The Bachelor and The Bachelorette produce love in vitro, in a colourless void where things like political affiliations and religious views simply don’t exist. This is part of the show’s concept: Production purposely prevents contestants from using phones, TV, and the internet as a way to keep them “focused” on falling in love (and from leaking any of the season’s plot points early). This practice also keeps the show in increasingly clueless territory. Contestants can discuss past relationships, but they probably wouldn’t discuss misogyny. They’ll talk about the personal experience of immigrating to the U.S. — as Kristina Schulman did on Nick Viall’s season — but they won’t touch on the broader issue of immigration. Even the show’s Reddit page forbids the discussion of politics . The Bachelor is pretending that politics aren’t personal, when they very much are. Beyond the candles, the editing, and the antics of certain villainous contestants, this is the show’s biggest lie. And, with almost 5 million viewers per episode, this is the show’s most dangerous suggestion.