Since its first season back in 2002, The Bachelor has definitely evolved. Over the past decade, the world has changed a lot, and so has the show. We now have social media as a means to get to know the contestants (and interact with them), completely changing the way that the downtime of the show is handled. Now, our new Bachelor is pretty active on his Twitter and Instagram, but does Ben Higgins have a Snapchat?
If you’re a longtime fan of The Bachelor, you already know the controversy that Snapchat has played in recent seasons. Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe ostensibly blew her whole season when she revealed, albeit accidentally, that she was in bed with Shawn Booth after filming had concluded. Though Kaitlyn quickly realized her mistake and took the video down, the genie was officially out of the bottle — she had chosen Shawn over Nick Viall (who, personally, I thought was a shoe-in for her heart), and they were still cuddling and carrying on. During a Jimmy Kimmel Live interview this past July, Shawn explained the incident, saying, “We were sending Snaps to one of the producers…[and then] I pick up my phone to go on Twitter, and there’s hundreds of pictures of my stupid face laying in bed with her. I started having a panic attack.”
Needless to say, producers were not at all happy with Kaitlyn and Shawn. ABC declined to comment on the spoiler throughout the season, but nothing legal happened to couple (that we know of), though they got a behind the scenes scolding. The couple revealed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that producers immediately drove to where they were and took Shawn home. Though it was clearly a mistake, Kaitlyn and Shawn did ruin the big reveal of their season. The show spends months and months of teasing and building up to the Bachelor and Bachelorette proposals, and the producers and network are totally not going to let this ever happen again. They, like every other show and network, have been flying by the seat of their pants when it comes to the evolution of social media, and by now, they likely have some rules in place. Bachelor Ben has a Twitter and an Instagram, but from my research on the Internet, he does not have a Snapchat, or at least a public one. Wouldn’t want Ben to accidentally reveal his new ladylove on the Internet!
While fans are watching Ben find the love of his life, I can at least confirm that things seem pretty good for Kaitlyn and Shawn. The couple appeared on the first episode of Bachelor Live following The Bachelor premiere, and they talked about their upcoming wedding plans (they have none yet, as they are taking things slower than they did on the show), all the tabloid rumors, and what life has been like since the show. Kaitlyn and Shawn also offered up some advice for Ben, along with host Chris Harrison — “Stay off Snapchat!”
Yeah, I think that Ben will have no problem following that advice, especially if he wants to stay in the good graces of Bachelor Nation. Hearts will break everywhere if he ruins his fairytale ending. But, Ben, another word of advice — be careful on Twitter and Instagram, too. In fact, maybe give someone else your accounts for safekeeping until the show ends.
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Images: Rick Rowell/ABC; Giphy (2)
