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  • Bachelor Nation

  • Inside the World of America's Favorite Guilty Pleasure
  • Written by: Amy Kaufman
  • Narrated by: Amy Kaufman
  • Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins
  • 3.7 out of 5 stars (64 ratings)

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Bachelor Nation

Written by: Amy Kaufman
Narrated by: Amy Kaufman
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Publisher's Summary

Instant New York Times Best Seller

The first definitive, unauthorized, behind-the-scenes cultural history of the Bachelor franchise, America's favorite guilty pleasure.

For 15 years and 35 seasons, the Bachelor franchise has been a mainstay in American TV viewers' lives. Since it premiered in 2002, the show's popularity and relevance has only grown - more than eight million viewers tuned in to see the conclusion of the most recent season of The Bachelor.

The iconic reality television show's reach and influence into the cultural zeitgeist is undeniable. Best-selling writers and famous actors live tweet about it. Die-hard fans - dubbed "Bachelor Nation" - come together every week during each season to participate in fantasy leagues and viewing parties.

Bachelor Nation is the first behind-the-scenes, unauthorized look into the reality television phenomenon. Los Angeles Times journalist Amy Kaufman is a proud member of Bachelor Nation and has a long history with the franchise - ABC even banned her from attending show events after her coverage of the program got a little too real for its liking. She has interviewed dozens of producers, contestants, and celebrity fans to give readers never-before-told details of the show's inner workings: what it's like to be trapped in the mansion "bubble"; dark, juicy tales of producer manipulation; and revelations about the alcohol-fueled debauchery that occurs long before the fantasy suite.

Kaufman also explores what our fascination means, culturally: what the show says about the way we view so-called ideal suitors, our subconscious yearning for fairy-tale romance, and how this enduring television show has shaped society's feelings about love, marriage, and feminism by appealing to a marriage plot that's as old as Jane Austen.

©2018 Amy Kaufman (P)2018 Penguin Audio

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I was happy when the book finally ended.
What I was hoping to get out of this book is behind the scenes type details, interviews with former casts members, and an easy listening experience.
While you do get a little of that, the book is written with such a negative tone. Although the author says their a fan, I find it hard to believe. She’s like that one person you know that’s so negative about everything you don’t want to be around them anymore. That’s eventually how I felt about this book. Anytime she quoted something a contestant had said she used this dumb valley girl voice. You could tell that she thought she was smarter and better than anyone who participated in or in the making of this show. She included interviews with doctors all trying to explain why females and males enjoy this show. She talked about how it’s okay for feminists to like this show. I don’t want to hear about feminists and doctors opinions I want to hear from the shows producers. What should have been a fun easy listening experience was not. More like a jealous bitter writer who’s trying to rain on the shows parade.

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Kaufman bites the hand that feeds her, and no, I don't mean Bach Producers.

Although this book isn't as chock-full of never-before-told Bachelor secrets as I had initially hoped, I still enjoyed the little insider anecdotes peppered throughout. It's an interesting enough listen if you're like me, and you crave Bachelor analysis. So, why the crummy rating...? Well, upon first glance, Kaufman takes a seemingly feminist approach in this book: She reassures listeners that it's OK to enjoy media that at times can be "problematic"-- which is refreshing! However... the book gets off to a rocky start when at one point Kaufman refers to a typical Bachelor contestant as "A hollow spray-tanned shell of extensions and sequins, whose personally and intelligence will always come second to her looks." That quote, in case it wasn't obvious, isn't very feminist.
Later on in the book, she'll mock a Bachelor fan she met at a party by imitating her in a stereotypical "dumb valley girl" voice. It's not that the quote itself was stupid, but it's undermined by Kaufman's mocking tone. A tone that makes it perfectly clear how little she thinks of said fans. Conversely, Kaufman quotes scholars with a "prim and proper" voice to let listeners know that they are to be taken seriously. An interesting move, considering that those very everywoman bachelor fans are likely the ones driving her book sales. In short, the interesting nuggets of Bach information didn't outweigh the "girl hate" cringe-factor for me. Kaufman's take on conventionally attractive Bachelor contestants seems incredibly dated by today's standards, à la P!nk's now-cringey 2006 single, "Stupid Girls". Ladies, let Bachelor Nation serve as a reminder to judge a woman by her actions, and not her spray-tan.

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Gift for Wife

Not a fan of the show but I enjoyed the narration by Amy. It was great to listen to the behind the scenes drama. Worth it, especially if you are a Bachelor fan #Audible1

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Bachelor Nation Tea is Spilled

#Audible1 Overall, as a fan of the Bachelor franchise I really enjoyed listening to this book. Amy spends quite a bit of time focusing on the early days of the show which had some interesting tidbits. She runs right through to the present day and how instagram shilling works, etc. I had heard some of the information before, but Amy has obviously verified it so it was interesting to hear what was confirmed. All in all, it was thoroughly entertaining.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Way better than other Bachelor Insiders!

Finally, a Bachelor book written by someone who can actually write!! So much better than Andi Dorman's dumpster fire of a book. I loved the multiple perspectives throughout the book. Overall, quite enjoyable. Not exactly going to win a Pulitzer, but enjoyable for those of us who dally in the guilty pleasure that is Bachelor nation.

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