Tonight, I will be watching The Bachelor. With my wife. Truth be told, I used to hide my Bachelor/Bachelorette watching…
“Hey Ned, how about that Trailblazers game last night?!?”
“Yeah, man! They really dominated the paint!”
“What are you talking about? They LOST!”
“Oh, right. Uh, I got tapped out for a house fire and missed the second half.”
“Was everyone ok?”
“Yeah, but the girls who didn’t get a rose were pretty upset.”
“Wait… what?”
I actually watch very little television. The shows I do watch are because of personal interest. I watch Chicago Fire because I’m avolunteer firefighter; The MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour because I’m a journalist; Hell’s Kitchen because I was a chef for 10 years; The Bachelor because I don’t ever want to be one again. As a ridiculously happily married man, I can tell you the benefits of a good marriage far outweigh the initial discomfort of watching Chris Harrison — week after week — inform everyone who didn’t pass kindergarten math that there’s only one rose left. You also have to get past the three main types of contestants who appear each season:
• The Cryer — Easy to spot because they are reduced to tears and sitting alone within 15 minutes of arriving at the mansion
• The Liar — This person is already in a long-term relationship and is a struggling actor. They are always extremely attractive, which causes the Bachelor’s judgement to become cloudy as blood flows away from the brain to an area not directly related to the circulatory system.
And lastly,
• The Psycho — Always arrives separately from the rest of the contestants, usually in some uniquely pretentious way, such as by helicopter or riding a zebra and wearing only a wrestling singlet.
As someone who has been watching The Bachelor with his wife for several years now, I have gained a few insights that have made me a better husband. To illustrate my point, and more importantly show my wife I’m not just paying attention during bikini volleyball, I am going to share a few of those insights with other husbands who may have missed last (every) season of the show.
First, always keep a rose with you.
Always.
Having the ability to — at a moment’s notice — produce a fragrant flower symbolizing your love is a game changer that can diffuse any situation….
Wife: Are these your dirty BOXERS in the sink… AGAIN!”
Husband: [Pulls out rose] “This is for you.”
Wife: “Oh sweetheart! Where else can I look for your boxers? Wait, don’t tell me! I want it to be like an Easter egg hunt!”
In the rare instance a rose isn’t enough, make sure you have a mutual friend willing to be a love liaison for you. Someone who cares about you both and has your best interest as a couple in mind. I would highly suggest getting Chris Harrison. He may not be able to count higher than 1, but he is an artful mediator. Contrary to what you might think, getting his help is actually pretty easy. All you have to do is take a single rose and put it in a basket. He will appear almost instantly to announce it’s the only one left.
Lastly, after watching several seasons of The Bachelor, it’s clear that trust and emotional bonds are strengthened by participating in life-threatening activities together.
Skydiving.
Bungee jumping.
The rose ceremony.
These opportunities are presented many times over the course of a season. For the rest of us, especially those with children, the closest we get to experiencing bond-building danger together is when someone accidentally puts a fork in the microwave. For this reason, when opportunity presents itself, you need to make the most of it by doubling up on the danger.
Going bungee jumping?
DOUBLE-UP!
Do it over a shark tank.
Going skydiving?
DOUBLE-UP!
Land in a bull-riding competition dressed as rodeo clowns.
Riding as passengers in a NASCAR race?
DOUBLE-UP!
Let my son drive.
Haha! Just kidding! You can’t strengthen emotional bonds if you’re dead.
But you get the idea.
So tonight, I’ll once again take a spot on the couch next to my wife and watch as the latest bachelor attempts what is essentially televised cat juggling, complete with claws and hissing. Possibly even some flying fur. But as he attempts to discover the inner truths of each woman and searches for his soulmate one rose at a time, my wife and I will be eating snack foods and sipping something cold as we share observations about each contestant — which brings me to the most valuable lesson I’ve learned: Given the chance to be The Bachelor, I’d still choose my wife.
Especially if there’s bikini volleyball involved…
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Ned's Blog 
Ned, because you will watch a certain show with your wife that normally you wouldn’t without her… In my book, that makes you a true romantic! That’s the kind of stuff you do for love right? Ask Scott about 90210 & Melrose Place! ROTFLMFAO😂 24 years later, here we are👌🏼 Love it!!
*shivers* The bottom line is that I really enjoy anything we do together. I also appreciate that those things never include watching “Magic Mike.”
