America can finally get sick of The Bachelor.
Or, more accurately, America might be sick of the Bachelor looking and acting like every other Bachelor in the history of the franchise.
According to official ratings reports, last Monday’s Season 27 premiere only got 2.96 million viewers, which is a significant drop from the 3.54 million who watched the Season 26 opener.
At its peak in 2003, The Bachelor drew 12.55 million fans for its season premiere…
Could it be a problem?
A format that remains the same every year, perhaps. Or the fact that the majority of couples who get involved every spring in the final break up a few months later.
There’s also the problem that ABC only chooses the same-looking, same-age, same-type person to anchor the season every time around.
Shallcross, for his part, fits this mold so much that some observers think he could have been created in a laboratory by the series producers.
The guy is boring AF, that’s what we’re saying.
“With Zach, executives fear they’ve made the wrong choice because there’s no indication that people are paying attention,” an insider previously told The Sun.
Shallcross, remember, didn’t even advance to the final three or four during her run as a contender on The Bachelorette in 2021.
“Even with last season when [viewers] hated who was chosen as leader, which led to arguments on social media or some riots online,” added The Sun in the new report, quoting the same source as mentioned above and adding:
“There are indicators people care, even if they don’t love or hate, they care.”
Finally, there is the lingering issue of race.
Not only does The Bachelor study HEAVILY towards Caucasians – in terms of leads and applicants – but every season a new controversy appears.
Last week, for example, First Impression recipient Rose Greer Blitzer had to apologize after she defended her use of Blackface in front of others.
“In the past, I’ve made some uneducated, ignorant and frankly, wrong comments on my social media accounts,” the Texas native wrote on Instagram Stories.
“Specifically, I used a false argument on Twitter to defend a student who wore blackface as Tupac for Halloween.
“I apologize to those who have been hurt, especially those in the Black community, not because the image has resurfaced, but because I once shared this harmful opinion.”
Of course, many viewers out there still care about this show.
For several reasons.
And, just in case, you can click the link below to read The Bachelor spoilers and find out who won.