Jubilee Sharpe - Bachelor 20 - *Sleuthing - Spoilers*

At the mansion, Jubilee says something that really stuck with me...

I have a theory as to the reason why so many of the contestants on this show fall so hard for the lead. Yes, of course, there's the living-in-a-bubble thing, the blinders-on mentality, the sense of competition making the "prize" seem even more prize-like... But it's no coincidence that the farther people go, generally the more and more "in love" they seem to fall (and thus more brokenhearted when they're cut). I don't know about you, but in my experience the more and more I've gotten to know someone of the opposite sex romantically, the less likely it was that I'd fall in love with them. It's not that I'm hyper critical or picky, it's just that not everyone is meant to be with each other, and as we get to know each other better, the cracks in compatibility tend to show.

But in this alternate reality, contestants start off in a position of feeling invisible, or at least not particularly special. To be singled out, especially early, as someone who "sticks out" to the lead, is flattering to say the least. That feeling of specialness is not to be underestimated in a realm where your self esteem and sense of self are being challenged daily. Therefore, my theory is that contestants fall "in love" more with that feeling and confuse it with actual love for the lead. This is something I've been pondering both from my own experience and from having been a viewer for several years. Thoughts??

JUBILEE'S ONE-ON-ONE

I've always envied those folks who can be 100% themselves around new people or when they're socially out of their element. I've never been able to be that way and therefore I feel for Jubilee. Watching her entire one-on-one date, it's clear she's usually the class clown but she doesn't know how to let that side of her out without coming off like she doesn't care. It was frustrating to watch all the girls moan about how she didn't seem "grateful" when Jubilee was obviously using sarcasm to offset her discomfort. (Oh, and for the record, she literally jumped off the sofa and screamed upon hearing her name on the date card. Not the reaction of someone who doesn't care.)

In her own words: "With me, there's always this level of discomfort when I'm with somebody. Like, I can't really be myself, I can't joke around, say my jokes, you know, or just be who I am naturally."

Just watch her self-edit her own joy as Ben reaches for the rose to offer it to her:

It was in the above moment that I finally fell in love with Ben as the Bachelor. In addition to being eloquent, he's sensitive and perceptive. Jubilee doesn't fool him for a second. He just gets it.