Lifestyle
How Married ‘Bachelor’ Couples Make it Work. Yes, Some Are Still Together.
![How Married ‘Bachelor’ Couples Make it Work. Yes, Some Are Still Together. How Married ‘Bachelor’ Couples Make it Work. Yes, Some Are Still Together.](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/29BACHELORWEDDINGS2-facebookJumbo.jpg)
Within the newest season of “The Bachelor,” Clayton Echard, the present’s twenty sixth lead, stated after a late-night rendezvous with a hopeful suitress, “If I ever want validation to know that this course of works, I’m seeing it unfold earlier than me.”
However in accordance with the numbers, maybe unsurprisingly, that “course of” — a weeks-long mass courtship in entrance of cameras that’s meant to finish with a proposal and, presumably, a wedding — just isn’t very efficient at yielding long-term relationships.
Because the “The Bachelor” debuted on ABC in March 2002 and “The Bachelorette” the next yr, solely six {couples} who met on these exhibits are at the moment married. A seventh is predicted to wed in Could. On this time, there have been 34 televised proposals in 44 seasons mixed. Considering those that met on different spinoffs, the variety of at the moment married {couples} jumps from six to 10. (Representatives from Warner Bros and ABC declined to remark for this text.)
Because the franchise enters its twentieth yr, what may be gleaned from a few of these still-wed {couples}’ most dramatic story traces ever? Under, 5 of the six who met on “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” talk about how they’ve made it work since assembly on set. (The sixth couple, Rachel Lindsay and Bryan Abasolo, declined to remark for this text.)
The Lowes met on season 17 of “The Bachelor,” which aired in 2013 and ended with Mr. Lowe’s on-camera proposal in Thailand. They had been married the next yr.
The couple, who stay in Dallas with their two sons, ages 5 and three, and daughter, 2, have since constructed a life round what Ms. Lowe referred to as “tremendous chill” household traditions, together with making do-it-yourself pizza.
“Our completely satisfied place is at residence with our children,” stated Ms. Lowe, 35, who runs an area gifting service and, along with her husband, began a namesake furnishings line, Residence by Sean & Catherine Lowe.
Mr. Lowe, 38, stated that when individuals ask him how he discovered love on “The Bachelor,” his response is at all times the identical. “I liken it to assembly 25 strangers on a courting app — you may join with considered one of them,” he stated.
However “then you need to enter the true world, and it takes work,” he added.
That he and Ms. Lowe, or any couple who married after assembly on the present, have managed to remain collectively nonetheless strikes him as considerably unbelievable. “When you’ve got ladies racing in bikinis whereas driving garden mowers it’s foolish,” he stated. “All the weather go in opposition to making a long-term relationship.”
Ms. Lowe, nevertheless, stated she left the present feeling wiser about how one can kind a profitable partnership. The accelerated courtship the contestants expertise made her notice the significance of specializing in “non-negotiables” in the beginning of any romance, as a substitute of worrying about “issues that don’t matter, like leaving the bathroom seat up.”
She added that assembly Mr. Lowe on set with different individuals round helped her get a greater understanding of his character, recalling a second when she noticed him chatting with the crew and “seen that he knew all people’s title.”
“I took that as such an perception into who he actually was when the cameras had been down,” Ms. Lowe stated.
Molly and Jason Mesnick
Mr. Mesnick, the lead on “The Bachelor” season 13, which aired in 2009, surprised followers when he referred to as off his engagement to Melissa Rycroft six weeks after proposing on air, and later proposed (off air) to his future spouse, who was that season’s runner-up.
“I believe the problem is that the general public appears at that as an actual engagement,” Mr. Mesnick, 45, stated of the sequence’ televised proposals, which he considers extra of a dedication to “see what occurs over the subsequent a number of months or a yr or no matter.”
Earlier than the Mesnicks wed in 2010, they went via a little bit of a get-to-know-you-again interval, stated Ms. Mesnick, 38.
