Over the last few years, “The Bachelor” franchise has vastly improved its Jewish representation. Contestants like Jason Alabaster, Ariel Frenkel and Leslie Fhima gave us incredibly Jewish episodes with moments from Hava Nagila water aerobics to flirtatious gefilte fish eating. While the Christian hegemony of the show was enough for Hey Alma to ask “Is ‘The Bachelor’ Just a Christian Dating Show Now?” in 2021, these days the answer is clearly no. But the franchise can always be doing more to learn about Judaism and Jewish culture.
More specifically, current Bachelor Joey Graziadei needs to learn who Ruth Bader Ginsburg is.
Today pop culture site Betches posted an interview with Graziadei in which they tested his knowledge on internet culture. Right off the bat, the first question of round one went poorly. Betches show the Bachelor a photo of Gypsy-Rose Blanchard, a formerly imprisoned survivor of Munchausen syndrome by proxy turned internet sensation. “I do know who this person is,” Joe started out confidently. “Is it Ruth? No? Jinsburg? Ginsburg? Something like that? Am I wrong?”
Uh…
Yes, Joey. You are very wrong.
Joey, if you’re reading this, it’s time for a brief history lesson. Ruth Bader Ginsburg aka RBG (not GRB) was the first Jewish woman to become a U.S. Supreme Court Justice. She held the position from 1993 until her death in 2020. Before that, she is known for working to end sex-based discrimination in the United States. She’s become iconic for wearing a lace collar over her judge’s robes, lifting and working out well into her 80s and being a Jewish feminist. For further reading I would suggest her books “In My Own Words” and “Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue: My Life’s Work Fighting for a More Perfect Union.” And once you’ve done that, treat yourself to a movie! I reccommend “On the Basis of Sex.”
Also, while we’re here, Jinsburg isn’t a real last name.
Look, I know that not everyone is a history buff or keeps up with the news. Everyone has their own weak points in terms of knowledge. I definitely don’t know that many reality TV stars, and I can almost certainly guarantee that Ruth Bader Ginsburg had no idea what “The Bachelor” is. But put it this way: If I went on a date with a guy and he didn’t know who RBG is, I would think that’s a major red flag. So, Joey, please do better. As for contestants Lexi, Lea, Kelsey T., Rachel, Madina, Daisy, Jess, Edwina, Autumn, Allison, Maria and Sydney — good luck, ladies!
