Bachelor Of Hearts

On this episode of Ancient Kisstory, we're looking at the first ever Hometown Dates in Bachelor history. It's an opportunity to reflect on the institutions which run deep throughout the franchise's DNA - Christianity, the city of Dallas, and of course, suffering. It's a little bizarre to see Hometown Dates without the usual cookie-cutter drama: so instead of manufactured 'over-protective dad' tropes, we get naturalistic glimpses of America in 2002 (which just happens to include a few over-protective dads). Plus... a room full of corpses.

Week 3 of The Bachelor US Season 1 broadens the Bachelor lexicon with the first utterances of "right reasons" and "not here to make friends" - plus the first 'Pretty Woman' date, the first drowned-out musical performance, and the first contestant carted away in an ambulance. A huge episode, in which the blueprint for decades of Bachie torment (or, y'know, fun) continues to be solidified. Plus - we check out the new Bachelorette promos, discuss allegations against a not-so-clean-skin, and name some babies.

Our deep-dive into the protozoic era of The Bachelor continues this week, as we recap an episode full of firsts: the first ever kiss, the first group date, and the first ever LOADED FIREARM... Plus, we look back at contemperanous reviews of the first season as it was airing (hint: people didn't love it!), Max gets to flex his "knowing the names of movies" muscle, and we try and remember the names of all three members of millenial hitmakers fun.  Bibliography: TV Reviews: The Bachelor, by Michael Speier, published Mar 24, 2002 in Variety Popping the Question, by Paul Farhi, published November 20, 2002 in the Washington Post Enter a feminist-free zone, by Ginia Bellafante, published December 12,2002 in The Age; originally published as 'One Small Step for Man, 25 Backward for Women', April 14, 2002 in The New York Times

Welcome to the inaugural episode of our new series, Bachelor of Hearts: Ancient Kisstory, in which we take a look back into the ancient texts & historical records of The Bachelor franchise, to learn how the show has changed, and what the document reflects about our changing world. On this mini-series, we're covering the first ever season of The Bachelor, which aired on TV in the USA in March-April 2002. The premiere episode is a momentous, confident piece of world-building, which sets up elements that would stay with the franchise for decades - but also, it's... kind of dull?  How are you supposed to know how to root for? Why can't anyone find a suit that fits? And what's going on with the Deliberation Room? Bibliography: 'A History of The Bachelor, By The People That Lived It', by Jada Yuan, published Dec 2015 in The Cut 'Bachelor Nation: Inside The World of America's Favorite Guilty Pleasure', by Amy Kaufman, published 2019 by Dutton / Penguin Random House

Is The Bachelor in trouble? At what feels like a pivot point for the franchise in Australia, we take a look around at what's working and what isn't, as well as what lessons can be learned from other shows in the dating/reality TV space, and suggest ways that The Bachelor can continue to engage its fans and find new ones into the future. Huge thanks to the members of our audience who contributed their thoughts to this episode! 

This week, we've reached the endgame of Jimmy's season, and we're joined by two superstar returning guests to the podcast - musician & Twitch streamer Eilish Gilligan, and writer & Bachie recap veteran Patrick Lenton. Together, we look at everything that happened on and off the screen this week - the complex interplays of family and class, the moral responsibility of The Bachelor over the runner-up, and why a truly satisfying narrative conclusion isn't always what's best for the show. Also - were these episodes actually enjoyable? And where does the franchise go from here? Please send us your suggestions for how The Bachelor can continue to thrive in Australia by hitting the 'Message' button on our page on Anchor! Please give our beautiful guests the BoH Bump: Read Patrick's beautiful piece in The Guardian about their unlikely love story, purchase his new book 'Sexy Tales of Paleontology' via Subbed In or wherever you get books, and follow him on socials @PatrickLenton. Grab Eilish's new EP 'The First

This week, we're joined once again by the wonderful Janey Birks (Bachelor AU S4, Bachelor In Paradise AU S3, and School Captain of the Bachelor of Hearts podcast) for a spirited discussion of Hometown Week of Season 9. Jimmy and the women are drawing ever closer to the finish line, but this week thery made some important pit-stops for a cup of coffee, a little pilates, and to check out some pictures of themselves, before it's time to meet the Guard Dogs, experience some suburban horror, and of course shirtlessly ponder the horizon. Give Janey the BoH Bump: Find her on Instagram @littlejaneyjanegerous, or just ask Max for directions!

Another whopping week of Bachelor, and with no guest this week, we can really, really sink our teeth into it. Why are we meeting so many of Jimmy's family members? What attributes are these group dates actually testing for? Can you completely reinvent your reality TV character within the span of one season? What's so wrong about acknowledging you might get a few Instagram followers along the way?  Also - Brooke's back, and she's brought along the #1 'In The Moment' vox-pop we've ever heard with her.

This week, we welcome the wonderful April Rose Pengilly (Neighbours) back to the podcast; a suitably monumental guest to help us navigate through an avalanche of The Bachelor. The Powers That Be opted to air two episodes back-to-back on Thursday night, so we respond with a marathon-length episode pulling apart everything that happened - including a Family Dinner where tensions build to a fever pitch, the worst single date of the season, and the shock departure of a fan favourite contestant. Also Max recites a lot of the lyrics to 'Lose Yourself'. Give April the BoH Bump: Find her on Instagram @aprilrosepengilly, and watch Neighbours on 10 Peach or 10play!

