Bachelor 23 - Caelynn Miller-Keyes - *Sleuthing Spoilers*

Sharleen wrote:There were plenty of standard Night One getting-to-know-you chats, but one stood out to me and I had to capture and dissect it. While I like Caelynn, this is simply not something I agree with…

In my opinion, one’s readiness for marriage and kids has everything to do with nurture—where and how you were raised, what you desire for your own adulthood based on those things—and isn’t something life experience accelerates. If anything, traveling, seeing other cultures, and generally experiencing a lot makes you realize how small your world is and how little you know. I firmly believe the more you see, the less (you realize) you know. I guess what I’m saying is, they’re separate categories. Readiness for marriage and kids is on a different plane than life experience. Ticking off boxes in the latter does not result in the former. Unless, say, there were things you’ve always known you wanted to do before settling down and starting a family, but that’s just a sequence of events.

Luckily for Caelynn, Colton couldn’t be more on the same page, responding with this doozy…

flojo031 wrote:

Aunties_Love wrote:

flojo031 wrote:I can't see TPTB picking Tia to be Bachelorette for 2019. She had her chance this year, and she blew it. And I certainly don't see them making a special exception for her. I know that they made one for Emily years ago, but that was a completely different story because she was universally loved. Trying to compare Tia to Emily is like comparing apples to oranges.

Isn't Tia loved by the majority of viewers out there though??

Not really. I mean, yeah, she still has her fans, but for the most part the Tia love has quieted down significantly.

via GIPHY

Sharleen wrote:In the evening, Caelynn reveals her disturbing sexual assault experience, the first ever reveal of its kind on this show. I touched on this over at Flare, but I was so impressed not only with her bravery in revealing this, but also with the eloquence and composure with which she did it. A should out also goes to the show for, in my opinion, handling it with a good deal of care and respect. To be honest, at the risk of sounding too casual on the subject, the fact that we’re 23 seasons in and have had many hundreds of women on this show, and given the fact that r*pe (or attempted r*pe) are in no way rare occurrences, it’s in a way surprising that only now are we getting a contestant who’s willing to go there.
Even with all the emphasis on it not being the victim’s fault and encouraging them to speak out and hold their assailants responsible, it says something about how much shame is still associated with experiencing this kind of attack. Even if they do manage to overcome that misplaced shame, it’s really sad how often they aren’t believed or taken seriously. (Christine Blasey Ford, anyone? You better believe #IBelieveHer.) So, if one good thing can come from this show, to even remotely normalize speaking out as being an OK, and maybe even applauded thing to do, would be a pretty huge step. When you think about how many millions of young women watch this show, it’s at times like this that you know there’s more to its power than turning pretty girls into Instagram stars and “Most Dramatic Ever” punchlines.

It’s unlikely Caelynn’s the first contestant on this show to be a victim of r*pe. But she is the first to bravely speak out about it. This is not something to minimize or take for granted. I am truly amazed at this young woman’s strength. And at—excuse my French—TWENTY FU*KING THREE YEARS OLD. Brava, girl.  

Jolena wrote:It's obvious to me that TPTB are setting her up for next lead. jmo