Scandalous Romance Down Under: Becoming and Unbecoming a Heroine in The Bachelor/ette Australia and The Bachelorette New Zealand

Abstract

This paper examines how scandal functions to determine “appropriate behaviour” for women participating in the Bachelor/ette format. Based on Adut’s (2005) three key components of a scandal—the violation, the reaction, and the subsequent discredit—we examine how reality TV participants can be positioned as “transgressive”. We use two case studies to provide insight into regional variations of a franchise usually explored from an American perspective, examining the narratives of Abbie Chatfield and Lesina Nakhid-Schuster in The Bachelor/ette in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. We uncover the assumptions, revealed through scandal, underpinning the idea of a “good” romantic heroine within this format; and explore the ways in which these participants have navigated scandal and reshaped their narratives post-show in order to reclaim the narrative position of heroine. We argue that sincerity is fundamental to being considered a heroine: both our case studies were positioned as disingenuous during the show, but post-show were able to lay claim to a level of authenticity and sincerity that allowed them to reposition themselves.

Keywords

• heroines
• reality romance
• reality television
• reality tv
• scandal
• the bachelor
• the bachelorette