Love, Hate And 'The Bachelor'

Published March 9, 2018 at 11:00 AM EST

This image released by ABC shows Lauren Burnham, left, and Arie Luyendyk Jr. on "The Bachelor: After the Final Rose." Luyendyk says he's willing to take the heat for dumping Becca Kufrin to find true love with runner-up Lauren Burnham. His decision to break up with Kufrin during Monday's season finale after theyd become engaged prompted such descriptive headlines as horror, "brutal" and "gut-wrenching, (Paul Hebert/ABC via AP)

After the most dramatic finale ever, we’ll ask: Why do we love and loathe “The Bachelor”? We’ll talk about Arie Luyendyk, Lauren Burnham and Becca Kufrin with the author of a dishy new book about the show, “Bachelor Nation,” and two other card-carrying members.

This show airs Friday at 11 a.m. EST.

Guests:

Amy Kaufman, author of “Bachelor Nation: Inside The World Of America’s Favorite Guilty Pleasure.” (@amykinla)

Amanda Hess, arts reporter at the New York Times. (@amandahess)

Lisa Respers France, senior writer for CNN digital. (@LisaFranceCNN)

Brian Amaral, On Point digital producer and Bachelor fan. (@bamaral44)

From The Reading List:

Vanity Fair: What Really Happens Inside The Bachelor’s Fantasy Suite — “For as long as The Bachelor has been a TV institution, so has its fantasy suite. It’s one of the final rites in a series that is all about romantic rituals: once the season’s bachelor or bachelorette has narrowed the crowd down to the final three, a big decision looms: to invite them to the fantasy suite, or not?”

CNN: Arie Luyendyk Jr. is Every Dude Who Ever Broke Your Heart — “It’s not us Arie Luyendyk Jr., it’s you.

As “Bachelor” viewers still try to recover from what actually turned out to be the most dramatic rose ceremony ever, Luyendyk Jr. has been cast as one of the biggest villains in the show’s history.”