How to Win The Bachelor: The Secret to Finding Love and Fame on America's Favorite Reality Show

by Chad Kultgen, Lizzy Pace

Overview

Perfect for fans of Bachelor Nation and Seinfeldia, an illuminating deep dive into the most successful reality TV franchise of all time—The Bachelor.

Since its premiere in 2002, ABC’s The Bachelor has become a staple of American television. Now, discover the fascinating history of the show, uncover the ins and outs of the phenomenon that has become Bachelor Nation, and take a deeper look at what separates the winners from the losers.

From how best to exit the limo on Night One, to strategies for making a run for the all-important First Impression Rose, to how to avoid being labeled a villain, this clear-eyed guide illustrates the rules and strategies any would-be contestant should know.

The ultimate must-read for every fan, How to Win the Bachelor gives you an inside look at the franchise where The Rose holds all the power.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781982172947
Publisher:	Gallery Books
Publication date:	01/25/2022
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	681,247
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Chad Kultgen is a bestselling author, journalist, screenwriter, and podcast host. His novels include The Lie; The Average American Male; Strange Animals; The Average American Marriage; and Men, Women, and Children. He is also the creator of the NBC series Bad Judge. Follow him on Twitter @ChadKultgen.

Lizzy Pace is a network comedy television writer, with credits including NBC’s Bad Judge and the Emmy-nominated series The Good Place, starring Ted Danson and Kristen Bell. Her writing has also appeared on Funny or Die and PopCultureSensation. Follow her on Twitter at @PaceCase.

Table of Contents

Introduction ix

History of Our Beloved Game xii

Authors' Note xv

Chapter 1 Fundamentals 1

Chapter 2 The Preseason 23

Chapter 3 Night One: Surviving the Slaughter 51

Chapter 4 Regular Season Part 1: House Life 91

Chapter 5 Regular Season Part 2: Group Dates 119

Chapter 6 Regular Season Part 3: One-On-One Dates 151

Chapter 7 Play-offs Round 1: Hometowns 167

Chapter 8 Play-offs Round 2: Fantasy Suites 191

Chapter 9 Women Tell All 209

Chapter 10 The Finale/ATFR 219

Chapter 11 The Postseason 235

Chapter 12 Being Complicit 243

Appendix: The History of Our Beloved Game 261

Acknowledgments 288

The Lexicon 289

The Bachelor Score Sheet 298

Editorial Reviews

10/25/2021

Novelist Kultgen (Strange Animals) and TV writer Pace, hosts of the Bachelor-themed podcast Game of Roses, take fandom to a new level with this entertaining how-to for snatching the final rose on the popular reality series. The authors—who watched every episode from the show’s 25 seasons (on double-speed) in a mere 74 days—believe “The Bachelor is a professional sport.” They treat it as such with unabashed zeal, diving into the show’s history as they determine the “best players of all time” and glean insight from “past plays” in order to help potential contestants win the game. They identify the objectives (with roses here being “the lifeblood”), and even offer statistics on players’ skill levels at securing roses. In addition to sharing effective tools for advancing in the game (such as playing The Good Girl archetype to one’s advantage), Kultgen and Pace pose provocative theories, including why the “First Flower” of any rose ceremony may be more telling than the “First Impression Rose.” Though contestants’ social media clout and deceptive strategies get heavy attention, they also shed light on the franchise’s less-than-flattering history, including former host Chris Harrison’s “racism-related scandal that erupted in Season 25.” Bachelor fans would do well to grab a highlighter. Agent: Alex Glass, Glass Literary. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

"Novelist Kultgen (Strange Animals) and TV writer Pace, hosts of the Bachelor-themed podcast Game of Roses, take fandom to a new level with this entertaining how-to for snatching the final rose on the popular reality series. Bachelor fans would do well to grab a highlighter." —Publishers Weekly

"Treating the show as a pro sport, the authors analyze which moves most often lead to success. Fans will be delighted." —People

From the Publisher

2021-11-30
An attempt to treat The Bachelor as a spectator sport, with all the associated praise of gameplay and creation of jargon.

Never mind that the show is, ostensibly, about finding love, not generating competition—or that sports are generally a celebration of personal and team excellence. The biggest problem with this guide is how it champions manipulation and image-polishing in the pursuit of Instagram followers and screen time. Kultgen and Pace pack the book with suggestions gleaned from their rewatching of every episode of The Bachelor’s 25 seasons, a feat they accomplished in 74 days. “After he gives his toast, join in graciously with a nod and pursed lips,” they advise in dealing with a “fantasy suite” date. “Do not give him a smile. Do not give him any information about the tone or mood of what the rest of the night holds. After some brief generalities about the beauty of the location just sit there, silent. This forces the Bachelor to initiate the conversation.” What are more useful are the authors’ revelations of how reality show producers seek to create situations and storylines to serve the series, from “forced nudity” and humiliation to day trips and, of course, excessive alcohol consumption. They also rightly take the show to task for its lack of diversity over the years as well as using racism to generate controversy. However, even with those issues and the replacement of longtime host Chris Harrison for his controversial comments about race, the authors feel the need to stand behind their “sport.” “Instead of completely disengaging from the sport we love,” they write, “we continue watching knowing that we are complicit, but we are also aware….We believe the show must become more progressive or be discarded as an antiquated relic of a past generation."

Die-hard fans will love this exhaustive look at their beloved show, but most will question the value of the sport.

Kirkus Reviews