I understand why the women on The Bachelor get competitive. The show is designed to pit 20-some women against each other as they fight for the attention of one man and have to juggle the feelings of falling in love and being on national television. So. Fun. Unfortunately, the competitive nature often creates "villains," and the current Bachelor cast has chosen Jubilee Sharpe as this season's villain for the time being. (And Olivia, but that's another story.) The ganging up on Jubilee is completely unwarranted, as the war veteran has done nothing to deserve the treatment. Is she awkward when nervous? Maybe. But is she a villain? Absolutely not.
On the show, Jubilee received backlash for how she reacted when Ben Higgins arrived for their one-on-one date. When Ben arrived, late, Jubilee cracked a joke about how she has been waiting for him for 20 minutes. It was an innocent joke that she didn't mean to be offensive, yet the other women berated her for the comment. Later on, Jubilee joked that she was terrified of heights and offered her one-on-one helicopter date to anyone else who would like it. The women responded to that with gasps, despite it being very obvious that she was joking and didn't want to give her date up.
On this week's Will You Accept This Podcast?, Kelsea Stahler and I discuss the women ganging up on Jubilee and how it was completely unwarranted. We discuss the bullying techniques that completely backfired on certain women like Amber, and how overall it just made the involved women come off petty and more villainous than Jubilee herself.
The thing is, Jubilee's attitude, while awkward, is not malicious. She is acting like any normal human would while falling in love on national television. When nervous, even the best of us say the most awkward things. If Jubilee is "there for the wrong reasons," then she is doing a great job at acting the part of the "right reasons" girl. She seems completely into Ben and developing a real relationship with him, versus just getting to the end of the competition.
Also, the other women shouldn't be concerned if Jubilee makes rude comments in front of Ben. If he is really offended by those comments, then he can send her home. Personally, I think Ben likes the challenge that Jubilee brings to the table. She doesn't just smile and nod her head at everything he says. She's got personality, she's got charisma, and she certainly has heart. The other women that find flaw in that are probably coming from a place of jealousy versus a place of concern for Ben's fragile heart.
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Images: Greg Zabilski/ABC
