Clayton Echard’s The Bachelor season is coming to a close, and there’s a lot that the show’s producers can learn from this season, which is widely considered a disaster. Although producers definitely delivered on drama, they've been criticized for going overboard. However, some viewers think that they've made other mistakes.
Clayton was selected to be the lead before his first The Bachelorette appearance, ABC was betting that fans would quickly warm up to him. However, that didn’t happen. Instead, viewers were baffled by the network’s decision. Now, at the end of Clayton’s Bachelor season, some viewers still don't think it makes sense that he was cast as the lead. It’s true that fans have been chattering about Clayton’s finale non-stop, but that doesn’t mean it was a successful season.
For many, Clayton’s journey was exhausting, as well as a major disappointment, and they’re glad that the subpar onscreen action is finally drawing to a close. Some viewers believe that the fault for this season’s failure lies with producers, whose priorities are perceived as being out of whack, to the point of possibly leading to the demise of Bachelor Nation. Here are some things that producers need to do to get the franchise back on track.
Prioritize The Lead’s Search For Love
At the end of the day, The Bachelor and The Bachelorette are supposed to be love stories. Fans do like some drama, but most would rather have a happy ending than a dramatic one. Clayton’s The Bachelor finale has viewers buzzing but it doesn’t feel satisfying. Producers are so focused on stirring the pot that they don’t seem to care whether the leads actually find love. This season (and others), they pulled tricks like scheduling Susie Evans’ fantasy suite date last, seemingly to create conflict between her and Clayton. Instead, producers should be operating in a way that is conducive to the lead having a successful journey.
Ease Up On The Drama
Thanos from the MCU may have been on to something when he said, “perfectly balanced, as all things should be” in Avengers: Infinity War, because right now, the Bachelor franchise scales are fully tipped towards drama. Friction between The Bachelor contestants is necessary to an extent, but that’s not all that fans want to see. There are also strong friendships that bloom between cast members, and it would be nice to see those moments of support and camaraderie as a drama palate cleanser. On The Bachelor, it’s hard to watch women tearing each other down, and on The Bachelorette, toxic masculinity runs rampant. Producers could balance that out with scenes of genuine friendship and support.
Listen To The Fans
Clayton is considered a terrible Bachelor. However, a big part of the problem is that he was cast as the lead before he was ever introduced to Bachelor Nation. Clayton was never vetted by The Bachelor fans because the season of The Bachelorette that he appeared in hadn’t yet aired when he was cast. It's possible that the producers' decision to cast him backfired spectacularly. The same thing happened with Matt James, a lead pulled from outside the franchise, whose palpable discomfort as the Bachelor made him very unpopular. It can be tempting to want to bring new blood into the franchise and shock fans with a surprise pick, but the safer choice is to go with someone who is already well-liked by a large number of viewers.
While Clayton’s The Bachelor season was a failure in most fans’ eyes, it could all be worth it if the show’s producers could finally learn from their mistakes. The stunts they pulled this season were hardly an anomaly, and Bachelor Nation has been on a downward spiral due to producers’ misguided motives. Until producers can fix the leaks in this ship, it’s going down.
The Bachelor finale airs Tuesday at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.