What motivates someone to go on the Bachelor?

I can't stop watching The Bachelor.  I know it's ridiculous.  I know it's not at all about finding true love.  It's stupid.  No one argues that point.  Yet I watch.  And I can't help pointing out obvious things.

There were six women on last night's episode and Brad had to choose four at the end.  I'm mid-way through the episode via my BFF, the DVR.  Chantal is crying her eyes out because she didn't get the rose on a group date.  Her feelings are hurt that he didn't pick her as his favorite out of the three.  Poor sweet girl.  The emotions are obviously real, but weren't they anticipated?  Surely she's seen the show before.  They start with like thirty women and only one makes it to the end.  Your odds going in are pretty bad.  And with Back Again Brad, they're even worse when you throw in his first set of 30 women who didn't make the cut. 

I suppose we all get ourselves into situations with a known emotional consequence.  I'll just never get why these women do it to themselves to publicly.  It sure can't be the shot at fame anymore since reality TV makes up such a large portion of airwaves these days.  These "stars" are a dime a dozen.  They can't *really* think it's likely they'll find love.  I suppose there's the experience.  I mean I just saw these women in Costa Rica and now Anguilla.  I'd love to go hang out at these locations.  In fact, watching tonight I had the thought, (insert whiney voice here) "I wanna go away with my husband!"  Though I, without doubt, wouldn't want to go on those trips with the strings of watching him mack on other woman while I watched attached.

Another season of the Bachelor - insert snarky comment here

I admit that I'm addicted to bad reality TV.  If there's a Real Housewives of Anywhere marathon on Bravo on any given Saturday, there goes my weekend.  It's a guilty pleasure that I don't share with many.  If they ask how I know about these crappy shows, I tell them "they did a piece on them on NPR."  Here, though, I will let you into my world of reality show analysis without shame and mucho snark.

I was one of those girls that swooned over the Bachelor and Bachelorette, swept up in fantasy dates in a band camp setting.  Six weeks to find your soul mate, sounds realistic to me.  Right?  Well it's getting bad and even I can't go along with it.

We have Brad Womack back this season.  Unlike most women in America, who were evidently outraged, I never held it against him that he didn't choose anyone. Deanna was immature and bitchy.  The other chic was adorable, but not much more.  If he didn't feel it, he didn't feel it.  I would sure hate to feel pressured into a proposal and am just the type of gal who would probably say, "no, but thanks.  Sorry it didn't work out."  But according to the first girl out of the limo who smacked him, my opinion belongs to the minority.

Among the women to choose from we have some model chic who has fangs and thinks she's a vampire.  Hey, I loved the Twilight series too, though I am more of a werewolf girl.  I, too, can't wait for Breaking Dawn Part 1.  But come on.  She knew she had ridden the train as far as it would take her when she walked out of a rose ceremony today because she wasn't into it.  I believe it was because he wasn't swept up in her attempts at mystery and she wasn't getting enough camera time.

There's a psycho named Michelle who is that girl who is determined to knock the competition out.  Oh no wait...find love.  Yeah, that's it.  She's trying to find love.  Not win. 

Then there's a gal named Emily.  Now Emily is someone everyone can get behind.  She's very pretty, southern, has a daughter and suffered a genuine tragedy.  What kills me about Emily, though, is her age.  She's 24 and he's 37.  Bleah.  As a woman in my thirties, that's offensive.  I'm a modern girl.  I believe in love with any age gap.  But come on.  The oldest gal cast was 32.  What's the matter ABC?  Over 35=unattractive?  Puhlease. 

We'll explore this further, but the type of person that seeks out a reality TV role is different that those of my generation.  Unless you're in some sort of skills competition (Top Chef, Project Runway, American Idol) you're an attention whore.  Love ya, mean it, but you are.  And good luck working that out in therapy.

Yet still...I watch.  Well rather I DVR.  I can't cope with all of those commercials!