ABC's The Bachelor has been a reality TV juggernaut for nearly two decades. Millions of viewers tune in for each new season, watching The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise during the other months of the year. Finding love on national television is an addicting premise, which is why numerous other shows have imitated the notion.
Fans can it that The Bachelor has its farcical moments. It's no secret that the series is heavily edited or that the show's producers exercise a certain amount of influence while The Bachelor is in production. Viewers love to react to the drama invented on the show, and funny memes make the experience even better.
Updated Oct. 4, 2021 by Paul Ciamli: With two decades of shows and spinoffs under its belt, The Bachelor is as popular as ever and continues to be a mainstay of reality TV. With a new season on the way in 2022, the show is getting ready to celebrate its 20th anniversary. Meanwhile, fans are ever-ready with more The Bachelor-inspired memes.
Jessenia Breaks The Fourth Wall
The Office is infamous for Jim Halpert’s fourth-wall-breaking reactions to the camera. Of course, it’s a convention of the mockumentary format that few true documentarians worth their salt would stand for. Even on the campiest reality TV shows, the participants are discouraged from paying attention to the cameras.
Which is why this quick moment from Jessenia of The Bachelor season 25 delighted fans so much. Her Halpertian glance to the viewers at home at just the right moment was too delicious not to meme. If Bachelor contestants were to do this too often, it would get obnoxious, but in this one case, it was an absolute chef’s kiss of a moment.
Madison And Khaleesi, Separated At Birth
Peter, Madison and Bob: Any Bachelor fan who hears those three names will either break out in hives, talk about them for hours, or a combination of both. Barb is arguably the most infamous of all parents who have ever appeared in the franchise, and her interactions with Madison are legendary.
One Bachelor fan couldn’t help but notice the similarity between Madison’s tight smile while dealing with Barb and a similar look from Daenerys Targaryen on Game of Thrones. Like a true Targaryen, Dany could be both loving and vengeful, but considering how things turned out in the end, her smile is chilling in retrospect. Anyone wondering what Madison was really thinking while flashing this smile ought to watch the last few episodes of GoT.
Mykenna Has Some Regrets
It’s become a familiar trope of the Bachelor franchise to question participants over whether they’re on the show for “the right reasons,” i.e., are they really there for love, or are they there for fame and followers? It’s a disingenuous question, since deep down all fans know there’s really nothing right or wrong about either motivation.
Whatever the reasons for going on reality TV, it’s never easy for participants to achieve their goals. A contestant can only be "wrong" in going on The Bachelor if they think it will be easy to achieve a certain end, as this meme of Mykenna from season 24 captures.
They Broke Pilot Pete
Fans of the Bachelor franchise know very well that some participants have true careers in the franchise. If a hopeful contestant on The Bachelorette pops on screen, he may very well earn a The Bachelor season of his very own to star in. For example, fans can look at pilot Peter Weber from The Bachelorette season 15 (one of the best Bachelorette seasons ever) and, later, The Bachelor season 24.
Or maybe they shouldn’t look at poor Pilot Pete. His time in the franchise was bumpy, to say the least. It really did a number on him, as this meme makes plain. The broken Peter fans saw in 2020 was a different man from the fresh-faced, hopeful Pete they knew in 2019.
Sean Lowe Proves Critics Correct
One quality that’s usually endearing in any reality TV contestant, and one that’s usually lacking in the Bachelor franchise, is self-awareness. These are reality competitions whose contestants dive into them with deep seriousness and little irony.
It’s no wonder, then, that Sean Lowe’s self-aware tweet struck a chord with Bachelor fans. Maybe he didn’t make the biggest splash during his season, but maybe it’s because he wasn’t as wide-eyed and guileless as others. If he didn’t entertain some fans when he was on the show, he made up for it later on social media.
The Bachelor: Senior Version
It's definitely The Bachelorette that allow older people to find love. The age range of contestants is a fairly common topic, highlighting yet another way that the show should be more inclusive. The funniest part of this meme is the "Gladys M. or Gladys B. or Gladys R. or Martha?" line.
The Bachelor franchise famously includes the initial of a contestant's last name if one or more contestants share that individual's first name. "Hannah B. and Hannah G." have nothing on all these ladies.
Barb & Monster In Law
Fans can divide seasons of The Bachelor into pre-Barb season and post-Barb seasons. The internet is filled with jokes and memes about Peter Weber's infamous mother, and a comparison to the movie Monster in Law is just brilliant.
Barb was such a troublemaker with her obsession over Hannah Ann and utter disdain for Madison. The show really played up the tension between the mom and any potential daughter-in-law she could have.
Barb's Vow Renewal Pictures
Speaking of Barb, the feisty mom will always have a special memento of Madison Prewett. Madi, Barb's least favorite contestant from Peter's season, was Peter's choice when he needed a date for his parents' vow renewal.
The Bachelor always reveals a little bit of family life with hometowns, but Peter's season was unique in having him bring someone to meet his family so early on. Fans can chuckle at the fact that Barb's nemesis will forever be in those photos.
How Much?
Some participants on The Bachelor spend a good deal of the experience intoxicated. The mansion is a free-flowing alcohol dispenser, and it's not uncommon for a contestant's judgment (or the Bachelor's) to be impaired.
Perhaps the high alcohol levels convince some of the women that they're meant to be with the man who gets to judge them and eliminate them each week.
"I Hope My Date Goes Well"
Once again revealing the show's emphasis on alcohol, anyone who watched Peter Weber's season of The Bachelor would "Champagnegate."
This was the name given to the ceremonious moment when Hannah Ann and Peter drank the champagne that Kelsey brought. Kelsey was so upset over this Bachelor ordeal that it seemed like no one and nothing could console her. She certainly hoped her date would go well, and it's sad that it didn't go as planned, but maybe she can laugh about it now.
