Here's Why 'The Bachelor' Should Be Live

The Bachelor is a miracle of reality TV: It's something everyone can agree is pretty ridiculous but also addicting, and, even though it stretches for hours and hours per week, it flies by in an entertaining whirlwind. The Bachelor even has celebrity fans in Amy Schumer, Andrew Garfield, and more. But, despite all that, there's still one thing that would make the show even better: The Bachelor should be broadcast live. I'm serious, it would take the show from enjoyable guilty pleasure into a totally different realm of fascinating social experiment — and would work perfectly along with The Bachelor Live aftershow, where fans can call in to ask Ben and host Chris Harrison questions about the episode. In reality, the entire season of The Bachelor is in the can at this point, with only the "Women Tell All" special is still set to film before the finale. So, while fans are speculating, Ben H. has already narrowed down the field and potentially picked his lady love.

Before I jump into the Bachelor-specific reasons why it would rule to have the reality TV love competition be live, just an aside: There should be more live television in general! With live competition shows like American Idol on their way out, there needs to be more than just Saturday Night Live to hold up the tradition. And, The Bachelor is a perfect candidate to be one of the first live shows in a while, for the reasons detailed below.

There Would Be No Spoilers

As much as everyone appreciates Reality Steve, the blogger who's made it his personal mission to find out every detail of the Bachelor series, it might be fun to see a season where even he can only guess at the person that the Bachelor is going to choose.

Everyone Would Have To Watch It Live

Ratings aren't much of a problem for The Bachelor, but I'm talking about the community experience that would arise from the show being live. Every week the viewing parties, live tweets, and minute by minute analysis would be even better knowing that everything was unfolding in real time.

There Could Be More Behind-The-Scenes Footage

While I respect that the people who choose to compete on The Bachelor might not want us to see every little detail of their lives, maybe a simple confessional camera that would be updated throughout the week, or maybe an opportunity to ask the Bachelor and the ladies questions during the taping of the show instead of months later, the way it is now? It would be like Big Brother but with more of a focus on love than money.

The Cast Would Actually Have Time To Get To Know One Another

As much as I like that the show is all about whirlwind romance, why not give the contestants a shot at finding real love? The more time you spend around someone, the better chance you have of figuring out if you're going to be able to have a successful marriage.

It Would Be More Like 'UnReal'

And, in the end, isn't that what makes The Bachelor great anyhow? In just one season, UnReal has managed to act as the "fictional" (as Bachelor host Chris Harrison claims) behind-the-scenes guide for how reality love TV is made. Fictional or not, the point is that on UnReal, it seems like the magic happens when the show is put together week to week and then seemingly aired either live or with a very short tape delay (so much talk about ratings! About which cast members are beloved vs. despised!). Seriously, guys, live Bachelor: It would be revolutionary.

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Image: Todd Wawrychuck/ABC (2); Giphy (4); bachelorabc/Tumblr