Reality TV Kills Relationships

If you have been living on planet Earth for the last several years than you have either seen or at least heard of the ABC show "The Bachelor" and it's counterpart "The Bachelorette." If you have been living under a rock here's the quick run down: in a quest for "true love" a bachelor or bachelorette chooses a possible wife or husband from a pool of 25 to 30 potential suitors who they must get to know during a variety of dream dates and amazing vacations. Through the course of the season the usually ridiculously attractive love interests are eliminated one by one during a rose ceremony until the bachelor or bachelorette's final decision is revealed on the show's always dramatic finale.

This season's star of "The Bachelorette" is Jillian Harris, a 29-year-old Canadian who was rejected by last season's bachelor Jason Mesnick (She's probably thanking her lucky stars, but that's an entirely different blog.)

Though I admit I have a tendency to get sucked into the last few episodes of the seasons, I don't buy into all of the hype. It might seems like a fairytale situation, but the truth is after 18 combined seasons of the show only one couple actually made it to the altar and has actually been able to sustain a relationship - that was Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter. It is technically considered a game show, after all.

First of all, it's unrealistic to believe everyone is on the show for the right reasons. Last night's episode was a perfect example. During a cocktail party rumor made it to Harris that one of the men on the show had a girlfriend at home. It's hard enough to qualify people in the real world, I can't imagine doing it when the possibility of fame is attached to it. It seems some people will do anything for 15-minutes of fame, even if someones heart is on the line.

Secondly, I can't imagine it's easy to reveal your true colors when a camera is being stuck in your face and the thought that millions of people will be watching is always in the back of your mind. And, is it really possible to see how someone reacts to stress and real world situations when you are constantly being whisked away on extravagant cruises and there isn't possibly anything you could worry about?

And for the most obvious point, no one ever wants to imagine their potential love interest playing kissy-face with someone else, so why would you put yourself in a situation where it's happening, in some cases, right next to you?

So, I guess with all of this said, it won't be a surprise when I reveal that I won't be trying out for either of these shows in the near future. My advice: if you want to find love don't go looking on reality TV, unless of course it's from the safety of your own comfy couch.