wikia

The Official Bachelor Club Fansite

References