In recent years, ABC’s Bachelor franchise has gained lots of attention, though the actual opinion of viewers is split.

The Bachelor franchise has a long history, with 23 seasons of The Bachelor, 15 of The Bachelorette, 5 of Bachelor in Paradise, and the recent addition of The Bachelor: Winter Games in 2018. Throughout its history, the dramatics of the franchise have been on display for fans, as well as the general internet, leaving controversy in its wake. The guise of finding “true love” on reality TV leaving some skeptical.

But how do people at Timpview feel about the show?

As far as the population at Timpview goes, people generally either love The Bachelor franchise or hate it, extreme opinions if they have one at all. In all reality, though, over 40% of people surveyed said that they really didn’t care either way.

Those who like The Bachelor praise it for its narrative. In the words of senior Thatcher Geary, “It’s real, it’s love, it’s drama, all stuck together in one.” Those who dislike the franchise usually cite suspected staging, as well as the absurdity of it all.

Those who enjoy the show in particular seemed almost embarrassed for their opinion initially, though with a little encouragement, most opened up about their feelings for it.

As of late, ratings across the franchise have been down, though not enough for ABC to justify cancelling the show. Season 22 of The Bachelor attracted an average of 7.92 million viewers per episode. The season with the highest average viewers was season 2, with an average of 13.93 million viewers per episode. For context, the Game of Thrones season 8 average was 11.99 million viewers, which was a series high.

No matter what spin-off or spoof one decides to watch, The Bachelor promises drama and intrigue. Colton jumped a wall in frustration on The Bachelor. The Bachelorette’s Hannah Brown kept Luke Parker around until the final four, though fans flagged their relationship early on as a classic example of emotional manipulation and gaslighting. On Bachelor in Paradise, the section of the franchise that was most recently airing, contestants from both The Bachelor and The Bachelorette returned for a second chance at love.

Is it true love? Or is it staged?

Where do you stand?