Yes sir of course…Anything 🙂 You mean you didn’t watch “Magic Mike?” Scott did 🙂
Well, my hat’s off to Scott. But that’s all, just my hat… 😉
Ahhhhh man😏 LMAO😂
Happy New Year, Ned. 🙂
Great post. 🙂
Happy New Year to you, too, Lynette! And thanks 😉
Great advice oh wise one! But my husband (and I) would rather go shopping at the Mall of Americas Black Friday weekend at 4:00am then sit through a single episode of The Bachelor!!!! 😛 And you KNOW how much I LOVE shopping!! LMAO!!
That was sarcasm dearest… just in case you didn’t recognize it! ha ha ha ha!!
But the advice is good, none the less! I especially like the skydiving one! But I will never get my hubby to jump out of a perfectly good airplane. I know this because he wouldn’t go the 3 times I went… 😉
I suspected a hint of sarcasm thanks to my many years as a keen observer of people… 😉 And even though your husband wouldn’t jump out of a plane with you, I’m sure he was rooting for you. From somewhere safe on the ground. With a beer 😉
Not far from accurate.. except he wasn’t drinking a beer. I think it was Bourbon! ha ha! We were actually on our way for me to do it the third time when he said, “I don’t want you to do this anymore!” Daughter was only 2 at the time and he didn’t want to be a single dad…. so I didn’t 😦
That was many years ago, but I loved it! Would so do it again if I was given the opportunity, but I won’t be going out to do on purpose now. Maybe for my next big birthday?? That is several years away though!
There’s always naked skydiving for your 80th… And definitely more bourbon 😉
*waves to Courtney
Can we double date? If you see the hubs and I watching an episode of the bachelor, it means the world is ending.
No doubt! That is what is happening even if it is only I watching “The Bachelor”!
And I would LOVE to go on a date with you… Oh yeah and we can bring the hubbies along too 😉
BAHAHA! Okay…if they must 😉
😛
Your posts do make me laugh. Happy New Year, my friend. Enjoy the your Bachelor watching!
Hey Amanda! And a Happy New Year to you as well! It may have had a rough beginning but your positive spirit and perspective will smooth things out into what I know will be a terrific new year 😉
It’s a great idea to be able to produce a rose at moment’s notice – but what if there’s only one rose left? Is it okay to quietly steal the roses you’ve given already and reuse them?
I prefer the term “repurposing.”
It is remarkable that The Bachelor, much like Party Down South and Survivor, is still going strong. I watched maybe the first 2 seasons of The Bachelor and just couldn’t do it anymore. It’s been a wonder to me the last couple of years who is it still watching them and keeping them alive….now I know. It’s all Ned’s fault.
“Party Down South” sounds like it could be the title of the next Rob Schneider and David Spade movie.
And yes, I take full responsibility for The Bachelor’s longevity… wait, that sounds wrong…
hey, don’t forget, you’ve always got your secret weapon, the red thong, not far away, to call on as needed.
Haha! Hopefully it will never be that badly needed…
You’re a good husband Ned. You couldn’t pay me to watch that show, lol 🙂
It’s not that bad once you get past all the manipulating and emotional breakdowns and… ok, yeah, it’s pretty bad. But watching it with my wife and sharing our commentary makes fun 😉
That’s what it’s all about. 🙂
I have never watched “The Bachelor”, nor ever intend to, but I do see the point of you watching it with your wife. God bless you!
Lol! Thank You, Lori!
Easter egg hunts should never.. or always… involve boxer shorts.
In that case, I wouldn’t expect to see the Easter bunny at your house any time soon…
(And Happy New Year, Steve!)
Reblogged this on Kate McClelland.
Look at you. Planting a rose garden.
Don’t forget to water daily. *smile*
That’s the best part…
You’re a good husband, Ned Hickson.
Thankfully, my wife has no interest in shows that don’t feature vampires…
Oh, there are plenty of bloodsuckers on this show. But as a friend, I’ll keep that between us.
Our secret, buddy…
uh… I benefit from watching TV in general… it stops me from saying stupid stuff for a while…
That’s what FOX News is for…
let them do the stupid for you…
Exactly!
yup
I can’t even stomach The Bachelor. Ugh!
I’m a first responder so I’m used to the carnage…
Yes, you are a special type of man, your wife, better half is very lucky.
I bet you and your wife have an awesome time doing this together. As you know, there’s magic within a relationship when two people can laugh together. Add a shark tank to the mix, and well…you and the red thong know what happens next 😉
We really do have fun with our running commentary, and it totally annoys our teenagers — which is a great perk 😉
If aliens land on this planet, I hope they are given this and only this to read to learn about our culture. They will then surely leave us alone.
I’d keep a rose handy, just in case.