After watching, oh, way too many seasons of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, I can tell you a few things. One is that Chris Harrison claims every season is its most dramatic yet. Another is that there will be at least one waterfall and three helicopter rides per season. Finally, I can tell you that the week when the contestants meet the families of the Bachelor or Bachelorette never goes as expected. In true reality dating show tradition, when the Finding Prince Charming contestants met Robert’s family in the Oct. 27 episode, things got interesting.
According to host Lance Bass, the contestants were in for a treat — two solo dates and that’s it! Two out of the four remaining men were set to get one-on-one time with Robert. The only problem? The entire group had to meet Robert’s family first — his mother, father, and sister, Jennifer. Mom and Dad were just dandy and very "you like who you like!" but Jennifer definitely had her favorites.
Even though Justin always seemed to be the fun-loving guy that Robert needed to bring him out of his shell, and was the first guy that Robert kissed, unfortunately, Jennifer told her brother that she thought they would be better off "as friends." Girl, what? Jennifer also didn’t love Eric, who would have been my (and probably Robert’s) second choice. Instead, Robert took Brandon and Dillon on the solo dates for the week, throwing off the whole Finding Prince Charming hierarchy that was in my (and maybe Robert’s) head.
If it were me, I would have taken my family's opinion into consideration and then made my own decision. Robert didn't seem to do that. To be fair, I should have known this was going to happen. Families always change the dynamic on these shows. Clare Crawley’s sister hated Juan Pablo Galavis on his season of The Bachelor. Ben Higgins’ parents were not 100 percent about JoJo on his season (but her brothers didn’t love him, either). If it’s happened one time, it’s happened a million times.
Bringing the family into the mix on a reality dating show like Finding Prince Charming is smart, because it makes the love-seeker step back and actually think about his or her decision. Families offer a different perspective, and no one who loves you is going to encourage you marry someone they don't think is the right fit. When you only have six weeks to figure out who is "the one," you need a reality check, and that’s what families are for. But on shows like The Bachelor and Finding Prince Charming, that reality check can usher in a ton of drama.
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