I’ve been mulling this over for about three weeks now, and since the power’s out and there are numerous tornado warnings for everywhere around me I thought: What better time to express my thoughts on the train wreck that is Bentley.  I 100% blame the producers for thinking that Ashley, in and of herself, wouldn’t be interesting to watch fall in love, and I take some blame for being one of the vocal fans that said I had no desire to watch her.  People like me may have given the producers a slight scare, thus creating this debacle of insecurities and rudeness.

When you start a show with a former contestant texting the Bachelorette and warning her that someone’s not there for the right reasons it smacks of a set up.  I know – it’s a reality show – I don’t  believe there’s no manipulation present, but when you have previous couples married with kids it does lead you to hope that there could be true love in the show’s future…anyway. When Ashley first started liking Bentley we could all relate. BUT, we were all hoping she would be smarter than we were in real life and figure it out.  Turns out Bentley is a master manipulator and very hard to read.  I don’t totally blame Ashley for falling for his schtick.

Buy here’s the mistake I think the producer’s made.  We Bachelorette watchers are first and foremost a crowd looking for love.  We enjoy the romance and want to see something that convinces us two lonely people have found each other.  In carrying on this Bentley saga for as many episodes as they have, the producers have undermined the trust in the process that viewers like me use as a reason to still watch.  At five episodes in, do we really think she’ll be able to get over this guy and like someone else enough to get engaged?

The thing is, there have been sparks between Ashley and other guys.  I think she did find love and I think that she knew earlier on than they’re showing us.  My question becomes, “Why the hell weren’t you showing me the romance I wanted to see…that would make me believe in her relationship?”  Focusing in Bentley diminishes her attraction to the other guys and highlights her insecurities.  Maybe they think that makes for good TV, but what it really makes for is an audience that doesn’t really like their Bachelorette.

When you watch Ben F. and J.P. it’s easy to fall in love, but instead of getting to revel in the guys we like and want to see her fall for, we’re distracted by this asshole that the producers decided makes for good TV. MISTAKE.  Bentley isn’t fun to watch. He isn’t the guy we want to see her with.  He makes me like her less AND he keeps me from seeing her develop real relationships with the guys the audience enjoys.  If I didn’t read Reality Steve I wouldn’t even watch the rest of the season. Pathetic that a guy that makes fun of the show is the only thing keeping me tuned in. I’m a hopeless romantic and can’t give up on my happy ending.