The Bachelor (New Anglia)

***The Bachelor*** is a New Anglian reality television dating series which is part of the international *The Bachelor* franchise, created by Dolores Jennings and Harvey Costa. The series debuted on NABC on 7 January 2008, and has since aired 14 seasons. As of 2020, it is the most highly-rated reality competition series in New Anglia.

The success of the series has spawned several spin-off series: *The Bachelorette* (2010–present); *Bachelor in Paradise* (2012–present); and *The Bachelor: Golden Years* (2018–present), while contestants from the New Anglian franchise have also participated in the international productions *The Bachelor: Winter Games* and *The Bachelor: Summer Games*.

## Plot

The series revolves around a single bachelor who starts with a pool of romantic interests from whom he is expected to select a wife. During the course of the season, the bachelor eliminates candidates (see Elimination process), culminating in a marriage proposal to his final selection. The participants travel to romantic and exotic locations for their adventures, and the conflicts in the series, both internal and external, stem from the elimination-style format of the show.

The above description is a general guideline. In practice, the show does not always follow its designed structure, and those variations are often a source of drama and conflict. They may include, among other events:

* A candidate who was eliminated returns to the show to plead her case to the bachelor.
* A bachelor distributes more roses or fewer roses than planned.
* A bachelor eliminates a woman outside of the normal elimination process. For example, the bachelor may eliminate both women in a two-on-one date.
* The bachelor chooses to pursue a relationship with his final selection rather than propose marriage.

## Setting

For the first three episodes, it is traditional for the contestants to stay in a five-bedroom beach mansion located in Southampton, Long Island. Known in New Anglian media as "The Bachelor Mansion," the residence was initially rented by NABC on a seasonal basis for filming, but later was purchased by the network for $6.4 million in 2017. This is the initial residence that has been used each season since the series debut in 2008. During this initial phase, the bachelor typically resides in their own residence or a smaller nearby residence rented by production for the duration of filming.

For the remainder of the episodes, filming is undertaken outside of the typical residence, with the remaining contestants traveling the world with the bachelor. Each season typically has four-to-five international (and sometimes domestic) destinations, spending a week at each. While at these destinations, the contestants stay in luxurious accommodations typically rented by production, while the bachelor resides in a hotel room.

## Elimination process

On each *Bachelor* episode, the bachelor interacts with the women and presents a rose to each woman he wishes to remain on the show. Those who do not receive a rose are eliminated. Eliminations are based upon the bachelor's personal feelings about each contestant, guided primarily by the impression made by each woman during dates or other events of the week. Most roses are presented at a rose ceremony at the end of each episode, but roses can also be bestowed on dates. Typical activities include:

* A group date, in which the bachelor and a group of women participate in an activity. Sometimes the activity takes the form of a competition, the winner or winners spending more time with the bachelor. The bachelor typically presents a rose to the woman who makes the best impression during the group date.
* A one-on-one date, in which the bachelor and one woman go on a date. Except in the late stages of the season, there is a rose at stake: At the end of the date, the bachelor must decide whether to present the woman a rose. If the woman does not receive a rose, she is eliminated immediately.
* A two-on-one date, in which the bachelor and two women go on a date. At the end of the date, the bachelor must decide which woman receives a rose. The woman who does not receive a rose is eliminated immediately.

If a rose is at stake on a date, the participating women pack their suitcases in case they fail to receive a rose. The other women learn that a woman has been eliminated when that woman's suitcase is taken away by a crew member.

* Except in the late stages of the season, the episode concludes with a cocktail party, to which the bachelor and all women not yet eliminated are invited. At the first cocktail party of the season, the bachelor presents a "first impression rose"; roses are typically not presented at any other cocktail parties.
* Every episode concludes with a rose ceremony which has its own conventions.
	+ The women who have not been eliminated stand in rows at one end of the room, and the bachelor faces them. The bachelor has a tray with roses.
	+ The bachelor takes a rose and calls a woman by name. The woman steps forward, and the bachelor asks, "Will you accept this rose?" The woman accepts, takes the rose, and returns to her original position.
	+ When there is one rose remaining, host Jonathan Jacobson says, "Ladies, this is the final rose tonight," then tells the bachelor, "When you're ready."
	+ After all roses are distributed, host Jonathan Jacobson tells the women who did not receive a rose, "Ladies, take a moment and say your good-byes."

