Ever since the beginning of The Bachelor, my main problem with the show was the unrealistic nature the contestants and the bachelor (or bachelorette) were put in. The glamour of dates and the traveling, or the brevity of the interactions — it was all so unrealistic to what a real relationship was like that I was always confused when people were shocked that the end coupe broke up. Chris Soules' season of The Bachelor might not find that same fate, because it seems like ABC went low-budget this time around. And while a low-budget season of The Bachelor is kind of boring for us to watch, it might make more sense for the couple's longevity.
ICYMI: Many couples from The Bachelor don't last. Why? Well, that seems like a question that would take a lot of time (and probably a lot of therapy for the contestants), but here's my stab at answering it. The show sets these couples up for failure. They have them live in beautiful houses and hotels, and go on the most extravagant dates (like renting out a castle... Which I think Andi Dorfman did thrice). Every moment of their dating experience is a fairytale, so when that camera stops rolling, and their horse-drawn carriage is turned back into a pumpkin, they realize that they actually have to get to know each other. Rough.
But because Chris doesn't have all that glamour, he and the woman he proposes to at the end could actually make it. And while that's great and all, is it that hard to add a little more glamour to these dates? Here's how Chris' season of The Bachelor is the true testament to the college-kid budget (i.e. cheap).
Dates: Low Budget
I know Costco was a joke on Jimmy Kimmel's part... but really, Costco? Did we ever think that this was ABC's way of shaving a few dollars off of the "Date Budget" for the season. Also, the wedding crash date. Even though there is speculation that the wedding crashing was staged (probably), that date also allowed Chris to party on someone else's dime. Do I smell a freeloader?
Locations: Low Budget
Good news is that passport question is never going to be asked to the majority of the women, because Chris' season is stayin' stateside, y'all. Maybe they're trying to make him seem more approachable and play into that farmer lifestyle (I guess someone who jets off to Rome isn't that type), but come on... an almost entirely continental United States season? Really?
Chris' upcoming travels this season include New Mexico, South Dakota, and Iowa. Exotic.
His House: Low Budget
Am I the only one who is noticing that Chris' digs this season aren't as opulent as past season mansions? It seems like Chris is staying in the women's mansion's guest house, or a small bungalow garage they converted for Prince Farming. I get that he doesn't need a six bed, five bath home for just himself, but I think they could have afforded something a little better than the open-studio like, vaulted ceiling hut that he's working with now.
Images: David Moir/ABC; BachelorABC/Tumblr (2); Giphy