“It’s essential begin over at sq. one and get to know one another,” she stated, echoing Mr. Lowe’s sentiments that solid members don’t behave on set as they might in actual life. “They’re actually attending to know a very totally different particular person when there’s not a digicam or producer in your face.”
On the present, Ms. Mesnick stated, “I used to be actually calm,” however in actual life, “I’m very Kind A and sort of loopy.” Mr. Mesnick, however, is “tremendous go-with-the-flow.”
“I believe it’s taken us 10-to-12 years to lastly get into a very good, simple groove on how one can operate in life,” Ms. Mesnick added.
The Mesnicks, who stay in Seattle, now say their contrasting personalities not solely present equilibrium of their relationship, but in addition of their work as brokers co-leading an actual property workforce in Kirkland, Wash. “She does the advertising and marketing, and I do face-to-face with our purchasers,” stated Mr. Mesnick.
Once they met, Mr. Mesnick was a divorced father of 1. Shifting in with him and his then 4-year-old son in 2009, Ms. Mesnick stated, at first “rocked their world.” However she and her stepson, now 17, ultimately turned “thick as thieves.”
The couple, who’ve a 9-year-old daughter, say open and trustworthy communication has been important to creating their relationship final. Ms. Mesnick stated it has additionally helped that they obtained collectively earlier than choosing aside relationships from “The Bachelor” turned a sport of kinds on social media.
“It will have been brutal,” she added of the backlash they may have acquired when she and Mr. Mesnick obtained again collectively after he broke off his engagement with Ms. Rycroft.
Chris and Desiree Siegfried
As two individuals who initially didn’t need to be on TV — Ms. Siegfried stated she utilized for “The Bachelorette” season 9, which aired in 2013, as a “skeptic joke,” and Mr. Siegfried stated that buddies satisfied him to hitch the solid after he declined an preliminary provide to take part — neither envisioned the expertise would have a fairy-tale ending.
However Ms. Siegfried, 35, a designer and the founding father of Desiree Hartsock Bridal, stated that “actually pure” chemistry paved the best way for them to fall in love on set.
Mr. Siegfried, 36, a mortgage officer, stated “she was positively somebody I’d pursue outdoors of tv.”
“Our dialog was simple,” he added. “And after we had been speaking, she knew what she wished and was in search of in somebody, and that was essential to me.”
After filming their on-camera engagement, Ms. Siegfried, who was residing in Los Angeles and stated she was “broke as might be,” relocated to Seattle, the place she and Mr. Siegfried, who had moved there in 2011, began residing in a brand new residence collectively.
“It will be onerous for one particular person to dive into another person’s life throughout state traces,” she stated. “It was good to begin afresh collectively.”
They married in 2015 and now stay in Portland, Ore., with two sons, 3 and 5. Although the couple has no plans to seem on tv once more, watching it stays a beloved pastime, stated Ms. Siegfried. Not too long ago, their favourite exhibits embody “Yellowstone” and “1883,” she stated.
Their relationship additionally advantages from spur-of-the-moment workday dates. “He’s like, ‘Hey, I’ve a break. You need to seize lunch?’” Ms. Siegfried stated. “It’s enjoyable to have that spontaneous lunchtime.”
Heartfelt compliments, or “phrases of affirmation” as Mr. Siegfried put it, go a good distance, too. “Whereas everybody loves flowers, that’s not essentially what she’s in search of.”
Mr. Luyendyk, 40, a real-estate agent and racecar driver, initially proposed to Becca Kufrin on the finish of “The Bachelor” season 22, which aired in 2018.
However he quickly ended their engagement as a result of he couldn’t cease serious about Ms. Luyendyk, 30, a designer and the founding father of the road Shades of Rose. On a stay episode filmed after the pre-taped finale aired, Mr. Luyendyk proposed to Ms. Luyendyk in entrance of a studio viewers.
