Real Talk: Is Ben Higgins Even A Good 'Bachelor'?

From the beginning, it has been clear that Ben Higgins signed up to be The Bachelor for the right reason: He's looking to fall in love with someone he can spend the rest of his life with. But, whether he went about the whole process of The Bachelor in the right way is up for debate. After Ben told both Jojo and Lauren that he's in love with them, I know I wasn't alone in wondering what exactly the Bachelor thought he was doing. So, is Ben a good Bachelor, or a bad Bachelor? That's a question Bustle's Bachelor podcast sought to answer with this week's episode.

During the latest installment, Romper TV Editor Allison Piwowarski, Bustle Entertainment Editor Kelsea Stahler, and Bustle Associate TV Editor Martha Sorren discussed one pivotal moment to determine Ben's performance as Bachelor: The bathroom scene. At the end of the Women Tell All episode, Chris Harrison introduced a promo for the season finale that teased a bathroom scene where Ben and another woman (most likely JoJo) can be heard talking and he confessed to being in love with Lauren as well. Although Martha contended that the bathroom scene didn't do Ben any favors in coming off like a thoughtful boyfriend to two women, Kelsea pointed out that at least he didn't lie — so points to Ben for not doing the worst thing, I guess?

This week, the hosts were joined by June Diane Raphael of Burning Love , a parody of The Bachelor and other reality dating shows, to talk about how Ben is faring as this season's Bachelor. To find out what Raphael thinks of Ben and his all-American angle, listen to the latest episode of the podcast.

The actor made a good point that Ben may be too clean cut and all-American to find interesting as this season's Bachelor. If there's one thing I learned from America's Next Top Model's high fashion seasons, it's that imperfections — both in our physical appearance and on the inside — make us more interesting. Let's be honest, Ben wouldn't have made it very far in one of those seasons of ANTM.

Still, I will admit that Ben's clean-cut nature makes his earnestness with JoJo and Lauren more believable, which makes the situations he gets himself into, like the bathroom scene, all the more interesting because he's sincerely trying to do the right thing. But, whether Ben is a good Bachelor or a bad Bachelor is still up for debate. The answer will come down to how the MOST DRAMATIC finale goes on Monday night.

Image: Matt Dunn/ABC