I cannot tell you how many people have told me that they cannot believe that I watch the bachelor, but I do, and I have no shame in it. I fell into the vortex that is the Bachelor Nation, but the thing about it is, I am totally okay with it. With every passing season, I grow to love the show and the people on the show more and more, and there is so much more to the Bachelor Nation than people see.

The friendships that develop is one of the reasons that I love the Bachelor/Bachelorette/Bachelor in Paradise. Think about it, the people that are on the show do not have any communication with the outside world for up to 8 weeks, and a good majority of the time they’re spending it with each other, not with the said “bachelor” of the season, so there are bound to be some good friendships that come out of it. One of my favorite examples of said "friendships" is Jojo Fletcher and Becca Tilley. Like, I kid you not, these two are the definition of #friendshipgoals. I mean come on, they spend holidays with each other, Becca fights all the Jojo haters on twitter and they remake music videos together. And, don't even get me started on some of the bromances that have come out of the show. Tanner, JJ and Jared are in a group chat together and talk about Pokemon Go (Bachelor in Paradise season 2).They're best friends, just like us. They just happened to meet, because they dated the same person...along with 22 other people.

Not only do the contestants develop friendships, but the viewers do as well. Over the course of time, you learn just how many people watch The Bachelor. It starts with you just watching it with one friend, and then they invite someone else into the mix and eventually it turns into a viewing party of 10 to 20 people crammed into your apartment living room. I cannot tell you the friendships that I have gained in my life, just because it is something that is so easy to relate to. My Monday nights are now something that I can look forward to, because I know that it is going to be a night full of laughter, conversation and wine with some of my closest friends.

Another great thing that comes from shows like these is all of the great things that some of the contestants have done since the show and have been able to do BECAUSE of the show. One of my favorite examples of this is Sarah Herron and her development of her Non Profit called SheLift. Sarah was a contestant on Sean Lowe's season of the Bachelor, and she quickly became one of my favorite contestants with her absolutely sweet personality and willingness to try new things, even if they might be scary. Sarah was also one of a kind in the fact that she was born with one arm. After her time on the Bachelor, she became a cofounder of a Non Profit called SheLift. SheLift's purpose is to empower women with physical disabilities through the means of mentoring, activities and retreats. Because of this show, she has been able to reach a whole new audience and has created such a wonderful thing that is bettering the world we live in. If you would like to know more about this wonderful cause, CLICK HERE! Sarah is not alone in taking a stand on important issues, Kaitlyn Bristowe was able to bring up the importance of the effects of cyber bullying, Ben Higgins has been able to launch "Get Hope. Give Hope" campaign, and so much more has been brought up because of the people who were a part of this show.

On top of all of the charitable things that have happened from Bachelor Contestants, the contestants have also been able to publish creative outlets from the shows following. There has been so many blogs and books written by past contestants that a good majority of people can more than likely relate to, pick up for a fun book to read, or look to when they're needing some love, fashion or everyday advice. Chris Harrison, the host of the Bachelor and it's spinoffs, has written a book called The Perfect Letter- which is a fiction about love and holds insight that he has gathered with his time on the show. Sean Lowe wrote a book called For the Right Reasons- talking about his journey as the Bachelor and being a Bachelorette Contestant, while still living up to his faith's values and in the end finding his true love. And my personal favorite, and one that I am currently in the middle of reading, is Andi Dorfman's book, It's Not Okay- which is written in a diary perspective talking about her crazy journey on and after the show. All of these books hold special qualities that any reader can relate to, and have been so successful because of them being a part of the show.

And lastly, as weird as it is, sometimes this process actually works. It has taken some time, but I feel like the producers have gotten to the point to where they really look at the contestants and try to find good matches for whoever is chosen to be the Bachelor or Bachelorette, because the couples over the past few years have had lasting relationships. Since I have started the show, which was Sean's season, almost all of the contestants that got down on one knee at the end of the 8 weeks have stayed together. Sean and Catherine are married and have a child together and Desiree and Chris are married as well with a baby on the way. Kaitlyn and Shawn B have been engaged for over a year now, Ben and Lauren are still together and planning their wedding and Jojo and Jordan are picking out couches. Even couples from The Bachelor in Paradise have lasted with both Lindsey and Marcus married, as well as Jade and Tanner. Of course, some relationships do not last, but that's okay. Neither do some of the relationships that we "everyday" people enter into. It's life, and the people on the show are taking a chance at love, because who doesn't want to find it?

So, the Bachelor, Bachelorette, and Bachelor in Paradise are so much more than just shows. They're bringing people together and helping form friendships, they give ways for people to bring attention to issues that some people in the world face, they're causes of creative outlets like blogs and books and they're a way for some people to find love. Yes, there's some drama, and tears and all of those other stereotypical things sometimes, but there's SO much more, and that's what makes the show so captivating and draws people in. But, it's because of the reasons above and so many more why I continue to watch these shows, keep up on the people who were on them and am proud to say I am a part of #BachelorNation.