HAPPILY EVER AFTER AND THE BATTLE OF THE RACES: A CRITICAL AND CULTURAL APPROACH TO REALITY TELEVISION – THE BACHELORETTE VS. THE ULTIMATE MERGER by ANITA J. MIXON JASON BLACK, CO-CHAIR ROBIN BOYLORN, CO-CHAIR JEREMY BUTLER A THESIS Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Communication Studies in the Graduate School of The University of Alabama TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA 2011 Copyright Anita J. Mixon 2011 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ABSTRACT The pervasiveness of reality television (RTV) can be observed by the sheer number of television shows that feature unscripted situations by non-actors thrust into seemingly “real” life situations. They range from shows like The Swan that promise to makeover an “ugly duckling into a beautiful swan,” to The Amazing Race where participants use feats of athleticism and strategy to win cash prizes, to “catfights” and hyper-masculine displays of manhood or hyper- feminine displays of womanhood on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette to prove one‟s ability to attract the heterosexual “love” of the eligible bachelor or bachelorette. RTV has become a place in which stereotypes are reinforced, antiquated gender roles are resurrected, and violators who dare to step outside of the clearly defined White, heterosexual, American box are punished. Reminiscent of American canonical narratives of love, coded messages of position and place are interwoven throughout the storylines in competitive dating RTV programs which could contribute to legitimizing a particularly framed perspective of racialized and gendered behavior and expectations. Through the analysis of six episodes of each of the RTV shows, The Bachelorette and The Ultimate Merger, and juxtaposing them, this study uncovers how competitive dating reality programs explain the current state of culture and gender performance within U.S. society, including how certain racial performances are privileged. ii DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to those who create and define what love means to and for them. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This project would not have been without the unwavering support, guidance, and dedication of my thesis committee. Dr. Jason Black and Dr. Robin Boylorn, the co-chairs of my committee, along with Dr. Jeremy Butler have been instrumental in bringing this project to life. To my family, I appreciate your encouragement throughout my graduate studies at the University of Alabama. When it seemed that there was “no” way, you made a way and because of that, this is as much your success and achievement as it is mine. And, finally, to the love of my life, Dr. Hubert Randolph Scott III, I simply want to say thank you…fairy tales do come true. iv CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................ ii DEDICATION ........................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ......................................................................... iv LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................. vii 1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................1 Précis ...........................................................................................................7 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................9 Televisual Studies.........................................................................................9 Critical Race Theory ..................................................................................18 Black Feminist Thought .............................................................................23 Whiteness ...................................................................................................27 3. SEXUALITY EXPOSED ......................................................................32 Constructing the Image ..............................................................................32 True Womanhood .......................................................................................39 Love Relationships .....................................................................................50 4. PRIVILEGING MASCULINITY .........................................................55 He Knows Best (The Ultimate Merger) .....................................................55 Hegemonic Masculinity (The Bachelorette) ..............................................63 Negotiating Blackness ................................................................................69 v 5. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS ...............................................80 Ideal White Womanhood ............................................................................81 Black Womanhood .....................................................................................82 Patriarchy ..................................................................................................83 White Masculinity ......................................................................................84 Negotiating Black Masculinity ...................................................................84 6. WORKS CITED ....................................................................................90 7. APPENDIX A: THE BACHELORETTE ..............................................98 The Bachelorette’s Bachelors ....................................................................99 Summary of Episodes ...............................................................................107 Episode 601 ........................................................................................107 Episode 602 ........................................................................................107 Episode 603 ........................................................................................107 Episode 608 .........................................................................................108 Episode 609 .........................................................................................108 Episode 610 .........................................................................................108 8. APPENDIX B: THE ULTIMATE MERGER .....................................110 The Ultimate Merger’s Bachelors ...........................................................111 Summary of Episodes ...............................................................................115 Episode One: Blizzard .......................................................................115 Episode Two: Champs and Chumps ..................................................115 vi Episode Three: Verbal Combat .........................................................116 Episode Six: Mommy Issues ...............................................................116 Episode Seven: Roughin’ It ................................................................116 Episode Eight: Merger ......................................................................117 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: The opening credits of The Bachelorette ............................................... 40 Figure 2: The opening credits of The Ultimate Merger ......................................... 44 viii CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Transcending the pages of children‟s literature and Disney films, The Bachelorette and The Ultimate Merger, two competitive reality television (RTV) dating programs, offer contemporary tales of romance and a potential “happily ever after” for their “deserving” heterosexual women. Ali Fedotowsky (The Bachelorette) and Omarosa Manigault (The Ultimate Merger) navigate through a sea of eligible bachelors who physically and strategically compete for their affections and, potentially, a marriage proposal.1 Both women are college educated and their seeming inability to find love on their own is the catalyst for the RTV dating program. Beyond their education and inability to find their soul mate, the similarities between the women end. Fedotowsky, breaking from the typical RTV script, gave up the opportunity to be with the eligible bachelor in order to pursue a career and became the sixth woman to be featured as the leading lady on The Bachelorette. On The Bachelorette’s official website hosted by ABC, she is described as a “beautiful, energetic, and charismatic career-oriented woman [who has] re- prioritized her life – and is now ready to find her soul mate.”2 She is young (mid-twenties), White, has long blonde hair, and is physically fit. She is framed, through various vignettes, as the quintessential all-American girl next door who enjoys romantic evenings, walks on the beach and 1 Ali Fedotowsky was selected as the bachelorette for the sixth season of The Bachelorette. Omarosa Manigault was selected as the bachelorette for the first season of The Ultimate Merger. 2 See <http://abc.go.com/shows/the-bachelorette>. 1 playing soccer. She, along with her eligible bachelors, takes the viewers on a journey around the world to exotic, romantic, and luxurious islands and European countries. Manigault is in her late thirties, Black, physically fit and is described by TVOne, the official website host for Donald Trump‟s The Ultimate Merger, as “reality TV‟s most-loved villainess.”3 Prior to participating in The Ultimate Merger, Omarosa‟s first foray into reality television was on Trump‟s The Apprentice where she competed for the opportunity to win the role of Trump‟s business apprentice.4 Using her business