ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the show The Bachelorette, which is particularly ripe for analysis of romantic messages as it depicts the formation of a couple. Each episode culminates in a 'rose ceremony' in which a previously mandated number of men either receive roses as a symbol of continued relationship potential or receive their notice to go home. The explosion of the reality genre has blurred the lines between the television and real world. Media effects describes how television, film, print, and other sources of mass information may influence what people think about, how they interpret events, and the ways in which people act. The chapter explains the magnified effects of The Bachelorettes romantic messages on viewers, it have created a show-specific media effects model involving variables of generic similarities, suspense, parasocial relationships, and estimations of realism. It argues that two factors, similarities to pre-established genres and maintenance of suspense, enhance the likelihood of parasocial relationships for viewers of The Bachelorette.