“I need to do that in entrance of everybody, as a result of I need to present you that I ought to have accomplished this a very long time in the past,” he stated on the time.
In some methods, the Luyendyks credit score their bond’s power to the backlash they confronted after their engagement. “There was numerous animosity within the room,” Ms. Luyendyk stated. “I might see individuals obtrusive at me after I walked out.”
“We’ve at all times stated, ‘It’s us in opposition to the world,’” she added.
The couple, who stay in Scottsdale, Ariz., married in Hawaii in 2019, whereas Ms. Luyendyk was pregnant with their daughter, now 2. In June 2021, they turned a household of 5 when the couple had twins, a boy and a lady.
Between work and parenthood, they are saying it has been more durable to carve out time for themselves, making their residence a really perfect venue once they can match it in. One latest exercise: “Goat yoga within the yard,” Mr. Luyendyk stated. “It was messy.”
Their morning espresso ritual is one other alternative to attach. “We like to be up early and have espresso collectively and make that little time for us earlier than the infants get up,” he stated. Added Ms. Luyendyk, “Some nights, I can’t wait to have espresso within the morning.”
Trista and Ryan Sutter
The Sutters wed in December 2003 on a three-part televised particular that adopted their look on “The Bachelorette” season one, which aired earlier that yr. They now stay with their son, 14, and daughter, 13, in Vail, Colo., and their 18-year marriage is the longest within the franchise’s historical past.
Ms. Sutter, 49, who has since written a guide and hosted a podcast, was the runner-up on season considered one of “The Bachelor.” She stated that showing on each exhibits satisfied her yow will discover love anyplace, together with “on nationwide tv like we did.”
Mr. Sutter, 47, a firefighter, stated that although “there may be strain” for finalists like himself to suggest on the finish of a season, “I by no means felt it to the diploma that I made any main selections due to it.”
However, he added, “If I’m being trustworthy, I actually didn’t know her in addition to I most likely ought to have previous to asking her to marry me.”
Like different {couples}, acclimating to a daily life collectively after the present proved attempting for the Sutters. Mr. Sutter stated {that a} psychological well being skilled whom he spoke to throughout the casting course of advised him that contestants’ lives might be affected for as much as three months after their season ended. “She missed the mark by years,” he stated.
Making time for in-person conversations is one thing each have prioritized over the course of their marriage. “Throw your telephones in your drawer when you come residence from work,” stated Ms. Sutter of a tactic they use to eradicate distractions throughout one-on-one time.
Taking part in pickleball, taking tenting journeys with their kids and sitting down at a desk to eat dinner every day are different actions that improve their relationship.
Whereas no relationship is at all times roses and Neil Lane diamond rings, the Sutters say theirs is one that folks proceed to quote for example of marital bliss. Over time, Mr. Sutter stated that they’ve been requested how they make their relationship work “tons of of instances,” and that their reply has advanced together with their marriage.
If they may sum up their reply in a tune, Ms. Sutter would level individuals to “Legends,” Kelsea Ballerini’s 2017 single. “Mainly it says nobody believed in us, however we did.”
![](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/np-logo.png)
Lifestyle
Tragedy feels all too familiar in these two international dramas
![Tragedy feels all too familiar in these two international dramas Tragedy feels all too familiar in these two international dramas](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3598x2024+33+0/resize/1400/quality/100/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Feb%2Fa6%2F753c8cf240a182d191625172cbfd%2F1477463-125979-zoomed.jpg)
The Swedish series Quicksand and the Mexican drama The Accident offer a reminder that justice plays out differently around the world. Above, Hanna Ardéhn as Maja in Quicksand.
/Netflix
hide caption
toggle caption
/Netflix
When a show is called The Accident, you know something very bad is going to happen, and when it opens with a kids’ birthday party, you know it’s probably going to be extra bad.
