8 Reasons Why The Bachelor Should Be Canceled (The Show's Mistakes Are Weighing Heavy On The Franchise)

The Bachelor has been one of the longest-running reality TV dating shows, but there are several reasons that the show should be canceled after its behind the scenes mistakes have started weighing heavy on the franchise. The Bachelor, which began airing in 2002, was a show like nothing the world had ever seen before. Often seen as fraught and unnecessary in its early years, the show made it clear that it was interested in capturing the fairytale romance that producers felt was every woman’s fantasy. Capitalizing on seductive, adventurous dates that were often unrealistic, the show built a large following.

The Bachelor had everything that a reality TV dating show needed to succeed in the early years. While it was met with confusion and suspicion from viewers in its early seasons, things became more normalized as the first Bachelor stars found love and, eventually, ended their relationships after the show. Even though it was obvious that The Bachelor wasn’t necessarily churning out lasting romances, viewers became obsessed with the drama that the show created. Often positioning itself as the most dramatic reality TV show in history, The Bachelor began to have a life of its own after the first decade.

While things slowly became a well-oiled machine within the first few seasons, trends changed and so did reality TV sensibilities. As the genre became less unfamiliar, shows needed to push the envelope more with each passing season. The Bachelor, which had originally been more of a televised romantic experiment, made it clear that it was going to follow trends and continually up the ante. Every season of the show became more dramatic than the last, whether it was genuine or not. Former Bachelor host Chris Harrison coined “the most dramatic” phrase and used it liberally, hoping to capture viewers’ attention.

With The Bachelor breathing new life into the franchise season after season, it was always written on the wall that the dam was going to break, but the series hasn’t been able to recognize that its time has been up for years. After controversy surrounding hosts, contestants, and producers over the last few years, many Bachelor Nation viewers and concerned reality TV fans are ready to see the show end. While it may not be the best choice for the network or the production, the show itself may wind up collapsing inward after all of the drama The Bachelor’s seen.

8Grant Ellis' Hasn't Received The Best Reception From Viewers

This Is More The Fault Of The Show

Although many Bachelor Nation viewers were excited at the prospect of Grant Ellis being the lead of The Bachelor season 29, he’s proven to be a difficult lead for viewers to get behind. Though Grant has been doing a good job at leading the show and being vulnerable with the contestants, it’s been a tough sell for Bachelor Nation viewers who have been frustrated with the series. While Joey Graziadei led The Bachelor season 28 with a sense of open vulnerability that left viewers happy, Grant is naturally more aloof in his personality.

While Grant could be blamed for the way his season is going, the real issue comes from the producers of The Bachelor. From Grant’s casting being a way to bolster them with Bachelor Nation even though he didn’t seem like a great fit personality-wise for the lead, to the fact that the producers used Grant’s lead announcement to cover up a scandal, things have been going wrong with his season from the beginning. Grant’s reception hasn’t been warm, though, and with Bachelor Nation struggling to enjoy the show for years, the series should take it as a sign.

7A Few Producers Were Recently Let Go

There Were Dramatic Layoffs

Although there have been Bachelor producers who have come forward about working conditions in the past, the most recent round of lay-offs and firings have seen a new wave of accusations against the leadership of the show. After several Bachelor producers were let go, some chose to come forward about the leadership of the executive producers who were left to run the show after its creator, Mike Fleiss, left the show in 2023. EP/Showrunner Claire Freeland and EP Bennett Graebner were accused by anonymous former staff of creating a hostile workplace environment in the most recent seasons.

While it’s not clear how far back the issues have gone with The Bachelor franchise, things have been struggling behind the curtain since 2020 when tensions began to build around a lack of diversity on the series. When The Bachelor had been called out in the past, things became more heated as the franchise’s producers continued to refuse to answer for their behavior. With conditions having continued to steadily decline, seeing more drama exposed isn’t a good look for the franchise.

6The Bachelorette Isn't Returning This Year

It’s Taking A Break After Criticism

After a difficult season, The Bachelorette’s production staff recently shared that the show won’t be returning in 2025. Throughout the last season of the show, Bachelor Nation was floored by just how poorly the producers treated the cast, especially lead Jenn Tran. The Bachelorette season 21, which was put together in a rush by the producers after two other women refused the role, wasn’t made specifically for Jenn, and it showed throughout the season as cracks developed in nearly every facet of the show.

