Count Tanner Tolbert as one of the people who is not on board with where The Bachelor is going following longtime host Chris Harrison‘s departure.
The Bachelorette alum — who infamously met his wife, Jade Roper Tolbert, on Bachelor In Paradise — spoke out on Wednesday night, sharing some VERY strong opinions about the future of the reality TV show that changed his life!
Related: Here’s How Chris Harrison REALLY Feels About Being Ousted From ‘The Bachelor’
Acknowledging that appearing on the Bachelor franchise helped him start his family, and so of course he wanted the show to do well, Tanner argued that focusing too much on the host (any host) was a surefire path to failure.
He revealed that he’s actually worried about the future of the longtime ABC mainstay, saying (below):
“I think the Bachelor franchise needs to figure their s**t out, and figure it out quick. Because I think the show is on a slippery slope right now, and I — as a fan of the show, first and foremost — I want to see it keep going. But I think all this host drama is just starting to get ridiculous.”
Wow!
Referencing the reported decision to let actor David Spade host the upcoming season of Bachelor in Paradise, the 34-year-old dad and husband said (below):
“Don’t get me wrong … I loved David Spade in Tommy Boy … but I could care less about him handing out date cards or giving commentary. We watch the show to see the relationships and drama … Not to see this ‘host’ circus. It takes away from the purpose of the show in my opinion.”
An interesting take!
Shoot, maybe he’s got a point there. After all, the show has gotten really drama-heavy in recent seasons and it seems like more and more contestants have used the platform as a springboard to hawk products on Instagram than to actually find love.
Just saying…
The reality TV alum continued on from there, being very clear to point out his take wasn’t a defense of Harrison, but rather an argument that any host the producers choose should fill a very specific role on screen:
“The host doesn’t need to be the star of the show. It’s as simple as that. The host is the host. The host needs to be the backbone of the show and fill a role. I don’t need to see commentary on every little thing and have everything be a joke. I want to watch The Bachelor and The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise for the drama and for the relationships and see that unfold on the screen. I don’t care about this pre-planned, contrived BS.”
FWIW, Tolbert did rave about the “great energy” that Kaitlyn Bristowe and Tayshia Adams brought to the first week of this summer’s new Bachelorette season, saying they “could be” great hosts in the right situation.
Related: Rachel Lindsay Reacts To Chris Harrison’s ‘Bachelor’ Franchise Exit!
But the young dad was firm in his biggest point: that the show needs to be about love and relationships, not gags, gimmicks, or jokes.
Tanner concluded:
“I just want to watch real people meet on screen for the first time, date and then let the show take the twist and turns that unfold from there. The show used to do a good job of letting the drama unfold in real-time, and then making storylines out of that. Now, I feel like they’re trying to force the show down a set of tracks of what they think is good tv, and it’s coming off wrong.”
Well then!
Is he right, Perezcious readers? Has the Bachelor franchise strayed too far from what used to make it great?! Can it get that back again — and without Chris Harrison this time around? Or is it too over-produced and over-contrived at this point to realize change is necessary?!
Sound OFF with your take about the past and future of the Bachelor franchise down in the comments (below)…
[Image via Tanner Tolbert/Instagram/Chris Harrison/Instagram]
The post <i>Bachelor Nation</i>'s Tanner Tolbert Is PISSED At The Show's Hosting Situation Following Chris Harrison's Exit! appeared first on Perez Hilton.
