Former Bachelor Sean Lowe does not normally speak out against the show that introduced him to his wife Catherine Giudici, but this time, he felt the need to voice his views.
In his Patheos blog, Lowe wrote that the show's recent format change to two women Bachelorettes, instead of the usual one, is a very bad move.
"The looks on the faces of the women in the audience, the uncomfortable banter between the two 'lucky ladies,' and the tweets sent to me afterward tell the story. No one likes the idea. Catherine thinks it's disgusting," he said.
Lowe and his wife think it's horrible that one of the two girls will have to have another go at rejection, and during the first episode. "The producers will give the guys the chance to choose which woman they'd like to have as The Bachelorette. The other woman will be sent home on the first night," he explained the mechanics.
Lowe admitted that the show is already very awkward and degrading, if not handled correctly. But putting this new twist only makes things worse for those involved.
He then gave out three reasons why there should not be two women on The Bachelor. The first is that it's degrading for women - not only to the two chosen ladies, but all the women watching the show. "This move transfers the power back to the men on the show specifically designed for the women. As one tweet said, 'Once again, you'll have women competing for the attention of men,'" he said.
The second reason is that having two Bachelorettes is simply a "rating ploy" to boost the show from its two-season ratings slump.
And the third reason is that it would be more difficult for the women to find a love match since they are so different. "When I was The Bachelor, the producers selected girls for my season whom they thought were well suited for me," he explained. "There's no way they can stack the decks with good possibilities for such two different women."
Lowe appreciated all the care the producers showed him. When his heart got broken in The Bachelorette, the producers were crying about his heartbreak more than he was. And right before he proposed to Giudici, the executive producer even gave him some solid marriage advice.
He truly believes that people who work on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette value true love and sincerely hope that the contestants find it in the show, but sadly, their latest development does not support the search for true love, he feels.
"My passion for this franchise runs deep," he simply said. "I recognise that it's often a silly, even ridiculous reality show based on bikini clad women in hot tubs and helicopter picnics on mountain tops, but it's also where I met my wife and that means something to me. I want to protect this silly franchise even when I feel like I need to protect it from itself."
