If you’re one of those people who “don’t have time for TV” or “think reality TV is stupid,” you may want to stop reading now. Here at Fish, we’re neither of those people. We’re the people who live-text each other throughout 3 hour long episodes of The Bachelor (shout out to the Bachelor Nation group text), the people who talk about Katie and Tom from Vanderpump Rules as if we personally know them, the people who think Bethenny and Carole are the most iconic duo since Bonnie and Clyde. Basically, we love trashy reality TV and we don’t care who knows it.
Last week, the 21st season of The Bachelor aired its finale, with Nick giving his final rose to Vanessa. In honor of this monumental television moment, I figured it was only appropriate to share several life lessons we can learn from The Bachelor that can be applied to our day-to-day lives as PR pros. I know it sounds like a stretch, but hear me out!
- In true Nick Viall fashion, if at first you don’t succeed, try again. This season marked Nick’s fourth time on a bachelor installment (2 rounds of The Bachelorette, one round of Bachelor in Paradise, one round of The Bachelor). Romantics said he just couldn’t give up on his quest for love, cynics said he was just milking his 15 minutes of fame yet again (for the record, I fall squarely in the cynics column). Nonetheless, we should all be more like Nick in our PR careers and not let rejection deter us. Who knows, maybe like Nick the 4th time will be the charm.
- First impressions never go well when you’re drunk. The first episode of every season kicks off with a cocktail party, during which at least one person inevitably drinks too much and ends up embarrassing themselves, usually going home hungover and rose-less. This is a good lesson to always remember for networking events or work cocktail parties – if you’re trying to make a good impression, stick to water or, at the very least, a two drink limit.
- Find your passion and run with it. This season, we met Alexis Waters, aka the “aspiring dolphin trainer” who showed up on her first night in a dolphin costume (that was actually a shark costume). It was quirky and weird, but it worked for her, as it usually does when you do things you’re passionate about.
- Be confident. One of the best/worst parts of this season (depending on who you ask) was the introduction of Corrine to America. Whether you loved her or you hated her, Corrine’s confidence was obvious and helped her stick around to the final 4 despite a laundry list of obvious flaws.
- When in doubt, take a nap. Corrine got a bad rep for taking naps at inopportune times (like during rose ceremonies), but I kinda saw where she was coming from. The health benefits of napping are widely known and include improving alertness, alleviating stress and boosting your mood. During a tough day, a 20-30 minute power nap can often be just what the doctor ordered.
