Has The Bachelorette finally gone too far?

The Bachelorette finale was riveting TV — and unfathomably cruel. vox.com/culture CULTURE   I didn’t watch this season of The Bachelorette, but my TikTok feed has been flooded with content about the finale of Jenn Tran’s season, the historic Asian-American lead whose happily-ever-after ended in heartbreak earlier this week. Breakups are par for the course on reality TV, especially in The Bachelor universe, but the way the producers turned the conclusion of Tran’s relationship into content was gratuitous and shocking to watch. Senior correspondent Dylan Scott wrote about [the disturbing lack of humanity in ABC’s ratings grab for their dying franchise](, and how it whittled down the trauma of the moment to the core pillar of many TV dating shows: In that world, the cruelty is the point. —[Melinda Fakuade](//link.vox.com/click/36640136.27462/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudm94LmNvbS9hdXRob3JzL3doaXp5LWtpbT91ZWlkPTNhNTA3ZmY1ZmYzNzViYTNjYWU5MjFkMzUzMTNiN2Nk/6094319a7418d377a33af3d5Ce8672208, culture editor P.S. Sign up for Kids Today, a new weekly newsletter from[Anna North](. It’s not just for parents, nor is it a parenting newsletter. It's for anyone who wants to know more about Gen Alpha and American childhood. Has The Bachelorette finally gone too far? [Bachelorette Jenn Tran confronts ex-fiance on stageDevin Strader as ABC host Jesse Palmer looks on during the show’s season finale. ]( Disney/John Fleenor Watching Tuesday night’s finale of The Bachelorette, one phrase kept ringing in my mind: The cruelty is the point. The Atlantic’s Adam Serwer wrote those words in 2018 to explain the appeal of Donald Trump’s particularly mean-spirited brand of politics. But the same ethos can be applied to The Bachelor franchise. That has always been true to some extent; as the audience, you are signing up to watch a bunch of hot, over-served 20-somethings fight for the right to get engaged to the lead character over the course of just two months. Nothing about it is natural. [You might even say none of it is real.]( But last night’s conclusion to Jenn Tran’s season, in which the show so callously tore its lead character down, should be all the evidence you need that drama this brutal requires real pain at its center. The show’s promise of true love demands the threat of genuine heartbreak for it to feel earned. This means that, periodically, when the fairy tale ending fails to materialize and deliver the show its big cathartic finish, cast members will instead be traumatized for our entertainment. It may have been just a television program for the producers, for many of the contestants, and for the audience. But the tears streaming down Tran’s face were an uncomfortable, piercing reminder that at the heart of all this pageantry is a real person who may genuinely believe they have the chance to find the love of their life through this silly show. [You may think that’s ridiculous, but that doesn’t make it any less true](— nor does it justify the utter disregard with which Tran’s ex-fiancé and the show that cast her as its first Asian-American lead treated her at her lowest moment. [Read the full story »](  [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Your guide to the Brittany Mahomes-Donald Trump drama, such as it is Why everyone suddenly cares about Brittany Mahomes’s politics. [Read the full story »]( The storm of controversy around Black Myth: Wukong, explained How China’s first global gaming blockbuster became a weird rallying point for the right. [Read the full story »](   Support our work We aim to explain what we buy, why we buy it, and why it matters. Support our mission by making a gift today. [Give](   More good stuff to read today - [iPad kids speak up]( - [Is there a winner in Bennifer’s divorce PR battle?]( - [Serial’s Adnan Syed has once again had his conviction reinstated. Here’s what that really means.]( - [The essential Lord of the Rings lore you need to watch The Rings of Power]( - [Organize your kitchen like a chef, not an influencer](  [Learn more about RevenueStripe...](   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( Manage your [email preferences]( or [unsubscribe](param=culture). If you value Vox’s unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring [contribution](. View our [Privacy Policy]( and our [Terms of Service](. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Floor 12, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved.