'The Bachelor' Didn't Win At The MTV Movie & TV Awards, But It Should Have

I have a little secret here for you: I don’t really like movies. I mean, they’re fine. I watch them sometimes. But television? I love television. That’s why I love that MTV added television shows to the MTV Movie Awards for the 2017 ceremony, making them the MTV Movie & TV Awards. Comedy, drama, sitcom, or procedural, I am all about what’s in my TV Guide (or streaming), and I’m even a disciple of reality television, minus any show where people are forced to eat grub worms. That’s not my scene. Anyway, I was pleased with the choices for MTV’s Best Reality Competition award, but The Bachelor did not win the award, sadly. What gives?

The Bachelor (and its spinoff shows, The Bachelorette and Bachelor In Paradise) involves 30 (25 in the old days) men or women competing for the heart of one woman or man. Sounds easy, yeah? Nope. There is — in any given season — extreme drunkenness, infighting, international travel, crying, roses, more crying, sprawling on bathroom floors while crying, and a big, fat diamond from celebrity jeweler Neil Lane. Everything about it is extreme, and it represents both the best and the worst of pop culture. After all, it's basically a giant social experiment. That’s why The Bachelor deserved this Best Reality Competition Award over America’s Got Talent, MasterChef Junior, RuPaul’s Drag Race, and The Voice. Have you ever seen one person cry so many times in one season of one show as Nick Viall did?

Here he is, blubbering.

Here he is, tearing up.

A little more wiping away of tears here.

And just one more for good measure.

I respect RuPaul's Drag Race (the performances the contestants put forth are pretty amazing) and the other nominees, but I just think that the MTV voting public got it wrong here.