6 Signs The Bachelor Needs To Be Rebooted After Grant Ellis' Season (The Franchise Is Losing Its Credibility)

The Bachelor season 29 recently aired, and Grant Ellis' season was disappointing on many levels. Frankly, the franchise as a whole has been losing its credibility over the years. The success of Joey Graziadei's season made it seem like the franchise was back in a big way. 31-year-old Joey and 26-year-old Kelsey Anderson fell madly in love during The Bachelor 29, and they got engaged during the final rose ceremony. Since then, the couple has been living together in Los Angeles. They've been building a solid foundation for a life together, and they seem genuinely happy.

Joey and Kelsey weren't the only recent Bachelor Nation couple to end up happy together. The Golden Bachelorette season 1 also ended with a successful couple, Joan Vassos, 62, and Chock Chapple, 60. Since getting engaged at the end of their season, Joan and Chock have been on a solid foundation and loving life together. Despite the few recent successes, The Bachelor franchise has been riddled with failure lately. It remains to be seen if The Bachelor season 29's Grant and Juliana will make it work. Regardless, a reboot is desperately needed to save the beloved brand.

6The Leads Keep Saying "I Love You" To Final 2

They Should Stop Saying It (Even If They Mean It)

It's hard to root for a lead who tells his final two he's in love with them. From the beginning of The Bachelor season 29, Grant seemed to have no idea what he wanted. Some women he liked early on were eliminated, while others he seemed to barely notice stuck around. He was so indecisive all season long that it wasn't surprising that he told the two final women he loved them. Though he took it to a whole new level, Grant wasn't the first Bachelor to profess love to multiple contestants.

During The Golden Bachelor season 1, Gerry Turner, 72, told Leslie Fhima, 65, that she was the one. Then he turned around and gave his final rose to Theresa Nist, 70. The Bachelorette season 20 ended after Charity Lawson blindsided Joey Graziadei. She had told both him and Dotun Olubeko that she loved them. She ended up giving her final rose to Dotun. Using the L word with multiple contestants costs the lead credibility because most people don't believe someone could be in love with two people.

5The Engagement Is Adding Too Much Unnecessary Pressure

Couples Should Be Encouraged To Go At Their Own Pace

While it's romantic to end with a proposal, maybe the engagements add too much pressure to the entire experience. While Joey and Kelsey have seemed happy since getting engaged on The Bachelor season 28, they're constantly being pressured to set a wedding date. The same is true for Joan and Chock from The Golden Bachelorette season 1 and Charity and Dotun from The Bachelorette season 20. All three couples seem happy together, despite not rushing into marriage.

“The good news is I know it’s not going away. I know it’s definitely coming back.”

On the other hand, getting married isn't necessarily the answer either. Gerry and Theresa rushed into marriage soon after getting engaged on The Golden Bachelor season 1. Their wedding was a lavish event that aired on ABC a few short weeks after the airing of the finale. Hopes were high for the septuagenarian couple. They came to represent second chances. Sadly, they announced their divorce after a month of long-distance matrimony.

4The Bachelorette Was Put On Pause

Jenn Tran's Season Was A Disaster

After the complete disaster that was The Bachelorette season 21, ABC announced the show would be on hiatus. The season ended with Jenn Trann giving her final rose to Devin Strader. Turning the tables, Jenn proposed to Devin, who accepted. They were already broken up by the time the finale aired. After Deadline reported production was paused, host Jesse Palmer appeared on the Playing The Field Podcast on YouTube to clarify The Bachelorette would be back eventually. “The good news is I know it’s not going away. I know it’s definitely coming back,” Jesse said.

3The Bachelor Franchise Has Had Several Disgruntled Cast Members Post-Show

Litia Garr Is The Most Recent Unhappy Contestant

Litia walked into that final rose ceremony with the utmost confidence. Earlier, during the final episode, she looked right into the camera and proclaimed she would be getting engaged soon. She seemed genuinely blindsided when Grant broke up with her instead. When Litia sat down with Grant during The Bachelor season 29 finale, she told Jesse that Grant had misled her. “Grant and I had talked a lot about that day, and everything that he had ever said about it was that it was going to be us,” Litia said.

"I remember saying goodbye to him and saying, ‘Oh my gosh, we are getting engaged tomorrow.’ And he said, ‘I know, I can’t wait. I love you. I love you. I love you.’"

“We were getting engaged from, you know, the first one-on-one that we had in L.A. until the night before that day," Litia went on to say. "I remember saying goodbye to him and saying, ‘Oh my gosh, we are getting engaged tomorrow.’ And he said, ‘I know, I can’t wait. I love you. I love you. I love you.’ Those were the last words that he said to me before I walked up there. So it was a shock.” If cast members keep leaving the show so unhappy, the franchise may struggle to cast good contestants.

2Long-Distance Relationships Are Killing The Show

"We Are Taking It One Day At A Time"

Before joining the casts of The Golden Bachelor and The Golden Bachelorette, Joan lived in Maryland, while Chock lived in Kansas. Since getting engaged, they've kept their separate homes, traveling back and forth to be together. They're not the only Bachelor couple living in a long-distance relationship. Grant and Juliana just got engaged on The Bachelor season 29, but they're already planning something similar to what Joan and Chock have.

“I just feel like we want to live life together for a minute.”

During an exclusive interview with People, Grant and Juliana were asked about life after getting engaged. “We are taking it one day at a time,” said Grant. The couple told People they were in "no rush" to get married. “I just feel like we want to live life together for a minute,” Juliana added. While Grant is planning to move to Boston to be with Juliana, he's also keeping his place in Texas. If Bachelor couples keep insisting on being in long-distance relationships, the franchise will lose all credibility.

1Bachelor Producers Should Lay Off The Big Twists

Stop Messing With What Works

The Bachelor premiered in 2002, so, understandably, producers want to keep things fresh. They should make changes without changing what works. During The Bachelor season 29 finale, Jesse announced that contestants from The Golden Bachelor and The Golden Bachelorette would also be appearing in Bachelor In Paradise season 10. Though all these shows are great for their reasons, they shouldn't be combined. The Bachelor franchise should stop messing with a good thing or risk driving viewers away.