When it debuted in 2002, The Bachelor raised the stakes of first-wave reality television, offering the ultimate prize: true love. Since then, thrice yearly, dozens of camera-ready young-and-eligibles have vied for affection (and roses) in front of a devoted audience of millions. In this funny, insightful examination of the world's favourite romance-factory, Suzannah Showler explores the contradictions that are key to the franchise's genius, longevity, and power and parses what this means for both modern love and modern America.