Bachelor Peter and Travel

This season of the Bachelor has not been my favorite. The cast seems to be composed solely of high school bullies and aspiring influencers, while Peter has been desperate to be liked by everyone that he comes across. It has mostly been an exercise in ridiculous behavior.

With the exception of the befalling detour to Cleveland, the travel destinations have been great. So far, they have been to Costa Rica, Chile, and Peru, highlighting a different type of destination than usual for this show. The episode set in Cleveland did not highlight many of the nicer parts of the city, like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or the Museum of Art, rather presenting an unflattering portrayal of the city as boring and rather bland. Far be it from me to claim that Cleveland is an exciting destination, but it did seem like the Bachelor producers had no vested interest in portraying Cleveland kindly.

I have really liked this season’s highlighting of Latin American destinations. Usually, the show will go to Europe or Southeast Asia. In Europe, they will highlight how romantic the place is, while with Southeast Asia, they will highlight how exotic the place is. With Latin America, there is a combination of exoticism and romance. Peter, unlike most other Bachelor leads, does have a semblance of understanding of a foreign language, so he speaks a little bit of Spanish with locals on the show.

The show still highlights locals as “wacky” and “exotically spiritual.” Peter and Contestant Kelley went on a date with a shaman, who used candles and crystals to predict their romantic future. However, on another date, a date was interrupted by an older married couple to discuss how relationships can work; uniquely this interruption, a show staple, was conducted in Spanish. Usually, this conversation is shown with the couple speaking broken English. It was actually kind of a nice change of pace.