TCU alumna Olivia Caridi has made it through another week on “The Bachelor” and her role as the show’s villainess is being reinforced, but experts say the portrayal is likely a creation of the show’s producers.
Based on the show’s first three episodes, Caridi’s aggressive approach with bachelor Ben Higgins has made her an enemy of the other women on the show. Caridi, a former TCU 360 executive editor and 2014 TCU graduate, received the “first impression rose” in the season premiere and the group date rose in last week’s episode.
In this week’s episode of “The Bachelor,” the girls competed in a soccer match to win a group date with bachelor Ben Higgins. The winning group, which included Caridi, was invited to an after-party. Caridi didn’t fare as well in the group date and received the last rose in this week’s rose ceremony.
Viewers of “The Bachelor” may think the reality TV series is a spontaneous representation of the 11-week saga of finding love, but experts say producers edit the show to create characters out of the women.
Based on early episodes, TCU alumna Olivia Caridi has developed a reputation as the season’s villainess. Caridi, a former TCU 360 executive editor and 2014 TCU graduate, received the “first impression rose” in the season premiere and the group date rose in last week’s episode.
Such a label is not uncommon, according to Dr. Kristie Bunton, dean of TCU’s Bob Schieffer College of Communication. Bunton co-authored a study on the ethics of reality TV, which found that producers often look for cast members to fill specific roles they want to represent.
“They’re looking for the particular roles they have in mind,” Bunton said. “Those producers are looking for the woman who will be the villainess; they’re looking for the woman who will be the innocent, naive darling.”
Reality TV is just as heavily scripted and as heavily produced as other kinds of entertainment TV, Bunton said.
Stephen Carbone, a popular source for Bachelor spoilers and better known as “Reality Steve,” said “The Bachelor,” is no exception to this heavy-handed production.
“We all know that there’s a ton of editing on this show, and what you’re seeing on TV isn’t a 100 percent, [fully] accurate representation of each individual person,” Steve said.
The producers heavily control what happens and always know what is going on, Carbone said. The show has proven it is much more capable of producing failed relationships than at producing successful ones, he said.
“This is not reality,” Carbone said. “This show is for dramatic and entertainment purposes.”
Bunton said the term “reality TV” is misleading, but most audience members know the things they are seeing are not real.
“They enjoy seeing these women get in arguments with each other,” Bunton said.
“The Bachelor” airs Mondays at 7 p.m. on ABC.
