Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America's Favorite Guilty Pleasure
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Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America's Favorite Guilty Pleasure Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Amy Kaufman (Author, Narrator), Penguin Audio (Publisher)
3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 1,456 ratings
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The first definitive, unauthorized, behind-the-scenes cultural history of the Bachelor franchise, America's favorite guilty pleasure.

For 15 years and 35 seasons, the Bachelor franchise has been a mainstay in American TV viewers' lives. Since it premiered in 2002, the show's popularity and relevance has only grown - more than eight million viewers tuned in to see the conclusion of the most recent season of The Bachelor.

The iconic reality television show's reach and influence into the cultural zeitgeist is undeniable. Best-selling writers and famous actors live tweet about it. Die-hard fans - dubbed "Bachelor Nation" - come together every week during each season to participate in fantasy leagues and viewing parties.

Bachelor Nation is the first behind-the-scenes, unauthorized look into the reality television phenomenon. Los Angeles Times journalist Amy Kaufman is a proud member of Bachelor Nation and has a long history with the franchise - ABC even banned her from attending show events after her coverage of the program got a little too real for its liking. She has interviewed dozens of producers, contestants, and celebrity fans to give readers never-before-told details of the show's inner workings: what it's like to be trapped in the mansion "bubble"; dark, juicy tales of producer manipulation; and revelations about the alcohol-fueled debauchery that occurs long before the fantasy suite.

Kaufman also explores what our fascination means, culturally: what the show says about the way we view so-called ideal suitors, our subconscious yearning for fairy-tale romance, and how this enduring television show has shaped society's feelings about love, marriage, and feminism by appealing to a marriage plot that's as old as Jane Austen.

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  1. Listening Length
    7 hours and 43 minutes
  2. Author
    Amy Kaufman
  3. Narrator
    Amy Kaufman
  4. Audible release date
    March 6, 2018
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Penguin Audio
  7. ASIN
    B079P7XPQS
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 7 hours and 43 minutes
Author Amy Kaufman
Narrator Amy Kaufman
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date March 06, 2018
Publisher Penguin Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B079P7XPQS
Best Sellers Rank #136,809 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#195 in Film History & Criticism
#362 in TV History & Criticism
#366 in Popular Culture Studies

Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
3.8 out of 5
1,456 global ratings
Lush. Limosoines. Luxury.
5 Stars
Lush. Limosoines. Luxury.
What a phenomenal read. Kaufman gives the inside scoop of this addicting and sparkling franchise and explains why we all are addicted.
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Top reviews from the United States

Ryann Moran
5.0 out of 5 stars Part peek behind the curtain. Part peek inside our obsession.
Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2018
Verified Purchase
Full Disclosure:: I'm known among my friends and colleagues as a Bachelor Fanatic. People text me with news about the show. During the season, I organize a weekly lunch group at work to discuss the most recent episode. Except this last season. Arie? Hard pass. Couldn't stand him on Emily Maynard's season. I had no interest in watching him faking a desire to settle down. I was sad to miss out on a season and the sense of community that comes from watching and following social media during an episode.

This book filled that void. It was like Amy Kaufman read my mind: from my conflicted feelings about being a proud feminist who loves this schmaltzy show to the weekly viewing parties---except I only dream of having the parties while she actually does. A great read with enough juicy tidbits and behind the scenes information for dedicated fans.

Just a curious bystander, wondering why people like this show (like my poor suffering husband)? Amy Kaufman examines the connection between the princess and happily ever after myths with the rose ceremony and women's desire to find their prince. The book is also interspersed with essays from celebrity Bachelor fans, including Donnie Walhberg, my favorite NKOTB, who shares my sentiment when he says "I don't even call it a guilty pleasure, I just call it a pleasure."

Much like this book, which was a pleasure to read. A fun book that mixes pop culture with feminist critique that I recommend you add to your reading list.
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Richard B. Schwartz
3.0 out of 5 stars For some a revelation, for others a set of commonplaces
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2018
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It is difficult to assess the usefulness of this book for potential readers because they exist along a very wide spectrum. Some watch the series and enjoy it. Some freeze-frame the season tease, looking for identifying marks on ankles and wrists so that they can determine who is still receiving roses as the series draws to its conclusion. The latter are likely to pore over social media sites, spend hours studying (and posting on) message boards and reserving Monday evenings for watch parties. For the latter the book may not offer much in the way of new information; for the former it might be a revelation.

In sports, there are some who simply watch games, others who can name tertiary prospects in the minor leagues and identify the number of years left before free agency for dozens and dozens of players. The difference with baseball, e.g., is that contract information, vital statistics, etc. are all in the public record, so that a more searching analysis is possible. For the author of BACHELOR NATION it all comes down to what can be discerned in a highly chaotic and highly subjective ‘public record’ and how many people are willing to talk to her. If my math is correct, she spoke with 61 people and probably a number more who wished to maintain anonymity. With 34 seasons in play (at the time of writing) there are many, many more who were unavailable.

Bottom line: she was reasonably assiduous and also delved into the professional literature on love and relationships as well as the published material on the series (= a 9 pp. bibliography). We are, of course, talking journalism here, not scholarship. The book contains a good deal of interesting gossip. We learn about Mike Fleiss’s habits with weed and potential romantic entanglements with one of his executives, along with the prices of his homes. We find out who pays for the women’s gowns and under what circumstances, learn about the actual location of the Bachelor mansion and the manner in which the set is dressed for the shows. There are long discussions of the editing process and the manner in which contestants are manipulated (sometimes cruelly). We get an up-close-and-personal account of the activities of the producers and meet some of them personally. We learn that Chris Harrison’s initial interview for the host gig was a bust. The material on Instagram advertising revenue (the motivation for some contestants to appear) was fascinating (to me, though perhaps this is commonplace information for younger viewers).

