Why JoJo Should Get Rid Of Chad ASAP

I’ve been watching The Bachelor and The Bachelorette since the show first started, so I have a pretty good sense of what the show and its contestants are really up to. I understand that every season, without fail, someone has to play the villain. Last season on The Bachelor it was Olivia. This season, on The Bachelorette, it’s Chad. And Chad is vill-ing it up in a major way. But I would argue that, at this point in the game, Chad has taking vill-ing to a whole other level. After punching a door, pulling on Evan’s shirt, and aggressively approaching a number of contestants, Chad has officially crossed over into becoming pretty terrifying. And this is why JoJo should get rid of Chad ASAP. Because keeping him around for his occasional sweet moments sends a troubling message about what is acceptable in a relationship, even though I understand that the producers likely have a lot of say in whether or not JoJo keeps the guy around.

Let me say this first: I get why Chad playing the villain is happening. It’s drama, right? And drama scores serious ratings. Take Monday night’s episode, for instance. The ratings rose after adding a little hyper-masculine muscle to the mix. But just because I understand the benefit to the show of having a villain like Chad on it, it doesn’t mean that a villain like him doesn’t come with a whole heap of issues when it comes to the message that JoJo's decision sends.

Even though Chad seems to me to be playing into a stereotype of hyper-masculine behavior, what he’s doing definitely crosses the line. But I get why he’s doing it, too. For some reason, Chad seems to believe that this is what women want. And maybe some women do. But every time JoJo gives him a rose because she “sees his other side,” she’s, perhaps without realizing it, sending a pretty terrible message that aggressive and threatening behavior from someone who JoJo is considering being in a relationship with is acceptable as long as that person is also sometimes sweet and caring.

But, sorry JoJo. At this point, there is nothing about Chad’s behavior that is acceptable. And for JoJo to have been a witness to his physical outbursts — she saw him pull Evan’s shirt, after all — and still keep him around would be a pretty dangerous thing. Accepting someone’s violent behavior as some LIVABLE “other side” of a person’s personality is not something that I would encourage anyone to do. And if JoJo keeps Chad around any longer, she’s sending the message that hyper aggressive guys are just fine as long as they are also sometimes cuddly and sweet.

And let's face it: Chad is more than just a bad boy. He’s a person who has exhibited violent behaviors with an evident temper and tendency to allow his emotions to erupt into physical force.

That, my friends, is not a recipe for a happy relationship. I’m personally hoping that Chad goes home soon. very, very soon.

Image: ABC/Rick Rowell (3)