Entertainment

Why Bachelor Nation's Shawn Booth & Kaitlyn Bristowe Aren't Worried About The Reality TV Curse

by Parry Ernsberger
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

More often than not, Bachelor Nation couples tend to burn bright and fizzle out pretty quickly after the cameras turn off. Some chalk that up to the "reality TV curse," but there are plenty of exceptions to the rule. For example, Shawn Booth and Kaitlyn Bristowe aren't worried about the reality TV curse taking down their relationship. The couple — who found love on Bristowe's season of The Bachelorette — recently celebrated their three-year anniversary, and are still going strong. In fact, Booth told People he is especially confident because of one thing: "We don't take ourselves too seriously."

During an interview on August 2, People asked Booth how he and his fiancée had managed to avoid the "reality TV curse" and outlast so many other Bachelor Nation couples. "I think anybody who knows us or follows us sees that we like to have a lot of fun," Booth replied. "We don’t take ourselves too seriously and we take it day by day, like every other couple. We have a great time."

The 31-year-old fitness professional continued:

"We built that solid foundation on the show and have just become stronger ever since. We’re fortunate enough to connect and we’ve been having a blast for the past three years, just being supportive of one another and enjoying each other’s presence."

Booth and Bristowe got engaged at the conclusion of their season on The Bachelorette, and their decision to hold off on marriage has caused a lot of unjust scrutiny about the status of their relationship. They're taking things slow (which is probably a good thing), and Bristowe made it abundantly clear that they're enjoying the ride in a May 2017 Instagram post on the couple's second anniversary. "Cheers to the longest engagement ever," she captioned the cute photo. "I like that we don't feel pressure, I like that we have taken our time, I like that we still don't have a date set, and I kind of like you," she joked with a winking face emoji.

Despite having met in an unconventional environment, Booth and Bristowe make love look easy. That doesn't mean that it is always easy, though. They experience plenty of the same struggles as other couples — probably even more so because their lives and every move are widely on display.

In June, Booth explained to Entertainment Tonight why post-show relationships can be such a challenge. "It's tough," he said. "I can understand why [Bachelor] couples break up. If you're not strong enough to handle a lot of the outside noise and just the concept in general, it's very easy to call it quits." Fair. There is a lot of noise, especially for a couple like Booth and Bristowe, whose personal brands partially rely on one another.

"We've obviously had a lot of bad times," Booth admitted to ET, "but a lot of good times. We've just stayed humble through it all, and just put each other first and worked on our relationship. But it's not easy."

Clearly, whatever they're doing is working. In fact, some Bachelor Nation couples — present and future — could probably learn a thing or two from Booth and Bristowe. As for Booth's advice to current Bachelorette, Becca Kufrin? "Just support one another as much as possible — be each other’s rock," he told People. "It’s always extremely tough, so they’ve just got to trust and support one another." Wise words, Shawn. Here's hoping to Becca heeds them!