Along with the technical information there is speculation on why the show works and why people watch it. Fleiss’s answer is straightforward: everybody’s been dumped and everybody’s fallen in love (or tried to); hence the show is eminently ‘relatable’. He sounds like a freshman theme in a comp class at a third-tier college. Eternal questions are posed: how can you fall in love that fast? How much pressure is put on the bachelor to propose? Why is the fail rate so high? Etc.

The one thing that is not considered at any length is that the show is a form of (highly commercial, middlebrow) art. Dryden says that we install larger-than-life statues in public squares so that they look real from the street below. In other words, art turns on exaggeration and very ‘unrealistic’ things are done to create the sense of ‘realism’. We explore a life in a novel that requires 6 hours of reading; there is very little room for the dead space which characterizes our actual lives. An Edna Ferber novel might take a few more hours but could cover multiple generations of ‘experience’. The fact that the Bachelor/Bachelorette covers a search for love in several months worth of series (and then offers forms of ‘follow up’ in their spinoff shows) makes the process look downright leisurely.

The more interesting question is why do viewers study ‘Reality Steve’ Carbone’s spoilers before viewing the show? He was interviewed and he opines that the spoilers don’t really spoil; they simply offer a different way of looking at the show. Once you know the basic plot arcs you can concentrate on the shaping of the show by the producers and editors. I agree with this and would note that we know the end of King Lear and The Great Gatsby before we read them. How does that work in highly-commercial, middlebrow work? And how would we compare the plot arcs from series to series to spinoff to spinoff with other seriocomic shows containing an ensemble cast? The very notion of ‘cast’, commonly used by Chris Harrison, e.g., is suggestive. I’ll spare my readers an academic lecture, but point out that while some of the book is nearly unreadable (the sections concerning the author’s life and attitudes) other sections are informative and suggestive.

Three and a half stars.
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LSorce
4.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2018
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This book gives you an inside look at the Bachelor/Bachelorette shows. I absolutely love the shows and am a loyal watcher since the beginning so of course I wanted to know more about it! The book provides a great balance of inside scoop, production details and opinion. I really like the format of the book in that author Amy Kaufman has a brief guest opinion at the end of each chapter. These are fun to read and my favorites were from Donnie Wahlberg and Amy Schumer. The book covers everything from what happens in the fantasy suites to “can you still say you’re a feminist and watch the show.” Like the show, the book was a hit for me! Amy’s writing style is fun and easy to read and somehow I know that her writing is exactly how it would be if you were just having a conversation with her at one of her Bach viewing parties. I recommend this one!
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J.Z.C.
5.0 out of 5 stars A Bachelor Fan Must Read!
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2018
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Amy Kaufman has written my dream book - it's the deep dive every Bach fan has been dreaming of! Bachelor Nation is as promised - dishy and well-written. Throughly researched (yet far from dry), Kaufman delves into the history of the franchise, while also checking in with our favorite contestants (sweethearts and villains) for behind the scene scoops. No one is more qualified to write this - Amy, a reporter for the L.A. Times, has written countless show recaps, founded a discussion group, and covered the beat in person at Bach events (including a coveted press seat at an infamous After The Final Rose taping). She's put in the time professionally (and personally, as a sincere lover of the series) to give fans what they want. I pre-ordered the book ages ago and was lucky enough to have its arrival coincide with a vacation - I devoured it immediately and was left wanting more. It is a MUST READ for any Bachelor fan - I just finished yesterday and am already counting the moments until Ms. Kaufman can give us a sequel!
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Top reviews from other countries

Katie
5.0 out of 5 stars There needs to be a six star option
Reviewed in Canada on March 13, 2018
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I purchased this book wanting to get the inside scoop on the Bachelor. As a long time fan, I was dying to know what really happens behind the scenes. But what I got was so much more than this. Not only is it filled with juicy details on the show's production team, application process, and creative editing, but it helped answer the question I ask all the time: why do I still hate watch this show every season it's on. This book is witty, thought-provoking, and a must read for all Bachelor fans or really anyone interested in reality television. The author definitely wrote it for the right reasons.
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C. Rimmer
2.0 out of 5 stars Not very inciteful
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 13, 2018
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I was hoping for a good insight to the Bachelor programme as I am a UK based fan of the show. I would suggest that only a small percentage of the book is 'inside information' as most of the Bachelor alumni refused to speak to the author. Some of the information is gleaned from books written
by former Bachelorettes, Courtney and Andi.
There are several chapters entitled , 'Why I'm a Fan' written by US TV personalities. 30% of the book is taken up with acknowledgements and referencing. I paid £9.99 for a Kindle version of the book and it whiled away a few hours but I didnt really learn much about the programme. What I did learn, which has justified the cost of the book, is that there is a mockumentary, spoof, 'behind the scenes' TV show called Unreal which I am currently watching. It's blowing the lid on the Bachelor and its production in a dark, humourous but probably truthful manner.
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Carol
4.0 out of 5 stars Good book
Reviewed in Canada on January 30, 2021
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A lot of what is written in the book is known and probably more interviews with contestants would have added things I don’t know. The book is well written by a talented writer
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Cbear
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting for Fans to Read
Reviewed in Canada on September 16, 2018
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A lot of behind the scenes info and interesting insight. Not as fun to read as “I’m not here to make friends” but worthwhile.
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Jeff F
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting to learn how the world of "reality" television operates whether you care about the show or not - highly recommended
Reviewed in Canada on August 17, 2018
Verified Purchase
Ordered for my wife. She loved this book and poured through it in no time. She was sharing some interesting things from it about the contestants and how the producers operate and how the show works. Even I found it interesting and I don't follow the show. But it is interesting to learn how the world of "reality" television operates whether you care about the show or not. A great read.
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