Selling your heart for fame

Yes, I watched More to Love again tonight. Watched it in real time as well as I didn’t want to run the risk of reading any spoilers that would otherwise mar my viewing of the episode. The episode was similar to the rest of them (they go on dates, the women claim to be falling in love, the women discuss their body issues while Luke feeds them massive portions of food, and ultra competitive Lauren gets eliminated) but I want to focus on something a little different tonight. I want to think about what it is like to be in Luke’s large, probably stinky shoes.

Now first off if Luke has a brain in his head he will choose Mandy to win it all and is just right now doing all of this so that the show has the proper number of episodes. For those not familiar with the show Mandy is a 25 year old fitness trainer who is attractive, intelligent and happens to have a measurable amount of self esteem, which is in short supply amongst the contestants. In fact, watching her makes me wonder just why in the world she is on the show in the first place. Sure, she is a big girl but more athlete than anything else. Easily the top choice.

But what really interests me is what has to be going on in the mind of the guy who is choosing between all of these women. On one hand this is the proverbial kid in a candy store. We will drop you in a room filled with women who are all competing to win your heart made all the more interesting in this situation as they all have low self-esteem and are pretty desperate. On the other hand you will essentially be put on television as a whore for several months. You will be shown making out with woman after woman in which it is well known that you have no interest in any of these women. In this case it helps that Luke is a complete douchenozzle or as we will from now on refer to him, a Favre.

Because at the end of the day I’m not sure how he can go through the show with either a straight face or a soul. Imagine that you are sitting there having a woman pour out her heart and soul to you about how she feels that you might be her soulmate and you start making out. Then you end it and five minutes later repeat the exact same exchange with another woman. I know that on some level of the male psyche that is considered cool but on another you know that it is cruel. He is intentionally going to break some hearts because that is part of the show. And he knows that as he is hooking up with them. At least Mystery never implied that someone was going to be “the one.” Heck, he couldn’t even guarantee his presence for the entire night. At least he was truthful about it.

Now I will admit that odds are the women are also not being honest and forthright either. Part of this is an act as well as the most flirtatious ones are most likely to stay on the show, get more air time and gain whatever popularity one obtains from being on a reality show. I doubt that many people go on these shows looking for love; most are there for the fame. But that is what makes this show compelling and slightly disturbing. I actually believe that some of these women feel that this is their only chance to find someone worthwhile and that is really sad. Luke doesn’t feel that way, as one can figure out in about five minutes, and to see someone get truly heartbroken is not enjoyable television.