Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America's Favorite Guilty Pleasure

by Amy Kaufman

Overview

The first definitive, unauthorized, behind-the-scenes cultural history of the Bachelor franchise, America's favorite guilty pleasure

For fifteen years and thirty-five seasons, the Bachelor franchise has been a mainstay in American TV viewers' lives. Since it premiered in 2002, the show's popularity and relevance has only grown—more than eight million viewers tuned in to see the conclusion of the most recent season of The Bachelor.

The iconic reality television show's reach and influence into the cultural zeitgeist is undeniable. Bestselling writers and famous actors live tweet about it. Die-hard fans—dubbed "Bachelor Nation"—come together every week during each season to participate in fantasy leagues and viewing parties.

Bachelor Nation is the first behind-the-scenes, unauthorized look into the reality television phenomenon. Los Angeles Times journalist Amy Kaufman is a proud member of Bachelor Nation and has a long history with the franchise—ABC even banned her from attending show events after her coverage of the program got a little too real for its liking. She has interviewed dozens of producers, contestants, and celebrity fans to give readers never-before-told details of the show's inner workings: what it's like to be trapped in the mansion "bubble"; dark, juicy tales of producer manipulation; and revelations about the alcohol-fueled debauchery that occurs long before the fantasy suite.

Kaufman also explores what our fascination means, culturally: what the show says about the way we view so-called ideal suitors, our subconscious yearning for fairy-tale romance, and how this enduring television show has shaped society's feelings about love, marriage, and feminism by appealing to a marriage plot that's as old as Jane Austen.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101985908
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	03/06/2018
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.81(d)

About the Author

Amy Kaufman is a staff writer at the Los Angeles Times, where she has covered film, celebrity, and pop culture since 2009. On the beat, she reports from industry events like the Academy Awards, the Sundance Film Festival and the Grammys. In addition to profiling hundreds of stars — Lady Gaga, Julia Roberts, Stevie Nicks, Jane Goodall — she has broken major investigative stories on sexual harassment in Hollywood. Amy currently lives in Los Angeles with her Australian Shepherd, Riggins, and dreams of living in a Laurel Canyon tree house.

Editorial Reviews

11/27/2017
Los Angeles Times entertainment journalist Kaufman’s eye-opening exposé of the reality TV show The Bachelor offers criticism as well as praise as it explores the reasons why the show has been watched by millions since its 2002 premier. A Bachelor aficionado, Kaufman unpacks the keys to the show’s success, even while being barred from ABC press calls and numerous interviews because her coverage of the show in the Times was deemed too negative. Kaufman unveils plenty of unpalatable practices, such as an overabundance of alcohol on the set (though drinking is not mandated), editing/manipulating footage to create a story line that wasn’t present during the filming, and sequestering contestants in a mansion “bubble” in which communication with the outside world is banned. Many viewers watch The Bachelor, Kaufman posits, because they are mesmerized by the romantic, chivalrous stories of “brave” singles baring their hearts and souls in search of a perfect mate. Kaufman intersperses her narrative with commentary from various celebrity fans, such as Amy Schumer, who says: “It’s kind of awful to watch the show. And it’s the thing I most look forward to every week. It’s fucked up.” Kaufman shares little-known details about the show (hair and makeup styling are offered on the first night only; contestants must apply their own fake eyelashes) that will no doubt fascinate Bachelor fans. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

"Amy's writing is gripping and funny and a celebration of the truth about our culture. I savored every word."
—Amy Schumer

“This book is more than a Bible for Bachelor Nation— it's a fascinating read for anyone with an interest in pop culture, television history, and the phenomenon of 'real people' becoming brands.”
—Diablo Cody

"The only way you can keep watching The Bachelor without breaking down into guilt is to read this smart, thorough guide to how that sausage is made. Amy Kaufman reports the crap out of the nation's ongoing social experiment known as The Bachelor and The Bachelorette and explains what's going on behind the scenes in detail beyond any of our imaginations. If you're trying to figure out why we—that is to say, you—keep watching this ridiculous television show, you'll find intelligent answers (if not absolution) here.” 
—Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, New York Times bestselling author of Seinfeldia: How a Show About Nothing Changed Everything

“An undiluted examination of the shows’ problematic appeal... [Kaufman] imbues her book with a playful vibe without shying away from the tough questions.”
—Booklist

“Kaufman’s eye-opening exposé of the reality TV show The Bachelor… unpacks the keys to the show’s success…[and] shares little-known details about the show that will no doubt fascinate Bachelor fans.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Fans will devour this addictive, indulgent, and crafty appraisal of one of reality TV's biggest successes.”
—Kirkus

From the Publisher

2017-11-20
Dishing on The Bachelor, the wildly successful reality show franchise.A true devotee of the show—"thirty-two years old, single, and Tindering up a storm"—Los Angeles Times writer Kaufman divulges her lifelong obsession with happily-ever-after romance and recalls when she wrote a weekly recap column, created an e-mail discussion group, and even hosted viewing parties at her home, where some of the bachelors themselves made special guest appearances. Though all of the show's participants sign strict nondisclosure agreements, her book features a collective of past bachelors—and bachelorettes—willing to comment. Kaufman combs through the extensive and gritty entertainment career of Bachelor creator and producer Mike Fleiss (who declined participation) and profiles former co-executive producer Lisa Levenson and producer Michael Carroll, who were known for manipulating contestants using "emotional leveraging" tactics to capitalize on their psychological highs and lows. Kaufman provides a quick but astute history lesson on matchmaking shows like The Dating Game and Love Connection. She writes smoothly and readably on the Bachelor's regimented casting process, the "ironclad twenty-seven-page" participation contract, and all of the juicy dish and dirt on the series (behind-the-scenes antics, "date pitches," racial tokenism, Fantasy Suite dates). A random array of celebrities contribute personal opinions, including comic actress Amy Schumer (previously pursued to become the Bachelorette), who criticizes the lack of female body types; reality buffet leftovers Heidi and Spencer Pratt, who used to live-tweet during the show "until it became an unsafe environment"; Donnie Wahlberg ("look, I cry at weddings"); and Diablo Cody ("I think the reason a lot of us enjoy watching it is because it makes us feel superior"). Now costing $2 million per episode to produce, Kaufman acknowledges that the series remains both a primetime gold mine and, artificially induced or not, an extreme cultural fascination for die-hard romantics of both sexes.Fans will devour this addictive, indulgent, and crafty appraisal of one of reality TV's biggest successes.

Kirkus Reviews

★ 02/01/2018
With this debut, Kaufman weaves information about television history and the origins of reality TV with specific details about how the long-running dating game show The Bachelor emerged. She pays close attention to how this success can and should provide viewers with ways of interrogating the intersections between feminism and popular culture. By interspersing sections titled "Why I'm a Fan" between all of the chapters, the author creates a dialog between real viewers and her theoretical analysis. A key strength of this book is Kaufman's circumspection: she is both a fan and critic of the show, who belongs to "a group of women [trying] to understand the inscrutable, wicked, brilliant thing that is love." As such, she never discounts the program's hold on its viewers or sets herself apart as smarter than consumers. VERDICT Essential for fans of pop culture, this book could play an important role in courses on feminism and gender studies. It's also a fascinating and fun read for anyone who wants to think about how and why viewers continue to tune into shows like The Bachelor.—Emily Bowles, Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison

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