by Amy Kaufman
First published 2018
Amy Kaufman pulls back the curtain on America's most popular reality dating show. The Los Angeles Times journalist spent years investigating the Bachelor franchise, interviewing producers, contestants, and fans to reveal how the television juggernaut actually operates. Kaufman shows readers what happens inside the mansion bubble, how producers manipulate storylines, and the role alcohol plays behind the scenes. She earned her access the hard way, becoming so thorough in her reporting that ABC banned her from official events. Beyond exposing production secrets, Kaufman examines why millions of Americans remain captivated by this search for televised romance. She connects our Bachelor obsession to deeper cultural currents about marriage, feminism, and fairy tale endings that stretch back to Jane Austen. The book offers fans and critics alike an insider's view of how reality television shapes our expectations about love and relationships in modern America.
Genres: sociology, contemporary, non-fiction
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: insider-perspective, investigative-journalism
Setting: America, Los Angeles
Period: 21st-century
320 pages · Hardcover · Dutton