First Impressions And Mixed Feelings
Dear Bachelor gods, we pray to you for a painless season. (Plus a peek at our notes!)
(Photo Credit: ABC)
Happy post-”Bachelor” Tuesday and NEW POD ALERT! This morning, we got on Google video chat with Sharleen Joynt and the three of us, rather dazed and loopy from a Monday night spent meeting Matt’s 32 marital candidates and gazing at what felt like 47 miles of pure cut abs, recapped the season 25 premiere for “Here To Make Friends.” We talked early frontrunners, limo exits, queens and socialites, and Reverend Matt’s decision to lead the group in prayer. Hope you listen and enjoy!
Watching That Prayer Scene As A Jew
Matt James’ first order of business upon walking into a room full of 32 women he had never met was to immediately lead the a group prayer that began with “Dear Heavenly Father.” Matt has been open about being raised in a religious Christian household. He has every right to assert his faith publicly and it is probably wise to telegraph to the women he’s about to date that a specific brand of Christianity is something that is very important to him; perhaps core to who he is and to the values he holds. But as a Jewish (and not particularly religious) viewer, watching that scene play out was… a lot. I had a viscerally negative reaction to it, not because I felt uncomfortable watching Matt be open about his religious beliefs, but because it felt like he -- and perhaps more significantly, the show -- assumed that his beliefs and expression of them were shared by everyone else as well. There was no attempt to be inclusive of other faith traditions or an acknowledgement that this prayer was for him and thus might not be relatable for everyone present.
It’s no secret that Christianity is at the core of much of American culture, especially to anyone who grows up in this country and is not Christian. And it’s certainly no secret that “The Bachelor” franchise, which centers around the implied value of the institution of hetero marriage, attracts contestants and viewers who are religious. But it was still jarring to see Christianity leaned into so very overtly. It almost felt like a cover; a way to reassure what production imagines as its core audience that as the show is venturing into new, more diverse casting territory and content (see: Tayshia and Ivan discussing BLM last season), it remains a safe place for the most conservative contingents. -Emma
We talk a whole lot more about that scene with Sharleen on today’s pod, and Emily Burack also wrote a great piece on this subject for Hey Alma: “Is ‘The Bachelor’ Just a Christian Dating Show Now?”
A Very Abridged Recap Of Matt James’s Premiere, In Out-Of-Context Quotes From Our Notes Doc
Matt’s exercising! He’s doing pull-ups! Skipping rope! Spinning! He has hope in the process!
He’s wearing quilted vests and being pensive on rustic wooden bridges! The hotel looks like a huge villa or manor house in a European drama. [Ed. note: It’s a chateau.]
Inside, Saneh, who is perfectly groomed and slender and made-up, says she has never felt less sexy. (Goat feet.)
She puts something the size of a softball in his hand and has him bite it. “They’re my meatballs!” she says.
Victoria has heard that there was a Queen Victoria and she has abused that knowledge.
Back at the chateau, the women are discussing how calming and hot Matt is, like a sexy Xanax.
He sits with Sarah and they tell each other how hot and desirable they are. He says he’s looking forward to unpacking (??) them.
“I’m the best firehose, I’ll make a good drink for you.”
Season previews! Matt’s abs! Showers! He doesn’t think love is a color -- it’s about a person! Rachael acknowledges color in any sense, but love is love! Making out in hot air balloons! More women come in??? Heather is here???? Everyone’s getting very mean!!! And crying!! I have a headache! Matt isn’t okay and neither am I! Chris is very sorry! Matt needs time because he’s not sure where to go from here! He ends up going through tall grass in a blue suit! He doesn’t want a broken family!
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