I'm Worried Bachelor Producers Aren't Scrambling To Fix The Mistakes They Made With Gerry, Jenn, & Joan Before Grant Ellis' Bachelor Season (The Restraining Orders Prove They Don't Care About The Lead)

The Bachelor franchise shows may be losing their luster, due to how things have been panning out from season to season - there are scandals galore, and I’m worried that producers are struggling to fix their mistakes ahead of The Bachelor’s upcoming return. Throughout the last several seasons of Bachelor franchise shows, issues may have plagued the long-running franchise that viewers haven’t noticed much in the past. Though the Bachelor's success rate has been poor for years, bigger issues have come out in the most recent seasons that raise questions about what should change within the franchise.

While The Bachelor season 28 had a favorable outcome for lead Joey Graziadei and his fiancée Kelsey Anderson, the couple has been one of the few successes to come out of the franchise in recent years. As the franchise has diversified, adding The Golden Bachelor and The Golden Bachelorette to its portfolio, issues that have been long-standing in the franchise have been highlighted and illuminated more thoroughly. Though there have been some interesting strides in the content The Bachelor franchise produces, the issues with the shows don’t bode well for The Bachelor season 29, which is coming soon.

Bachelor Producers Haven't Addressed Questions About Gerry Turner

He Was Judged Before His Cancer Diagnosis Was Revealed

Although The Golden Bachelor was meant to be an exciting event for Bachelor Nation, things took a turn for the worse when Gerry's romance with Theresa hit turbulence. Throughout The Golden Bachelor season 1, Bachelor Nation got the opportunity to know Gerry and his cast well, watching as Gerry built connections. During the season, Gerry seemed nice enough, but there appeared to be red flags. Sadly, on December 11, post-show, Gerry shared that he's been diagnosed with incurable cancer. He says his serious health problem played a role in his decision to break up with Theresa.

Some questionable things about Gerry surfaced over time, but since no one knew he was ill, they judged him without having all the facts. For example, someone claimed Gerry had dated after his wife passed away, which made it seem like he wasn’t the sweet, caring partner he appeared to be onscreen. He'd previously denied dating after he was widowed. The rush to judgment may have too harsh - most people hide certain things about their lives. Doing that doesn't necessarily make them villains.

While Gerry and Theresa Nist’s relationship continued after the revelation that he dated following widowhood, they were destined to divorce. However, as is now clear, Gerry has a lot to deal with, and if he prefers to go on his cancer journey alone, that's his choice. He may have made the decision to leave to spare Theresa the heartbreak of watching him suffer.

Bachelor Producers Have Been Allowing Cast Members With Dangerous Pasts On The Show

There Have Been Multiple Restraining Orders In Recent Seasons

Throughout the last few seasons on The Bachelorette side of the franchise, there have been some safety issues that have come up for the show’s leads, calling the casting of the franchise into question. During The Bachelorette season 21, Jenn Tran was brought into the cast later than the guys on the series, as producers believed Maria Georgas would be the lead of the season. After Maria’s departure, Jenn was selected as the lead and moved into the role, but the men of the cast had been chosen for Maria. As the season progressed, this became more difficult to watch.

Not only were there issues with the cast’s interest in Jenn, but there was a major problem with her final rose recipient, Devin Strader. While Jenn and Devin’s relationship seemed sweet onscreen, the couple split up before The Bachelorette finished airing, and after the disastrous live aftershow, it was revealed bigger issues were occurring. Devin had formerly had a restraining order against him for some violent behavior in his past, which Bachelor Nation discovered after the season’s end. While Devin’s scandal quickly took over Bachelor Nation, it wasn’t the only restraining order the franchise had to deal with.

After The Golden Bachelor ended in disaster, Bachelor Nation had hopes for The Golden Bachelorette, but many weren’t sure they trusted the producers. When Joan Vassos was cast as the lead, many felt the show couldn’t possibly let her down. While the show did wind up bringing Joan together with her now-fiancé Chock Chapple, there were once again issues with the casting, as multiple cast members seemed like they could be dangerous. Two cast members from The Golden Bachelorette were also cast on the show with restraining orders against them, making it clear they weren’t properly vetted for Joan’s safety.

Bachelor Producers Haven't Addressed The Show's Low Success Rate

The Show Isn’t Finding Long-Lasting Matches

Although the Bachelor franchise has had a few successful couples in the last few seasons, things haven’t been great in terms of the franchise’s success rate in recent years. The last few Bachelor Nation couples have stayed together post-show, aside from Gerry and Theresa, but before The Bachelor season 27, the success rate of the series was incredibly low. While Bachelor In Paradise has been successful for some long-lasting matches, the majority of Bachelor and Bachelorette couples don’t work out. Bachelor producers haven’t traditionally spoken about this issue, but this is a problem that hasn't gone unnoticed.

Can Bachelor Producers Fix Their Processes For Grant's Season Of The Bachelor?

Grant Ellis’ Bachelor Season Is Coming Soon

Although The Bachelor season 29 has already been filmed, things may be changing for Grant Ellis and his cast of eligible women in the upcoming season of the series. Though Grant hasn’t done much press about his season thus far, he’s coming into the series as the second-ever lead of color, signaling an important and overdue change. While it’s not clear if the series has been addressing its issues, I believe that it would be impossible for them to change everything without stalling production. Bachelor Nation is likely in for another season with some sticky similarities.

The Bachelor season 29 premieres Monday, January 27, at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.

Source: The Bachelor/Instagram