Yahoo News Dear Chris Harrison, Please Raise the Age Minimum on ‘The Bachelor’
For all of my fellow The Bachelor fans who felt the need to self-medicate (read: chug an entire wine bottle) to get through last night’s hot mess of an episode, allow me to argue my hot take on why it’s absolutely essential for The Bachelor to up their age minimum for contestants.
Presenting, the biggest evidence: Mykenna D, the 22-year-old fashion blogger.
For those who weren’t keeping track at home, it took Mykenna seven minutes to burst into her first round of tears last night. Seven minutes. For this, the blonde beauty (not to be confused with the other remaining contestants *wink wink*) is being absolutely roasted by Twitter users. A few of my faves:
To be fair, I would’ve been emotional if I had to spend a week in Cleveland too, but this wasn't the reason Mykenna was shedding some major waterworks. She was “sad” her “boyfriend” wasn't giving her attention. And she “knows” that he’s “the love of her life” and just “wants a chance.” Yikes. I remember being 22 and thinking the same thing about a dude who ghosted me two weeks later....
Look, I hate to be that old fart that starts a sentiment off with “when I was her age…,” but I mean, seriously, when I was 22, I was thinking much more about how I was going to afford to splurge on expensive vodka than how I was going to get married.
I’m not saying it’s a bad thing that she wants love at 22 either. I think we all secretly do, right? But the question is not whether we want love, but more so if we can handle love. And, I’d argue that, at 22, not many people can.
Let me hit you with some straight facts:
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average marrying age for women in 2019 was 28. For men, it was slightly higher at age 29.8.
On this season of The Bachelor, the average age of contestants is 25.2, with the oldest contestant being 31. For reference, on Colton’s season, the average age was 25.4.
Outside of these numbers, research published as recently as 2018 has expanded “the period of adolescence” from ages 10 to 19 to 10 all the way up to 24.
So really, it’s just practical that all contestants on The Bachelor from here on out should be at least 27. After all, if most women are getting married around 28, should a 27-year-old contestant win, she’ll have at least a year to prep for the engagement. It’s science.
Another point: By 27, women would have gone through their fuckboi stage. They’ve learned that “u up?” is not actually an indication that someone likes you, and sleeping over at somebody’s house is not considered a date. When you’re fresh out of college, you may not have yet learned these valuable life lessons so crucial to your dating game.
Not only would this age requirement make The Bachelor more realistic and relatable, but it would also actually give the contestants more incentive to find love instead of brand endorsements (re: hair gummy vitamins).
With so many naive, immature contestants (I say this mainly because of their age), The Bachelor is becoming more akin to a drunken sorority formal than a journey to find love. Do we crave the frivolous drama of reality television relationships? Absolutely! But do we need to endure two full hours of crying? Absolutely not.
Although, you might argue that women like Mykenna are the reason why The Bachelor gets so many views, I don’t disagree. But, with that, my friends, I just have to say: The devil works hard, but TV producers work harder. I’m sure that they could find a way to make it an entertaining roller coaster with a cast of women who are actually old enough to find love.
So, Bachelor Nation, if you’re ready to see some ~mature~ queens and kings on future iterations of the Bachelor, whip out your phones and get to tweeting. (Chris Harrison seems like someone who would be receptive to a thoughtfully worded DM.)
Twenty-seven is in; 22 is out. Know a single person over the age of 27 who can handle her liquor? Sign her up! Much like primary elections and American Idol finales, your vote matters.
Until then, pour one (wine glass) out for the four hours that I will spend watching Peter and his lovely ladies navigate their journey to love next week.
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