The Bachelor Finale: Loving on a Prayer

Last updated on: March 13, 2013 at 8:00 am by Erin Wyble Newcomb

The Bachelor Finale: Loving on a Prayer 2013-03-13T07:49:27-06:00 Erin Wyble Newcomb

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

My husband and I tuned into last night’s finale of the Bachelor (yes, he watches; yes, it’s for me) after I found myself strangely invested in a show I normally do not watch. I tuned in midway through the season because I wanted a Monday-night show to watch. I soon found myself pleased that so many of the women in the house seemed friendly with each other and that Bachelor Sean seemed seriously committed to his personal integrity and treating all of the women with kindness and grace. In spite of the plot-turning moment of conflict with Des’s brother (hopefully she’ll find love as this summer’s Bachelorette), I believed Sean when he rejected the label of playboy and affirmed his commitment to find love, marriage, and a family.

And apparently I’m not the only one who noticed a different vibe to this season, the 17th incarnation of a franchise that churns out fairytales on tap. The Daily Beast reports that Sean remained abstinent through the entire season (apparently this is unheard of on the show, even though the cameras can only imply what happens behind closed doors); author Ramin Setodeh claims Sean is a “born-again virgin” who has decided not to have sex (again) until he is married. That determination seems to stand in stark opposition to the show’s premise, where make-out sessions are the normal ending to dates; this is the show that put the term “fantasy suite” into the cultural milieu, after all, and that overnight stay in a lavish hotel (because really, the one thing that’s lacking from The Bachelor dating context is fantasy…) happens with three different prospective partners. It’s not exactly a program that seems to perpetuate abstinence or monogamy as worthwhile.

But the funny thing about Sean’s faith and his faith-based decisions on the show is that it all seems so normal. I remember watching marathoner and outspoken Christian Josh Cox on Jen Schefft’s season of The Bachelorette, and he came off as intense and insane; I have no idea to what extent that impression reflects editing or reality, but it seemed like the show didn’t really know what to make of weirdos who run and pray a lot. Not so on Sean’s season, where several women in the house arrived with Bibles and met in the mornings for study and prayer. Watching the live updates the other night, I couldn’t help but notice how often Sean and runner-up Lindsay Yenter talked about prayer in their awkward reunion. Lindsay, who wins the classiest-runner-up in reality television history award, kept asking for closure, until Sean finally concluded that his decision is explicable only as a movement of the Spirit. That’s cold comfort for Lindsay, I imagine, but she expressed the resilience and poise of a grace-filled woman, even as she relived her rejection on national television.

And then there’s winner Catherine Giudici, who apparently takes her faith pretty seriously too. She and Sean claim that their extravagant nuptials will air on ABC “soon,” and I feel hopeful for this couple. Maybe they’ll be one of the rare ones who meet in this manner and actually make it to the altar. As skeptical I am about the formula. method and behaviors cultivated on this show, I’d love to see a couple emerge from the debauchery and build a relationship that is pleasing to God. Maybe they’ll make it. Maybe all that prayer really does something, in spite of us.

Of the Moment

Television

Previous Post

March 13, 2013

God and Country Music: What Makes a Record Great. 'Rattlin' Bones' after Five Years

Next Post

March 13, 2013 How Should We Respond to Hugo Chavez's Death?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Asides Elsewhere Featured Film Games General Culture Headline Literature Music Of the Moment Podcast Politics RetroPost Sports Technology Television Uncategorized Viral

Select a Month February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz