When “Bachelorette” has its finale July 30, some viewers might be skeptical.
Does it really matter? Do the couples ever stay together?
Hardly ever, when the guy is in charge. But sometimes, when the woman makes the choice – as we see in a different show, “Cash Pad,” that same night. Consider:
— It took “The Bachelor” 13 editions before producing its first marriage (from the 2009 edition). Two others (2013 and 2018) followed. All of the others broke up, except for this year’s duo, still dating. And of those three successes, two of the guys dumped their original choice and married the runner-up.
— “The Bachelorette” had a marriage from its first year (2003). After a slump, it had ones from 2011 and 2013. And the couples in the past three years are still dating; one (2017) has its wedding set for next month.
That makes the guys 3-for-24 in marriages, plus (maybe) one dating couple. The women are 3-for-14, plus three engaged couples, one of them about to marry.
And as luck will have it, we can see one of those couples right after the latest decision. It goes like this:
— Monday and Tuesday (July 29-30): The two-part “Bachelorette” finale is 8-10:01 p.m. on ABC.
— Also Tuesday (July 30): At 10 p.m., we can see JoJo Fletcher and Jordan Rodgers – the 2016 “Bachelorette” couple — creating vacation homes. That’s in CNBC’s “Cash Pad,” which debuts July 23.
It’s a detour for both of them; each had planned to go into the family business.
Fletcher, 28, planned to be a doctor, like both her parents. She was a pre-med major at Baylor, before switching to real estate.
And Rodgers, 30, planned to be a pro quarterback like his superstar brother Aaron. He almost got there.
After winning a junior college national championship at Butte, Rodgers went to Vanderbilt. Taking over the starting job in mid-season, he was the first Vanderbilt quarterback to have two straight bowl games.
That wasn’t enough to get him drafted, but he’s managed to be signed (practice squad and pre-season) by two NFL teams and a Canadian one. Still, when he reached “Bachelorette,” his career had stalled.
Now he has a new one with Fletcher. The plan is to have a string of stand-alone vacation spots (cottages and such) around the country. To get there quickly, they lease (not own) and do the renovations themselves.
In the July 23 opener, at least, that makes great sense. In the wine country of Texas (Fletcher’s home state), they pay $700 a month, then spend $35,000 to turn a cottage into a 400-square-foot gem.
The renovations looks great; so, of course, do the renovators, who seem like everyone’s image of a homecoming king and queen. They suggest that maybe something good can come from “Bachelorette.”
“Cash Pad”
— 7 p.m. PT Tuesdays, CNBC, rerunning at 9.
— The July 23 opener, in Texas wine country, reruns at 5 p.m.PT Wednesday and 9 p.m. Thursday, then 10 p.m. July 30. In addition, Bravo runs it, at 8:57 a.m. Saturday. July 27.
— That second episode, July 30 – turning a shipping container into a trendy cottage in Austin, Texas – happens to be on the night of ABC’s “Bachelorette” finale.