ABC’s The Bachelor reached a new low last night with an episode that included multiple moments where producers’ manipulation was clear and shameless. The show is overproduced to within an inch of its life, and we wonder why it’s a colossal failure in terms of romance. I have no problem with artificial contexts—they’re the central part of many great reality shows, such as Survivor—and this show has always had a fantasy element about it, with expensive dates and stunning backdrops. Okay, that’s fine. And there’s minor manipulation that I’m not that bothered by, like producers allowing/encouraging others to, say, interrupt dates or pull Brad away. Add in some crazy, like Michelle and her super-creepy and terrifying face-touching and kissing, and you have a decent show. But what The Bachelor’s producers did last night, and what they’ve been increasingly doing, was like wrapping up some dead kittens and putting them under a Christmas tree and pretending to be amazed when the kid who opened...