This week, we're lucky enough to be joined by singer/songwriter Imogen Clark, to discuss what The Bachelor branded as "Heart-Racing Week" - which included a few all-time great moments, but ironically slowed the character development to a crawl. We discuss Bachelor's obsession with vehicles and competence porn, the illness/injury group date strategy, 'Spirit animals', chlamydia, coulrophobia, and Where's The Gold? - plus we reckon with some more ex-Bachie anti-vax influencers. Give Imogen the BoH Bump - find her music and merch on Bandcamp, and follow her on Instagram / Twitter / Facebook.

This week, we're joined by radio host, musician, podcaster and Olympic canoer Erica Mallett (Wait, You What?) for a spirited discussion of Week 2 - the two lowest-rated (and therefore most cool and exclusive) episodes of our beloved franchise ever. It's not for lack of trying though - there's a big splashy controversy about a very naughty word, there's a big, box-office-baiting battle of superheroes, there's a parade of noteworthy fashions, there's "medieval stuff", there's a very nice dog. Plus - everybody's doing the hot new dance craze that's sweeping the nation - the Tragedy Reveal Twist. Give Erica the BoH Bump - follow her on Instagram @erica_mallett and check out her podcast, Wait, You What? wherever you found this one!

It's Week 1 of Season 9 of The Bachelor, and a little bit of reality TV comfort food is almost (almost) enough to distract us from COVID lockdowns and the rising tide of anti-vax rhetoric in our Instagram stories. We relish the highlights - our first gamer girl Bachelorette, a puppy in the confessional room, and... whatever is going on with Belinda. REQUIRED READING: The US Bachelor's Commitment To Excess Is Killing The Planet (Molly Taft, Gizmodo)

This episode we are joined by the fabulous Juliette Herrera from Season 8 of The Bachelor AU! We get caught up on Juliette's life post-Bachelor, get some more insight into the events of Locky's season, and most excitingly - Juliette helps us with our traditional first impressions of the incoming crop of contestants, based on what scant info we can glean from their Tenplay bios and their Instagram pages. Find Juliette on Instagram & Cameo, and look out for her forthcoming YouTube page! Find more info on the Motor Neurone Disease Association of NSW on their website.

This episode, we're joined by our first ever guest who chose to remain anonymous! (Frankly we're surprised no one else has thought of doing that yet). "Lucy" was kind enough to come on the podcast to share some of her experiences, thoughts, and predictions for the season, given the rare qualification that at one point, she went on a few dates with this year's Bachelor, Jimmy Nicholson. We also apply our trademark scrupulously detailed investigation to the (almost) four minutes worth of footage released since our last episode: "Meet Chanel", "The Most Romantic Bachelor We've Ever Had", and the staggeringly long "Your First Look At The Bachelor Australia Season 9".

The Bachelor of Hearts podcast is BACK! In this episode, we go in DEEP on a couple of big social media posts from the last few weeks, and what they might mean for the future of the franchise as a whole. How do we respond to ex-contestants using their platforms to spread misinformation about the coronavirus? How does one flirty TikTok post from 2021’s Bachelorette fundamentally change the game? And what can we glean from the first 86 seconds of new official Bachie AU video content posted online since November of last year?That’s right - it’s our very first impressions of Season 9, courtesy of 10play’s “First Look: Jimmy” and “First Look: Meet The Bachelorettes”.

This week, it’s a very special Bachie Bonus episode, in which we launch into the Extended Universe of The Bachelor, starting with Aimee Mann’s 1999 album ‘Bachelor No. 2 or, the Last Remains of the Dodo’. We’re joined by Spencer Fox from the fantastic Brooklyn band Charly Bliss to share the story behind the album, and how it reflects (and arguably how it sparked) a turning point for the music industry - as well as what it means to try and write a hit. We contextualise the album within Mann’s career, plus Max tells us about the film Magnolia (which he has definitely seen), and we… somehow end up talking about Jimmy Buffett. Resources: "What's A Record Exec To Do With Aimee Mann?" Jonathan Van Meter, New York Times 11 July 1999 "Aimee Mann Looks Back On 'Bachelor No. 2' In Advance Of 20th Anniversary Reissue" Jim Beviglia, American Songwriter December 2020 "Aimee Mann: Bachelor No. 2 or, the Last Remains of the Dodo" Judy Berman, Pitchfork 17 November 2019 "Math Suks" Jimmy Buffett, MCA Records May 1999

The Bachelor of Hearts podcast is BACK! On this emergency mini-sode, we expose all the fresh scoops that we could dig up about our brand-new, just-announced Bachelor, Jimmy Nicholson. We also make a series of casting suggestions for the contestants of this season. Plus, we quiz each other on the events of 2020's season of The Bachelorette, we start a food delivery app, and we just take a moment to catch up with each other on our first episode of 2021!

In which we remember what happened on the Bachelorette season finale.

Listener beware - you're in for a scare! This shriek we're joined by the wonderful Joseph Earp (Junkee, The Brad Pittcast) for a spirited discussion of the penultimate week of Bachelorette - we road-test the theory that Bachie is a slasher, actually; we talk about this season's especially puritanical relationship with sex, and we offer some more novel solutions to this season's low viewership. Plus - has Max seen any movies? Hear Joseph on This Is A Love Song on Sunday nights, subscribe to The Brad Pittcast wherever you get podcasts, and follow Joseph on Twitter @JosephoEarp!

This week we’re joined by Survivor podcasting legend Shannon Guss (Rob Has A Podcast!), who brings STACKS of expertise and professionalism, as well as warmth and humour, as we struggle through the questions plaguing us this week - Was Locky a good Bachelor? What can we learn about Bachie from Survivor edgic? Does The Bachelorette have a Joe problem? And perhaps most importantly - is anybody watching this season? Find Shannon on Twitter @ShannonGaitz and follow her work for RHAP here!