After Jenn saw most of the men of the season share that they weren’t actually there for love with her, but had been anticipating someone else entirely, it became clear that the series needed to take a break. Jenn’s After The Final Rose was a brutal final blow that brought the lead face to face with her now-estranged winner pick, Devin Strader, to walk through their dramatic breakup before showing cruel their engagement in front of a live audience. Viewers and critics panned the show and were unsurprised when it was announced the show wouldn’t return for another season.

5The Engagement At The End Is Antiquated

The Endpoint Is Old Fashioned

Although it’s always been one of the touchpoints of The Bachelor, the engagement at the end of the series is a deeply antiquated notion. While early seasons of The Bachelor were still sharing a more traditional sensibility despite how fast the process went, as the series progressed into more modern times, the ideas behind the relationship developed on the show should’ve evolved, too. The world that The Bachelor was released in was a bit more old-fashioned, even just 20 years in the past.

With The Bachelor often being pressured to get engaged at the end of every season, the show sets its leads up to fail nearly every year. Rather than giving the relationships developed on screen any room to grow, change, or connect, producers push an engagement to show genuine commitment. Oftentimes, the engagements are flimsy and put-upon, ending quickly after the show’s finale airs. Rather than pressuring the leads, The Bachelor should have gotten looser with their endpoint expectations.

4It's The Same Drama, Every Year, On Every Show In The Franchise

There’s Nothing New To Engage With

Every year on The Bachelor, viewers are met with the same drama – and sometimes, it isn’t even masked in a new font. Throughout the history of the series, there have been a few different styles of season, but they’re often showing a lot of the same drama from year to year. Despite knowing that The Bachelor is a formulaic show in itself that should infuse creativity into decisions outside of the basic premise to ensure it stays interesting, producers have pushed the same type of drama over and over.

While it isn’t always possible to create different types of drama throughout each season as a lot of it depends on the cast, The Bachelor has worked hard to infuse its show with drama that will draw viewers in. Unfortunately, there are often moments of drama that feel rinsed and reused rather than original and distinct. The Bachelor franchise has suffered from having very little new drama to engage with over the years, making it less interesting with each passing season.

3The Show Isn't Connecting With Viewers

Bachelor Nation Isn’t Interested

Although Bachelor Nation is often still loyal to the show and its spin-offs, it isn’t connecting with viewers in the way that it used to. The Bachelor has become a show that isn’t the talk of everyone’s Tuesday morning anymore, nor is it quick to trend online as frequently. Because of the trite drama and difficult decisions made by production, the show isn’t connecting with viewers and making an impact anymore. Instead, it keeps its insular audience watching, but generates very little outside attention.

Despite knowing that The Bachelor could be a massive series that builds a lot of buzz around it from season to season, producers have chosen to show drama that doesn’t resonate with viewers outside of Bachelor Nation. Keeping the show of interest for die-hard viewers and disengaging with outside audiences isn’t the right move for the series. Rather than trying to find ways to break into a larger market, the show has gone stale.

2The Bachelor's Been Embroiled In Drama For Years

There’s Too Much Happening

The Bachelor franchise, to put it plainly, has been a breeding ground for problematic behavior and intense drama for years. Even before its most recent bout of firings and accusations, the show has faced drama in recent years that it’s refused to answer for. From The Golden Bachelor drama to cast members coming into the series with restraining orders all over the franchise, there have been unaddressed issues for years that have left viewers confused.

With so much drama surrounding the show, especially in the way of bringing diverse cast members into the series, there’s been very little wiggle room for The Bachelor to make mistakes. Even so, the show has made mistake after mistake throughout its most recent years. Though there could be time and space for The Bachelor to improve, it won’t be able to do so while the show is on the air.

1The Bachelor Isn't An Exciting Premise Anymore

It’s Played Out

Although there are still people who find themselves interested in The Bachelor as a concept, it’s gotten to the point where it’s fairly played out. With The Bachelor and The Bachelorette sharing the same concept already, the inclusion of the new Golden shows has pushed the concept even further. While producers don’t necessarily have the say to change things up, it’s no longer exciting to watch one lead date dozens of contestants and have their way rather than build equitable relationships.

Regardless of the fact that some still enjoy the premise of the series, The Bachelor was created in a very different time and hasn’t made changes to become more modern. With the premise feeling played out, the show hasn’t taken the time it needs to change or grow in any capacity. Without any change, it feels clear that The Bachelor should cut its losses and make the choice to bow out gracefully.

The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.