#derek peth

‘The Bachelorette’ alum Wells Adams and Sarah Hyland finally get married

The Bachelorette alum Wells Adams and fiancee Sarah Hyland have finally wed and tied the knot, a whopping three years after their engagement. Wells, 38, and Sarah, 31, got married in an outdoor ceremony on Saturday, August 20, E! News reported. “8.20.22,” Sarah captioned an Instagram photo showing the couple posing on their wedding day. RELATED LINK: ‘THE BACHELOR’ FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS…

They were a real hookup/casual relationship that got incorporated into the latest season of Bachelor in Paradise. Logistically speaking, there’s very little reason to believe that it could possibly have been unplanned to have Kristian invited to the show. At the very very least, Demi would have informed the show’s producers of her involvement (however casual) with Kristian, prior to filming.

I actually would like to believe that it was Demi who proposed the idea to the producers, knowing that it would give her some degree of input and control over her narrative that season since it would have been far too passé for the show’s producers to try and turn an LGBTQ+ inclusivity storyline into a punchline - cancel culture would have come for the entire franchise if they tried. Had she gone into Bachelor in Paradise staying completely on the straight and narrow (pun intended) she’d have been at the liberty of the producers to be played as whatever joke/villain they’d decide for her to be.

So whilst others may fixate on how disingenuous the inclusion of an LGBTQ+ narrative may seem, I actually like the idea of Demi (along with Kristian) consciously taking control of her own narrative on the show - within a larger industry that is built on the exploitation of individuals whose rights to their public portrayal are literally signed away - I just think that that’d make for an amazing display of a woman exercising her agency in a franchise that traditionally loves to exploit and disempower women. The inclusion of the Demi/Kristian narrative can be and has been interpreted by some as queersploitation, but considering how positive the portrayal of their narrative was, I don’t actually think it warrants that kind of reductive dismissal.

Now my problem with the Bachelor/ette/in Paradise has always been their running themes of gender essentialism, toxic masculinity, and the sexist/misogynistic subtext throughout the entire franchise. The Demi/Kristian narrative brought with it several profound exchanges around coming to terms with having a non-straight sexual identity and the anxieties and fears associated with coming out and just being out. Honestly these are conversations that you just do not see represented on mainstream primetime television. 

The fact that the fears and anxieties they talked through were so relatable and well articulated and respectfully presented seems insanely groundbreaking for mainstream primetime television - the dates really do just seem to be a couple’s therapy session conducted with film lighting and evening wear. Also the fact that these deeply profound conversations were taking place within the Bachelor universe is like Twilight Zone-levels of “what the fuck is happening right now?”

And then on top of the LGBTQ+ inclusivity - which featured all of the other contestants constantly remarking on how cute and amazing Demi/Kristian are and how proud they are of them - the male love interest in the love triangle, Derek, had the most gracious responses to Demi informing him of her sexuality and her later choosing to pursue a relationship with Kristian. His exchanges with Demi and Kristian were the most perfect antidote to toxic masculinity that I have ever seen on-screen. I think the last time I saw anything close to that level of respectful acceptance was by the character Heck (played by Matthew Goode) in Imagine Me & You, and Derek was even better than Heck. Whereas Heck ** SPOILER ** makes the decision for Rachel to end their relationship by walking away ** END SPOILER **, Demi makes the conscious decision for herself to pursue Kristian, and Derek not only graciously accepts and respects that decision but he also talks through his feelings (AMAZING) with her and other participants - all without him ever attributing any blame to either Demi nor Kristian for his own feelings. AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING. More male characterizations like Derek please!

Honestly, even if you took the Demi/Kristian/Derek narrative as a completely scripted work of fiction, it’d still be one of the most unproblematic, subversively progressive narratives to grace any screen to date. And it was all on a show from the Bachelor franchise which just seems ridiculous to me and blows my mind.

I’m torn between being completely cynical about it all and ripping into the Bachelor franchise and how calculated it is, versus wanting to totally buy into the positive messages they managed to bring in this season of Bachelor in Paradise - like LGBTQ+ inclusivity, and Derek being the antitype of toxic masculinity.