The final episodes of each season traditionally follow this pattern:

* The bachelor visits the home towns and families of each of the four remaining women. At the rose ceremony, one woman is eliminated, leaving three.
* The bachelor and the three remaining women travel to an exotic location for a series of one-on-one dates. At the conclusion of each date, the bachelor offers the woman the keys to the fantasy suite which allows the two to spend the night together without cameras present. At the rose ceremony, one woman is eliminated, leaving two.
* The two remaining women separately meet with the bachelor's family. At the end of the episode, the bachelor proposes to one of the women by presenting the "final rose."
* In an "After the Final Rose" episode which immediately follows, the bachelor, the finalist, and the runner-up participate in a talk show. The identity of the next season's bachelorette is announced at the end of the episode.

A woman may withdraw from the competition at any time if she finds herself no longer interested in the bachelor. On rare occasions, a woman is removed from the show for breaking one of the rules. The bachelor has wide discretion in choosing how many and when to present the roses.

It is common to accuse a contestant of not being on the show "for the right reasons", meaning that her aim is not to establish a relationship with the bachelor, but rather to garner publicity for her own career, induce jealousy in an ex-boyfriend, become selected as the next Bachelorette, or simply to get free trips to exotic locations.

## Spin-offs

The success of the series has led to the creation of three spin-offs.

The first spin-off, *The Bachelorette*, was announced during the run of the third season of *The Bachelor*. Its first season aired two months after the completion of the third season of *The Bachelor*. *The Bachelorette* sees an identical concept, except that a female plays the role of the bachelor with multiple men attempting to impress and woo her. Every bachelorette has been a contestant on a previous season of *The Bachelor*, and producers typically choose the most popular non-winning contestant from the previous season to fill the role. Keeping with this, most bachelors from *The Bachelor* come from non-successful contestants from *The Bachelorette*; with this, each show serves as a casting for the lead role of its companion series. The only bachelors to not have originated on its companion show are the leads of seasons one, two, and three: Evan Jordevic, Connor Summers, and Niclas Lundberg, who were selected through audition processes.

The second spin-off to be created from the series is *Bachelor in Paradise*. The show gives former contestants from both *The Bachelor* and *The Bachelorette* a second chance at love, competing in an elimination-style version of its companion shows. The series premiered in 2012, and serves as the franchise's summer series.

The third spin-off is *The Bachelor: Golden Years*, which premiered in 2018. The series follows an identical premise as *The Bachelor*, but only includes cast members who are over the age of 65, many of whom being widow(er)s who have grown children of their own. Unlike the original series which makes meeting the parents an important stage of the competition, in *Golden Years*, contestants often instead meet their prospective suitor's children and grandchildren. The series typically airs in the autumn.

### International

In addition to the three local spin-off series, contestants from the New Anglian franchise of *The Bachelor* have also participated in the international productions *The Bachelor: Winter Games* and *The Bachelor: Summer Games*.

*Winter Games* first aired in 2014, alongside the 2014 Winter Olympics. The series sees contestants from a number of international editions of *The Bachelor* and *The Bachelorette* residing in a winter resort together and competing in a series of challenges as a part of their national teams. In addition to the competition aspect, contestants also are given the opportunity to find love with other competitors. The series airs every four years, in accordance with the schedule of the Winter Olympics.

*Summer Games* first aired in 2016, alongside the 2016 Summer Olympics. The series sees an identical format to *Winter Games*, with the sole difference being that contestants are instead residing at a summery beach resort, with challenges based on summer games rather than winter games. The series airs every four years, in accordance with the schedule of the Summer Olympics.