Reality television appeals to a certain demographic of viewers. The shows are typically fast-paced and highly dramatic with some sort of romantic subplot lurking in the background if it’s the centerpiece of shows, such as “Love Island” or “The Bachelor”. It has a reliable, predictable algorithm, with its’ castmates clashing personalities that are always camera and script-ready. I joined my roommate in finishing the latter half of this season of “The Bachelorette,” a revolutionary season that featured its first Asian-American bachelorette, Jenn Tran. As many know, she was treated horribly in the finale. 

The ending of this season was, at least on the part of my roommate and me, completely unexpected. The show airs week by week, eliminating a pool of 25 eligible bachelors with each episode. I am forever sad that Jonathan Johnson was sent home (prematurely, in my opinion) from the final three, leaving Tran with Marcus Shoberg and Devin Strader. But the show thrives on the drama of imbalanced relationships and unreciprocated admiration. Usually, it is the men vying for the affection of the lone women, but Shoberg, one of the final two, could only say “I love you” when he was at risk of going home. 

There is nothing wrong with how Tran played her cards this season. She admitted that she struggled with toxic and unreciprocated relationships in the past. This shone through in her dynamic with Shoberg, a man who mostly cried whenever under scrutiny and toyed with Tran to the bitter end. However, she had Strader, someone who was not afraid to express his feelings to Tran. At all. The man could not go five minutes without boisterously proclaiming his love for the bachelorette.

Then, the season finale.

Once again, I am not a die-hard watcher of this series, but I have to assume it does not usually play out this way. Long story short, Tran sends Shoberg home and decides (because this is how it should usually play out) that she will propose to Strader rather than him proposing to her. The season finale is always watched in front of a large live audience with many “The Bachelor” alumni watching in the audience. The proposal scene is always watched. However, they held back from revealing this proposal until Tran had a chance to come out and speak.

Tran came on stage and was immediately prompted to share her story. Talking through her tears, she revealed Strader ended their engagement over the phone after he lost interest and ghosted her. Then, they had Strader come out, and she had to see him for the first time in person on live television.

Although the people who do these shows sign contracts that ensure producers can utilize events such as this, I was appalled. Tran had to sit there while Strader gave bad excuses for his behavior. She attacked his actions after the engagement broke off, but can you blame her? She was forced to see the man she thought she would marry in front of a live studio audience. Then, after the two yelled at each other, they played the proposal. 

There has been heavy backlash for how the producers handled the way this season played out. There is a lack of humanity in the way they made Tran sit there and be told over and over again the horrible and heartbreaking events that happened to her. When questioning why “The Bachelorette” would do this, the live audience’s reaction tells it all. They were shocked. There were audible gasps throughout the crowd. Social media responded in a blaze of tweets and posts. People who do not even watch the show know exactly what happened to Tran. 

I understand that the bottom line of these shows is to make money, which is hard to accomplish without a devoted fan base. But if you need to keep people’s attention through contestants’ brutal emotional hardships, is it even worth it? Part of the reason I got invested in this season was because I thought Tran would have a happy ending. I saw how Strader treated her, how I thought he felt about her, and was hopeful about not just their relationship but the relationships of all people on the show. It was clear by the end that this show truly is a competition to win the love of one person. There is nothing wrong with watching these shows. I found myself heavily entertained by it a majority of the time I was watching. However, I do not know how comfortable I am turning love and healthy relationships into a prize you need to compete for. It clearly can have horrible repercussions on the contestants, and I hope Tran  finds a partner that deserves her–It just won’t happen on “The Bachelorette.”