Lauren Burnham Posts Photo To Instagram While ‘Crashing The ESPYS’
Lauren Burnham has had a busy year with The Bachelor and her subsequent recent engagement to fan-not-so-favorite Arie Luyendyk Jr.
According to Brides, Luyendyk, Jr. recently became one of the least liked contestants on The Bachelor, stealing away those honors previously held by Juan Pablo. After a decidedly awkward finale to Season 22 of The Bachelor, the fan response to Arie Luyendyk Jr. has been considerably unfavorable. That didn’t stop the happy couple from recently glowing in photos shared to the public to announce their official engagement with the world.
Bachelor “winner” and bride-to-be Lauren Burnham was recently attending the ESPYS with Luyendyk Jr. and shared a photo of themselves as they were all smiles attending the award ceremony. The ESPYS — an acronym for Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly — is an annual award ceremony broadcast by the ABC Network. ABC also produces The Bachelor.
Lauren Burnham’s fans on Instagram were overwhelmingly supportive of the couple in the comments of the photo. Most took to Instagram to remind Burnham and Luyendyk Jr. that they both looked fantastic and happy together. Many were particularly complimenting in regard to Lauren Burnham’s low-cut black dress, which she donned at the sports awards ceremony.
https://instagram.com/p/BlZTsI2H2TP/
Lauren Burnham and Arie Luyendyk Jr. have brought their fair share of controversy to The Bachelor and to the ABC network but they’ve also pulled in plenty of viewers. The average rating for The Bachelor‘s Season 22 – the show’s most recent season — was about 6.3 million viewers in the age 18-49 demographic range, according to TV Series Finale.
While that’s certainly a significant amount of viewership, ABC executives may not be quite so thrilled with the number. Since at least 2013, viewership has apparently waned. Season 22 had an average of 7.22 million viewers, while Season 21 received 8.02 million. Back in 2013 the series was at 8.5 million viewers in that demographic, showing a steady decline in the last five years.
Generally speaking, viewership within that demographic is the No. 1 indicator of whether or not a show will be renewed for another season.
However, fans of The Bachelor can breathe a sight of relief. ABC has officially renewed The Bachelor for another season, so Season 23 is definitely on the horizon and safe for at least another year. Metacritic currently assigns The Bachelor an aggregated critical score of 33 out of 100, which indicates generally negative reviews.
Rob Owen of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said of the show, “[The Bachelor is] cheesy and the whiff of desperation wafting off the contestants is strong.” Critics and fans have often differed on the quality of programming in terms of both television and movies. As of now, loyal viewers are still sticking by The Bachelor, even if some have abandoned ship.
