01The take
Proof the format could repeat.
02Where it sits in the canon
The #21 slot.
Slot #21 of 29 in the Bachelor Editor's Canon. The fall companion to the original, running months after season one wrapped. A Missouri banker takes the mansion, the producers spend the season figuring out which beats to repeat and which to stretch, and the result is quieter than the splashy debut. The cast skews Midwestern and the energy is more measured, which works in the season's favor more often than not. Chris Harrison settles into his cadence here in a way he hadn't yet on season one. The franchise's first proof that the format could scale past a single curiosity-run, which is no small thing.
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04In this canon