What The Bachelor franchise needs to do next

After one of the lowest-rating seasons of all time, Channel 10’s Bachelor and Bachelorette franchises need a makeover. And there’s one thing that could turn it all around, writes Katy Hall.

If you watched Thursday night’s finale of The Bachelorette, please let me say on behalf of every other viewer, I’m so, so sorry.

You’ll never get those 900 hours of expansive Northern Territory shots and people in Year 10 formal wear crying at each other back. But rest assured, the memory of that drawn-out pain will continue to live on for as long as the Bachelor and Bachelorette franchises have a designated rhinestone gown budget and Osher Gunsberg still has product in his beautiful, beautiful hair.

(Also, very happy for you Ali and Taite — Talie? — it’s nothing personal.)

Sophie Monk’s season of The Bachelorette was one of the most popular of all time, even though she didn’t find everlasting love. Picture: Channel 10

For a while now, seasons’ ratings have been somewhat of a rollercoaster.

Last year, Sophie Monk proved herself to be a formidable Bachelorette the nation was happy to tune in to watch twice a week, as was Sam Frost. Sadly, the same cannot be said for Georgia Love and Ali Oetjen’s seasons.

Similarly, Nick ‘Honey Badger’ Cummins attracted the most viewers of all time in the series’ Australian history, whereas Matty J and Sam Woods trailed behind.

There’s surely a few reasons for this — the overuse of footage of contestants staring into the distance; the complete lack of diversity within casting; the recycling of former contestants — but there’s one simple element that both of the franchises could add that would make all the difference.

And that is introducing a reunion special.

Who wouldn’t tune in to see how Ali and Taite are doing three months on from filming? Picture: Tim Hunter/Daily Telegraph

Already popular among reality shows like Married At First Sight, Survivor, and The Real Housewives of Melbourne, reunion specials are filmed after a series has aired and the public has cast their judgment on who are the villains, victims and everything in between.

They allow contestants to respond to how they have been depicted and clear the air on any rumours circulating about their motives, beefs with fellow contestants, or rumoured hook-ups that may have occurred in the months since.

And for heavily-scripted reality shows like The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, reunion specials offer an experience that producers cannot control. They offer not only the opportunity to enjoy the sheer awkwardness of seeing everyone in the room at the same time, but also for some truly great confrontation and closure.

In other words, they make for great TV.

The nation deserves to know if Richie or Alex got sick after their “romantic” chocolate bath. Picture: Channel 10

Imagine, Osher could ask Thursday’s runner-up Todd whether or not he was planning to propose to Ali had he been selected (the diamond ring in his jacket pocket suggests that he was). Or, whether or not Blake, a contestant from Sophie Monk’s season, did, in fact, urinate in Jarrod’s pot plant (he did). Or how Nikki Gogan coped doing a full day of press with her ex’s chosen girlfriend while being completely, soul-destroyingly heartbroken (apparently, as you’d expect, it was painful). Or if Ivan did manage to dance for the world and has signed a deal for the next Step Up movie (still to be confirmed).

Interestingly, the franchise already has a reunion-style spin-off for Bachelor in Paradise, the aptly titled After Paradise, in which two contestants either romantically linked or eliminated at the same time sit down with Gunsberg for a chat about life in a make-out compound.

And frankly, it’s pretty bloody good. So imagine that on steroids and add some product placement shots of gifted diamond rings and you’re sure to strike ratings gold.

God knows that would be far more interesting to watch than shots of bodies of water throughout the Northern Territory for 45 minutes.

Katy Hall is a writer and producer for RendezView.

@katyhallway