While on vacation, I came across the 10-episode Spanish-language Netflix series The Accident, which is currently in the Netflix Top 10. I decided to give it a whirl, as much as anything because I wanted to know what the accident was. I had not watched the trailer, which gives it away, but because it does (and it’s revealed in the opening episode), I will tell you what the accident is: At the party, the bounce house where the kids are playing is picked up by a gust of wind, and tragedy ensues.
YouTube
Unfortunately, this can happen (there was a similar tragedy in Maryland not long ago), but this is only the inciting incident. As we follow the affected families, there is intrigue over a business deal, there is an affair, there is a very scary man, there is a teenage romance, and there is a tangled tale of who is responsible for this accident. The series is about the ways these people are changed by one day in their lives, but it also has a strong undercurrent of soapy drama.
![Clockwise from top left: Industry, My Lady Jane, The Bear, The Umbrella Academy, Clipped and House of the Dragon](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1351x1350+101+0/resize/100/quality/100/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc5%2Fbe%2Fdd41899f4cdc8741c6f8af081988%2F6-images-1.jpg)
I’m not sure the show is terrific, but it’s very watchable, in that I watched all 10 episodes in a single day. (Vacation!) This is a Mexican drama, and it made me think about how, wherever a story comes from, the deepest anxieties often echo pretty effectively. A nightmare that involves kids, families that start placing blame, parents who are trying to balance career and family responsibilities with devastating costs for failure – it’s all pretty horrifying.
It’s hard to transition with the words “speaking of horrifying,” but I also watched the 2019 Swedish drama series Quicksand, adapted from the book of the same name, which begins with a school shooting. A young woman named Maja (Hanna Ardéhn) is discovered covered in blood after a shooting that kills several people (including her boyfriend), and over six episodes, the series explores what her role was and what culpability she has. While some of it is about what could possibly drive anyone to commit an act like this, a lot of it is also about the toxicity that can develop in relationships between teenagers, particularly ones who feel alienated from friends or family. Ardéhn is excellent, as is the rest of the cast, and the story walks a fine line between sensitivity and mystery as it provides more and more information about the events on the day.
YouTube
While both of these series are what you might call a “tough sit” because of the subject matter, it’s always interesting to look through a different lens at storytelling that touches on familiar things. For an American viewer like me, both series drive home the point that the justice system works differently in different places – and that criminal offenses can have wildly different penalties in other countries.
And as always, I do recommend watching these shows with subtitles, for the simple reason that you have to give them your attention. You can’t second-screen if you need to read along, and there’s much to be said for training yourself to let something hold your focus for, say, eight hours or so.
Netflix is now serving me recommendations for many, many, many dramas that were produced internationally. I’ll see you in a few years, when I’ve made a dent.
This piece also appeared in NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour newsletter. Sign up for the newsletter so you don’t miss the next one, plus get weekly recommendations about what’s making us happy.
Listen to Pop Culture Happy Hour on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Lifestyle
49ers Rookie WR Ricky Pearsall Shot During Attempted Robbery
![49ers Rookie WR Ricky Pearsall Shot During Attempted Robbery 49ers Rookie WR Ricky Pearsall Shot During Attempted Robbery](https://imagez.tmz.com/image/5d/16by9/2024/09/01/5d226ed4d3374571bdab45d442a28b6e_xl.jpg)
Ricky Pearsall, the 49ers 2024 first-round draft pick, was shot earlier today during an attempted burglary in San Francisco, the city’s mayor announced.
23-year-old Pearsall is in stable condition at a local hospital … after reportedly being shot in the arm around 3:30 PM.
San Francisco 49ers rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall shot in Union Square. pic.twitter.com/tzsRctqSii
— VideoMixtape.com (@VideoMixtape_) September 1, 2024
@VideoMixtape_
The alleged shooter was caught at the scene and is currently in custody.
The harrowing incident went down Saturday afternoon in the Union Square area of downtown SF, according to SFPD.
