The golden bachelorette star Pascal Ibgui should not have described a rival suitor, Chock Chapple, as a “stalker”, and this scandal, as well as the restraining order drama involving Guy Gansert, makes me believe (rightly or wrongly) that the producers were fully aware of some suitors’ personality issues before they were cast. What I’m saying is that I think they evaluate their personalities carefully and may even select people who set off alarm bells because they will bring the drama.
Reality show producers are not unsophisticated people. They know better than anyone that Narcissistic Traits Are Practically Essential for Watchable Seasons. I’m completely confident that they can recognize the bad apples in the group and that they want some of those bad apples to appear on shows like The golden bachelorette. Of course, I could be wrong, but my gut feeling is that the producers knew exactly what they were dealing with from the beginning.
Why would producers choose rude and problematic people?
There are so many good reasons
A cast full of decent people can put viewers to sleep. While viewers may want to see authentic romance, they also want to experience the rawest emotions, including anger, jealousy, and bitterness. When cast members have glaring personality flaws like callous and unemotional traits (these traits are linked to narcissism and antisocial personal disorder, also called sociopathy), there’s simply no way that can happen. The golden bachelorette casting directors don’t notice.
They are trained to evaluate candidates – they don’t just think about looks, employment history or Instagram followers. I believe they are out there hunting down cast members who will be electric on screen because they are bad people. Producers are more than capable of paying for background checks and personality tests, and all the other things that provide valuable information about candidates. Corporations use these tools all the time, so why wouldn’t a major TV network do the same thing? That said, criminal records and rude, bombastic attitudes often seem to go unnoticed.
I find all of this implausible. To me, it’s more likely that such things were found and then swept under the rug. I have no proof of this, I’m just speculating. It is important to make this very clear. This is simply my opinion, and I could be wrong.
Of course, no one is going to admit that they cast people who were idiots on purpose, just to increase the entertainment value. However, it’s hard to dispute the fact that villains generate ratings, reviews, and all the other things that help a franchise gain traction. So why would producers ignore the “bad people” and choose the good ones? That would be counterproductive.
As an example, consider Survivor – Would an obvious narcissist like Richard Hatch, who walked around naked even when people complained, really seem like a good guy during his audition? No, of course not.
His arrogance would shine like a beacon, as he ALWAYS does. It’s not something Richard can hide.
The same is probably true for The golden bachelorette suitors. Pascal’s boldness was certainly noticed from day one, and was probably the main reason he was selected for the series and eventually cast. He later turned against the producers, accusing them of interfering. That’s what people like that do. As far as Guy Gansert goes, maybe the producers knew about the restraining order all along – isn’t it their job to investigate things like that? It seems like it should be.
Villains are good for business
They prevent restless viewers from tuning out
So in my opinion, it might not be about a casting director dropping a ball. It could be about them finding villains and making sure they appear on reality shows, but withholding certain details so they don’t look bad. Who knows what treasure troves of information this actually holds? This is all top secret. See likely villain Pascal pondering her journey above, via Instagram.
Is it morally wrong to cast obviously evil people on reality shows? In truth. However, when it comes to The Golden Bachelor and its spin-off, The golden bachelorettestarring Joan Vassos, there are vulnerable people involved. Joan, who appears to be a sensitive and serious person, is an example. Joan is a widow and has suffered. She is not overtly narcissistic. In fact, she seems to care about others – she is a sensitive woman. So putting her in a pool with at least a few sharks seems cruel.
That kind of possible setup could wreak emotional havoc – could possibly ruin someone’s life. For this reason, the methods producers used before hiring cast members should be considered and possibly criticized. More transparency from producers could assure the public that they are not bringing in villains who could actually harm people, just for the sake of entertainment and the money that successful shows generate.
The golden bacheloretteJoan lived and learned – she is a mature and intelligent woman. However, she may not have realized that some of her suitors were wolves in sheep’s clothing and that the cards were stacked against her from the start. While she may find lasting love in the series, it’s worth thinking about the fact that producers may purposefully choose villains for even the most romantic and heartfelt series. Why not? Your ultimate goal is to keep viewers glued to their screens, and niceness doesn’t always create that kind of dramatic entertainment.
The golden bachelorette airs Wednesdays at 8pm EDT on ABC.
Source: Pascal Ibgui/Instagram