Performing Race in Flavor of Love and The Bachelor

In Thursday's class discussion, we watched video coverage on two dating shows which were Flavor of Love and The Bachelor. Before we viewed both dating shows, we got into pairs of two to compare and contrast what we already knew about the shows. It was more of a stereotypical exercise, to see how a black dating show and a white dating are totally different in so many ways. What my partner and I came up with for the dating show Flavor of Love was how the star of the show, Flavor Flav, seem as if he was not actually looking for love; he was more of a comedian if anything. Flav made it more entertaining with small humorous tactics or sayings that he kept doing in all his seasons of Flavor of Love. We thought of the girls on the show as being 'hood'/'ghetto', loud, abusive, fighters, aggressive, comfortable with there sexuality (amongst each other and Flav), alcoholics, always crying, disrespectful, and not female like in some ways; just to name a few, but I'm sure the list can go on and on. I am one who has never seen the Bachelor, besides in class on Thursday. From what I have seen so far on this dating show, the guy seems more into the women and wants to settle down. The show gives the traditional impression of finding the perfect woman, wanting to settle down, looking for marriage someday down the road, and have kids. After seeing both aspects of these dating shows, I have came to the conclusion that Flavor Flav never cared about these women, for the simple fact, that he gave them nick names instead of knowing them by there real names. He took them to place within the American nation like a Las Vegas or a Miami, but never nothing out the ordinary to show these women something new and adventures. Despite of everything on the show, all he wanted to do was have sex with these women and they were willing to give it up to him because they see money/dollar signs, but put on a front on top of that to get a deal somehow. You see how New York got her own show! Now, from checking out The Bachelor, this guy feeling were so involved with these women. He took the women to Africa, some where out the ordinary; like a bran new environment or different world. He also brought his entire immediate family to meet these women because he felt that was being real to himself, the women, and his family; as if wanted everyone's opinion and thoughts about what he's about to embark on for his future with one of the women. As we wrapped up both dating shows, our class and the professor discussed the stereotypes of the shows. For instance, if The Bachelor had 'ghetto' versions on the show, how it was on white-centered network, if participants on both shows were putting on a performance just for the ratings or were they actually falling in love even though cameras were around 24/7, when confession time came around on both shows; how the white women spoke out against the guy and the other women, and how the black women spoke out against Flav and the women in the house, and then we compared and contrast both dating shows from our view points as a class.