Cops says they responded to call for a shooting … and when they arrived on the scene, they encountered two injured people. Video taken on the street appears to show Pearsall walkin to the ambulance.
Video of 49ers draft pick Ricky Pearsall walking to ambulance after police say he was shot near Union Square. Video from witness. @KTVU pic.twitter.com/luhulILUQ7
— Zak Sos (@ZakSNews) September 1, 2024
@ZakSNews
While investigating, it became clear one of the injured was Pearsall, and the other was the alleged burglar … who was injured while committing the alleged crime.
“This afternoon, there was an attempted robbery in Union Square involving San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall and he was shot. SFPD was on scene immediately and an arrest of the shooter was made,” SF mayor London Breed said in a statement.
“My thoughts are with Ricky and his family at this time.”
The Niners drafted Pearsall, a wide receiver, 31st overall in the NFL Draft back in April after a senior season where he caught 65 passes for 965 yards and 4 TDs for the Florida Gators.
Pearsall wasn’t expected to play a major role within the Niners offense this year … with stars like like Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk ahead of him on the depth chart.
Pearsall was also battling a shoulder injury this preseason, prior to Saturday’s shooting.
Story developing …
Lifestyle
'Wait Wait' for August 31, 2024: Live in Minnesota with Nate Berkus
!['Wait Wait' for August 31, 2024: Live in Minnesota with Nate Berkus 'Wait Wait' for August 31, 2024: Live in Minnesota with Nate Berkus](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4032x2268+0+0/resize/1400/quality/100/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdc%2F79%2F6c7afa6242ce9a53f9c10f64e374%2Fgettyimages-1436835915.jpg)
Nate Berkus speaks onstage during the Celebrity Cruises newest and most luxurious ship, Celebrity Beyond, makes north American debut in NYC on October 25, 2022 in Bayonne, New Jersey. (Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for Celebrity Cruises)
Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for Celebrity Cruis/Getty Images North America
hide caption
toggle caption
Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for Celebrity Cruis/Getty Images North America
This week’s show was recorded at the Orpheum Theater in Minneapolis with host Peter Sagal, judge and scorekeeper Bill Kurtis, Not My Job guest Nate Berkus and panelists Joyelle Nicole Johnson, Bobcat Goldthwait, and Josh Gondelman. Click the audio link above to hear the whole show.
Who’s Bill This Time
Beware of Babies; Coffee Conundrum; Even Killer Whales Need Practice
Panel Questions
The Buddy System Fails
Bluff The Listener
Our panelists tell three stories about someone saying “I told you so,” only one of which is true.
Not My Job: We quiz celebrity designer Nate Berkus on tattoos
Interior Designer Nate Berkus plays our game called “Try Some Exterior Decorating.” Three questions about tattoos.
Panel Questions
A Suspicious Promotion; Chicken Fried Television; Out Of Office/Out of Patience
Limericks
Bill Kurtis reads three news-related limericks: Pizza Face; Eau de Crayola; Caffeinated Commerce
Lightning Fill In The Blank
All the news we couldn’t fit anywhere else
Predictions
Our panelists predict what surprising thing Starbucks will add to its menu next.
-
Connecticut1 week ago
Oxford church provides sanctuary during Sunday's damaging storm
-
Technology1 week ago
Breakthrough robo-glove gives you superhuman grip
-
Politics1 week ago
2024 showdown: What happens next in the Kamala Harris-Donald Trump face-off
-
News1 week ago
Who Are Kamala Harris’s 1.5 Million New Donors?
-
Politics1 week ago
Trump taunted over speculated RFK Jr endorsement: 'Weird as hell'
-
Politics1 week ago
Vivek Ramaswamy sounds off on potential RFK Jr. role in a Trump administration
-
World6 days ago
Portugal coast hit by 5.3 magnitude earthquake
-
Politics1 week ago
House GOP demands elite universities counteract 'dangerous' anti-Israel protests in the fall semester