What happened to The Bachelor franchise?

Today’s post is coming from a long time fan of The Bachelor and all it’s spinoffs. I’ve watched for years and it’s taken me a long time to admit the show is trash. Some would say it was always trash but I truly believe in the beginning they actually cared about people finding love. Now, though, and for quite a few seasons, it’s just been about creating drama and what I assume is the producers caring mostly about ratings. There’s probably still a shred of honesty left in the show’s creators, like maybe a part of them truly wants the bachelor/ette to find “their person.” But mostly it’s about ratings, and therefore, money.

The best way to describe why I despise The Bachelor franchise (aka one reason I don’t watch anymore) is like this: Do you remember the kids game/activity called “Telephone”? It’s where there are a group of people and the first person tells the second a phrase or sentence. The second tries to repeat it to the third, as best as they can remember. The third tells the fourth, all the way down the line. By the time the last person says the sentence aloud it’s pretty far off from the original sentence. That’s what The Bachelor and The Bachelorette are now.

I’d actually love to watch season one just to see how seemingly innocent it was back then and now, decades later, it’s turned into an intentional train wreck. “Here for the right reasons” is a misleading phrase because none of them are there for the right reasons! My last thought is that I can no longer justify spending two hours each week watching something so clearly orchestrated but trying to sell me that it’s not.

So until it gets back to the original recipe, I’ll be dining elsewhere.

Thanks for dropping by (for the right reasons)…

-Out of the Wilderness

Would you go back?

Hello there and thanks for taking a chance on reading a post here at Out of the Wilderness. Today’s post is a bit reflective, but I also write about lighthearted things like camping, dating, God and faith, and my dogs. Check those out when you have a chance. Ok, on to today’s thoughts…

Is there a period in your life you’d go back to, given the opportunity? It’s often the plot in movies, books, and TV shows and I think about it sometimes, especially with how things are in the world right now. I know I wouldn’t go back to childhood, middle, or high school. Those were fun times, don’t get me wrong. I *might* go back to college years. After that age, I wouldn’t go back to being in my 20s or 30s. Again, many great experiences but I love where I am now, in my 40s. I wouldn’t want to go through the hard things again, the awkward experiences, the loss of loved ones, embarrassing moments with peers, etc. Of course, I have regrets and there are things I would do differently, but I almost firmly believe I’m on the track I should be on.

One of my favorite Kenny Chesney songs is “A Lot of Things Different.” It was a single of his in the early 2000s (years before I worked in country music and then got laid off from that job). The song reflects on how people say they wouldn’t change their past at all, but he goes against the grain by saying he would change things. In fact, he would do a lot of things different. While I wouldn’t go back, there are things I would’ve, and probably should’ve, done differently. But that’s life, right? Remembering those *hesitates to call them mistakes* ought to help me make better decisions in the present and future. Otherwise, did I learn anything from the past? A few thoughts are now coming to mind…

  1. From the handful of regrets I have, most are not things I did. They’re things I didn’t do. So my advice to the younger me would be to try things. Live carefully of course, but most of the things you’ll regret will be what you didn’t do, not what you did.
  2. A Bible verse shared in church recently sort of fits this blog post. It’s from Romans… what fruit came from the things you’re now ashamed of? This is referring to sin more than the overall course of a person’s life, but I still find it applicable.
  3. We all should’ve put a few dollars into Bitcoin back in 2010/11. Sigh.

Cryptocurrency aside, I hope this post helps you reflect on your life, even for a moment. If you’re willing to share, leave a comment with a few thoughts about why you love where you are or why you don’t.

Thanks for dropping in…

-Out of the Wilderness

Things I did or didn’t do, what results came from them? What should I do different now so the fruit is sweet and not bitter?

-Out of the Wilderness

Liberty Bad Actor Commercial – Liberty Bibberty and more funny stuff

When any Liberty Mutual commercial comes on TV, am I the only one who almost always involuntarily says “Liberty bibberty”? As the classic quote from the 90s goes, I LEARNED IT BY WATCHING YOU! That is, I learned it by watching this ad from Liberty (and be sure to scroll down for the hilarious extended version)…

The Actor. The “bad actor” in this commercial is actually a professional actor named Tanner Novlan. You might recognize him the way my mom and sister did… from daytime soap opera The Bold & The Beautiful where he plays the part of doctor John Finnegan. Also, if you watch the clip below (from 2020), you’ll soon learn his mom (just like my mom) is a fan of this show going way back, so much so that she named her dog Thorne, after the character on the show, Thorne Forrester. I would’ve went with Ridge, but that’s just me.

Tanner’s been in quite a few ads, a few as a hockey player. Hey, he IS from Canada, so the hockey thing kind of makes sense. He’s married to actress Kayla Ewell who’s been cast on B&B before, and well-known for her role in The Vampire Diaries.

Back to the commercial, you MUST check out the extended ad here. It’s even more funny.

Thanks for dribbity dropping by…

-Out of the Wilderness

I STILL haven’t seen an alligator

In LeBron James style, I took my talents to north Florida late last year. I get that it was cooler and all, but over 4 months and I haven’t even seen ONE alligator. I guess that’s a blessing, actually. But still, after visiting a handful of state parks over the last couple of months, I thought I’d at least see one or two lying on a bank to warm themselves with the sun. But noooOOooOOoo. I mean, it’s not like I want to see one up close. I had vivid dreams as a child of one of these creatures chasing me. Even as an adult, alligators are pretty darn scary to me, especially since I sometimes have two 30-pound companions trotting around with me outside.

Like the Jonas Brothers ask, whatta man gotta do? I just want to see an alligator from a safe distance. Is that too much to ask? Until then, I guess I’ll have to be content seeing all sorts of birds, squirrels, dogs, and… oh yeah, humans.

-Out of the Wilderness

Allstate’s Wedding Cake Commercial – The Music and the Actress

Hello and thanks for stopping by. I know you are looking for the background info of the latest Allstate commercial but before we get to that, here’s the 30-sec ad.

The “Precious Cargo” ad features quirky music with an even quirkier title. It’s “Di-Gue-Ding-Ding” by Michel Legrand. Here’s the full track…

The Actress. Driving the unmarked car that happens to be a convertible Toyota Solara is multi-talented actress Quartay DeNaya. Along with acting, she’s a musician and a martial artist (according to the description on her Instagram, which you can find and follow here). Speaking of which, here’s one of Ms. DeNaya’s Instagram posts from the commercial shoot.

The commercial is mostly a hit with viewers, except for the idea of driving a cake around in a convertible. Bugs getting stuck in the cake is a real possibility. But real life aside, this is a cute ad with a great soundtrack!

Share your thoughts below…

-Out of the Wilderness