*Trigger Warning: discussion of the Bachelor, strong language*
In the beginning, there was nothing.
And then, there was John Paul Jones.
For those of you who may not know, John Paul Jones was a contestant for the 15th season of The Bachelorette, the beloved ABC show.
He was eliminated during the 4th week, but returned to Bachelor Nation for the 6th season of Bachelor in Paradise.
John Paul Jones is, for lack of better words, a damn legend. Upon entrance in The Bachelorette, he immediately made himself known for his quirkiness, saying to Hannah B, “My name is John Paul Jones; my friends call me John Paul Jones, so you can call me John Paul Jones.” He stood out from the other contestants with his shameless confidence — even when his actions were truly bizarre.
JPJ, (as he is often called by Bachelor Nation), would be considered a fuckboy in real life. Distractify, a website of journalism with a purpose to distract, said, “[JPJ’s] inherent douchiness might make him the perfect villain” in an article directly following The Bachelorette season premiere. His charming behavior on The Bachelorette, however, caused viewers all over the world to fall in love.
While JPJ was not the love of Hannah B’s life, he is the love of ours. His love for nuggets and exclamations of “yas queen” caused Bachelor Nation to fall in love with the blonde beauty, which is why he was chosen for in Paradise.
But however much Paradise was ready for John Paul Jones, John Paul Jones was not ready for Paradise. After telling Tayshia (whom he was fairly committed to) that she was free to date other men, he flipped out when she sparked a connection with Derek.
Bachelor Nation is in shambles. The man we once knew is no longer, and we must accept JPJ for what he truly is — a fuckboy.
Derek, contestant in the 12th season of the Bachelorette and American heartthrob, swooped in as soon as Tayshia showed interest. As it often goes in Paradise, it was neither exclusive nor particularly serious, yet JPJ felt threatened. He managed to create a narrative in which Derek was the villain, and caused a scene at a wedding.
Bachelor Nation is heartbroken. The man we once loved has showed his true colors — a fuckboy, through and through.
I don’t think there is anything particular we can learn from John Paul Jones, but I think he’s worth discussing. Where is the line when we decide a man is good or bad? What is our obsession with the Bachelor and its drama?
If nothing else, we can accept the fact that the show is scripted. But I wonder how much of this reality-TV acting can affect real life relationships. After the episode of the fight aired, JPJ posted an apology which Derek could not take seriously.
I worry about the fact that these are real, living people. Relationships have been torn apart from being in the public eye; how much worse must it be to fall through forced, scripted drama?
Honestly, I probably won’t stop watching the Bachelor. But I do think we need to consider how these situations affect the real life world that we live in.
