Producer manipulation is not a foreign concept to reality TV viewers, but this season of The Bachelor has made it obvious that not only are the producers heavily involved in the drama of the show, they care more about how their episodes turn out than about the contestants on the show.
Any avid reality TV fan knows that there is producer interference, so it's important to take dramatic moments or shocking fights with a grain of salt. If there are moments that seem a little too convenient to be true - like Victoria F. coincidentally being put on a date where Chase Rice, her ex, is the musical guest - it's probably because they are too good to be true. The issue is, how do we differentiate between producers doing their job to create an entertaining show and producers crossing a line? While contestants on shows like The Bachelor are opening themselves up to a certain level of risk by going on a television show, should they not also still expect to be treated with a certain amount of respect?
The fantasy suite rooming situation for Victoria, Hannah Ann, and Madison on the most recent episode of Peter's season of The Bachelor is the prime example to show how little the producers care about these women. Never in the previous 38 seasons of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette have the contestants who make it to fantasy suites been set up to stay in the hotel rooms. In past years, the four contestants who make it to hometowns go their separate ways, only seeing each other for rose ceremonies and always being given their own accommodations. This season though, producers chose to room the three final women together in an attempt to force Madison to tell Peter that she was waiting until marriage to have sex - or at least that's what producers are now claiming is the reason. No matter which way they spin it, producers knew it would create drama because Madison would, understandably, have a hard time dealing with seeing Hannah Ann and Victoria go on overnight dates with Peter.
The point of separating the contestants from each other during the final weeks of the season is that the participants who are left are starting to form real feelings for the lead. It would be upsetting for anyone to have to watch other women or men go on dates with someone you're considering accepting a proposal regardless of how secure you are in your relationship, so the producers separate the contestants out of courtesy. This season, though, producers threw courtesy to the wind and roomed the women together, making it evident that their end goal isn't to help Peter on his journey to find love; it's to create the storylines that will make for a good episode or season.
Contestants take a risk when choosing to come on a television show to find love, but it's easy for viewers to forget that as much as we love to watch the drama, these women are still human. They're putting their trust in the producers on The Bachelor, hoping that they have their best interest at heart. That's not always the case. Rooming Madison, Hannah Ann, and Victoria together during fantasy suite weeks was a harsh move by the producers. There's a reason they've never done that with previous contestants, and hopefully it won't become the norm in future seasons when the producers want to push the contestants to get the best footage.
The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8pm EST on ABC.