Why Michelle Is Hot on ‘The Golden Bachelor’

Matter of Opinion

New York Times Opinion

Society & Culture, Ross Douthat, News, New York Times, Journalism

4.2 • 7.2K Ratings

🗓️ 24 November 2023

⏱️ 12 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Though the “Matter of Opinion” crew is off this week, Michelle Cottle is eagerly awaiting the season finale of the first-ever “Golden Bachelor.” This older spin on the “Bachelor” franchise has proved to be a surprisingly apt funhouse mirror depiction of how America avoids the realities of its aging baby boomer population. And Michelle is here for it — in all its “weird glory.”

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey,
0:02.5	Starrs. I hope you've enjoyed some of well-deserved time off this week.
0:06.6	We're working on our end of the year episodes, and we'd love to hear from you.
0:10.4	So we're looking for two things, either a question for us or a topic you'd like to hear if we're hot or cold on.
0:17.0	You can email us at matter of opinion at NYUimes.com, or leave us a voicemail at 212 556-7440.
0:27.5	We may play some of it in a future episode.
0:30.7	And I know we said we'd be off this week and we are but I couldn't leave you with
0:35.5	nothing over the holiday so I wanted to share this little audio love letter or
0:40.6	maybe it's more of a love hate letter about the hit reality TV show, The Golden Bachelor.
0:47.0	And you know, the finale is next week.
0:50.0	So if I really sell you on it, now you have something to spend your weekend watching. I am Michelle Kottel and I cover national politics for opinion, but I have also done a lot of reporting on the graying of America and what society looks like as it ages here.
1:17.3	So that has led me to become completely obsessed with the Golden Bachelor.
1:22.1	I'll be the Golden Bachelor.
1:23.0	I'll be the first Bachelor that's on Social Security.
1:28.0	So I'm not sure that the Golden Bachelor is something that I would say that I like like. But the Golden Bachelor is
1:35.8	completely mesmerizing because it is the first time they've done this format
1:40.8	with people in their 60s and 70s and it is not just a look at
1:46.3	reality TV and all of its tropes but also just kind of this fascinating look at
1:51.6	how baby boomers in particular see
1:55.4	aging and how they want America to see aging. And I'm your first golden bachelor.
2:01.0	It's all starting now.
2:04.0	So on the regular bachelor franchise, the contestants are kind of young and new bile in their
	...

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