On the box

Some 25 intelligent and stunningly-beautiful women, all vying for the attention of a well-kempt, charming, single, male – a perfect bachelor, if you will.

It sounds like an unreasonable and surreal concept, a scenario linked to a strange religious cult perhaps? Or maybe it’s just the premise of the latest local re-tooling of an American reality format! The Bachelor is here!

The Bachelor follows the journey of a young man, put up in an expensive mansion, while a bevy of beautiful women basically fight for his attention. Each week, one of the girls is sent home (usually in tears) until only two remain – and our bachelor proposes!

If this strikes you as kind of bizarre – you’re not alone. One man embarking on a romantic relationship with 20-odd ladies at the same time is unusual enough without the idea that it’s all shown on national television.

That said, bachelor Tim is a 30-year-old chiropractor and former model, and he’s pretty sure that this show is going to help him find “the one”. While it’s certainly a possibility, it’s worth mentioning that a quick poll of the original format revealed that of the 19 seasons that have aired in the US only one couple remains together.

Joining bachelor Tim as the only other male in the program, is host Osher Gunsberg. You might remember him as the delightfully beige host of Australian Idol, back when he used to call himself Andrew G.

Unfortunately the most interesting thing about Osher/Andrew Gunsberg is his name, and his presence as a host is reminiscent of a musical birthday card – bright and cheerful, but terribly repetitive and annoying.

Secondly, the other cringe-worthy component to the program is the way in which the women are selected, through a “rose ceremony” where, one-by-one, bachelor Tim chooses his favourites by handing over a single red rose until he’s out of roses and the poor women who are left empty-handed are also broken up with.

It isn’t too far into the proceedings before bachelor Tim is introduced one-by-one to the individual contestants through their quirks. This is catalysed by the inclusion of alcohol to every social outing with Tim. Tim’s own probing questioning of the ladies proves to individualise them: “So ... Why are you single?”

Despite the fact that The Bachelor seems to hold the fairer sex under the microscope a little unfairly, it’s definitely a fun night’s viewing.

It must also be said that half of the fun with watching a program like The Bachelor, is that guilty-pleasure feeling you get after picking out the crazies.  

Then there’s the debates over which potential partner is the best and why and you can start to see why such divisive, car-crash television is so popular with audiences.