It might be hard to believe, but there is actually a downside to awards season. When almost every week brings a new awards show, there's almost guaranteed overlap with one of your favorite shows, or, in this case, a big TV event. This week, the Grammys will air against the first-ever Bachelor live on-air wedding, between Sean Lowe and Catherine Giudici.
The Grammys aren't exactly the most important or valid awards show, but they're still entertaining enough to be worth watching, especially since Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr will perform together, along with John Legend, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, Sara Bareilles, and more. Since LL Cool J isn't the most appealing host, at least you can look forward to artists actually performing, presenting awards, and hopefully, winning a few too.
Then there's the wedding, a big deal for any Bachelor fan — the series has never aired a wedding live before. With the wedding airing from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on ABC and the Grammys scheduled from 8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., there's a solid two hours of overlap. Don't worry, it is possible to watch both live. Just follow our guide.
Assess Your Needs
It is impossible to watch both events in full at the same time, unless you have a really elaborate double-screen setup. (In which case, props, and can I come over?) The first step to seeing as much of both as possible is to figure out what exactly you want to see from each. Love the performances? Switch to the Grammys when they start no matter how many bridesmaids are still coming down the aisle.
Since the wedding is live and two hours, it's pretty safe to assume that the actual ceremony won't start until 9 p.m., and the first hour will be Catherine picking out dresses and flowers and Sean making cold feet jokes. If you only care about the actual wedding, don't even worry about changing the channel until 8:45. If you think the wedding planning and fond looks back at their budding romance are the best parts, a) we should be friends, and b) you need to figure out which Grammy awards you're willing to miss.
Use Social Media to Your Advantage
Unless Sean or Catherine backs out at the last minute or you're really into flower arrangements, there's really no such thing as a wedding spoiler. And are you really worried about knowing who wins the Grammys that you miss?
That means not only is it safe to use Twitter and Facebook, but they can actually help you. Leave Twitter open either to #Grammys or an account that's live-tweeting the awards. As you watch the wedding, keep an eye on Twitter so you know exactly when a performance is starting or if anything interesting is happening. You'll be able to flip back just in time.
It might be a little harder to do the reverse, but there should be some people tweeting about the wedding, and you can use their updates to know what you're missing and when to turn back to ABC.
The End
Not so hard is it? This Sunday, it's perfectly possible to watch both the Grammys and The Bachelor wedding, see everything you want to from each, and not have to stay up watching a recorded version of one. It should be a perfectly enjoyable evening — except for the people actually at the wedding, of course. They have no escape from viewing like this.
Image: OK! Magazine
