Almost every Monday at 8 p.m., a small group of women gather in a Scott Quad lobby and stare intently at a television screen.
The women sit in anticipation, similar to the nervous women on the screen who wait impatiently for a long-stemmed, red rose.
“I feel like he falls in love with every single person he goes on a one-on-one with,” Kelly Rish, a freshman studying chemistry pre-medicine, said.
Watching The Bachelor has become a Monday-night ritual of sorts for the group of friends who enjoy observing and commenting on the event of the reality show.
The Bachelor is a 10-week dating show where about 30 women date one man in hopes to be in a committed relationship by the end of the journey. As the program progresses, the bachelor eliminates women he does not see a future with during a rose ceremony. Women who receive roses remain and those who do not go home.
The current bachelor is alumnus Nick Viall, who has been on two seasons of The Bachelorette and one season of Bachelor in Paradise — two spin-off series that developed from The Bachelor. There was controversy surrounding Viall’s return to the series, and the bachelor is down to six women as of the Monday, Feb. 6 episode.
Rish, who has been watching The Bachelor for about four years, started the viewing party. She enjoys laughing at the dramatic show with her friends, she added.
“I used to watch it at home with my mom and my sister, so I guess it kind of reminds me of home,” Rish said. “My friends here are my family now, so getting people together is just a way to spend time together.”
Natalie Basinger, a freshman studying early childhood education, also watches it with her mom and sister when she is at home, but she said her family does not take it as seriously. Basinger likes the drama of the show and likes to hear her friends’ different opinions.
Sarah Frey, a freshman studying pre-nursing, moved out of Scott Quad, but still comes to the residence hall to view The Bachelor with her “close” friends.
“I like it because the girls (on the show) act like the complete opposite of how I would. It’s just unbelievable at times,” Frey said. “I like the drama because it is comical and entertaining, not because it’s like real life.”
This season is Katy Bickett’s first time watching The Bachelor. The freshman studying political science likes how “set up and fake” the program appears and said it is entertaining. She enjoys “the bonding experience” of watching the show with her friends.
“If I was at home, I wouldn’t watch it, but watching it with your friends is best because you can add in the commentary,” she said. “It’s not a show you can watch by yourself. You definitely have to have a group of people with you.”
