Week 9 Storytelling : ABC's The Bachelorette

Jojo - Season 20 Bachelorette 

Jojo, after losing Ben to Lauren B. in the last season of the Bachelor, is ready to take on her role as ABC’s new Bachelorette. She stood in front of the beautiful Bachelor Mansion in California, wearing her formal evening gown and patiently waiting for the 25 lucky contestants to arrive.

One by one, the men got out of the limo. When the news was released that Jojo was going to be the next Bachelorette, fans went wild. Jojo is gorgeous, fun, outgoing, caring, compassionate, and so many other qualities that a man would love to have in his future wife. Many male contestants auditioned and only 25 lucky men were selected to be on the show. 

All of the men were very attractive and handsome. Every girl viewing the show from her TV could only think, “Wow, Jojo is so lucky to be surrounded by so many attractive guys.” 

However, as the show progressed, Jojo continued to send home America’s favorite men. But why? Contestants with amazing qualities, physical attractiveness, and financial stability were having their hearts broken by Jojo each week.

Rose Ceremony 

As the show advanced throughout the season, Jojo continued to give roses to the men she liked and had connections with, and sent home the ones she couldn't see herself marrying. 

Week by week went by, and now Jojo was down to four contestants. 

Michael Jameson : Pro surfer from the coast of California, reigning National Surf Champion, enjoys romance novels, seafood fanatic, and graduate from UCLA.

Adam Long : CEO of his own software company in Dallas, enjoys vacations to the Caribbean and lazy Sundays in his Uptown Dallas condo.

Owen Stevens : 26-year old from LA, works 3 different jobs, and enjoys volunteering at the homeless shelter, animal shelter, and children's hospital in his free time. 

Ryan Smith : Successful lawyer in Chicago, golden-doodle owner, loves attending Chicago Bulls' basketball games in his suite, and enjoys taking joy rides in his Ferrari. 

When there are four men are remaining on the show, each contestant takes the bachelorette to their hometowns to introduce the bachelorette (possibly potential wife) to their families. 

Michael's Family's house in California

Jojo visited the homes of Adam, Michael, and Ryan. Each of these three men had  large and lavish mansions with a plethora of expensive art, designer furniture, and an incredible backyard pool and patio area.

When Jojo went to Owen’s hometown to meet his family, the experience was much different. Owen’s house was tiny. There were cracks in the walls, leaks in the ceiling, old creaky wooden floors, and old wallpaper on the walls since the family could not afford to repaint or fix the home.

Jojo’s visit in Owen’s hometown with his family was one of her favorites.Owen wasn’t a trust fund baby and didn’t live a luxurious life like the other contestants.

 “I had never felt so loved and welcomed into someone else’s home,” said Jojo after the hometown date. “Yes, Owen’s family isn’t as privileged as some of the other families. But their hospitality and compassionate hearts are something that makes them more privileged in my opinion.”

After the hometown dates, Jojo sent home Adam, the software CEO. The next week she sent home Michael, the pro surfer, who did not take the breakup very easily. He did not think it was "rad" or "chill" at all.

The next week was finally the season finale. Without a doubt in her mind or her heart, Jojo picked Owen over Ryan and Owen proposed immediately at the finale.

Jojo & Owen's Engagement

After the show, Jojo and Owen attended many interviews and made several guest appearances on different TV talk shows.

In one talk show, the host asked, “Now, Jojo, what made you chose Owen?” 

“Because he was the most genuine heart I have ever seen. He is the most beautiful person on the inside which in turn makes him the most beautiful person on the outside. I have never been happier with a decision.”

And Jojo and Owen remained one of the few couples from the TV show that remained married and in love for years.

The Bachelorette 

Author’s Note

This story was based on the story, The Child of the Evening Star from the American Indian Fairy Tales Unit. The original story had three parts, but I chose to retell the first portion of the story. A hunter had ten beautiful daughters who each were married off to prestigious  attractive, and skillful husbands. Oweenee, the youngest daughter, could not find a suitor who met her expectations. She turned down many suitors and none of her sisters understood why. They were all wealthy and attractive but yet Oweenee did not want to marry any of them. That is until a man named Osseo came along. Osseo was not the most attractive and he was very poor. However, Oweenee loved his genuine heart and chose to marry him.  I chose to retell my the story used the ABC's famous TV show : The Bachelorette / Bachelor (depending on if it is a woman or man). The last season just ended and Jojo Fletcher (yes a real person) was the runner up and was chosen as the next Bachelorette. Her season will air next January. I wanted Jojo to pick someone who was genuine and kind instead of someone who was rich and privileged. I described Owen's home the way I did to compare it to the mansions of the other suitors (comparable to the ones from the original story). 

Original story source :

American Indian Fairy Tales by W.T. Larned, with illustrations by John Rae (1921).