Twitter is flooded with comments from viewers about how the kissing this season seems to have been amplified—and that it’s a big turnoff. Sure, kissing has always happened in the Bachelor franchise, but it seems much, much more noticeable this season. Why would the show decide to crank up the lip smacking—and why now in particular? ABC didn’t respond to Parade.com’s request for comment, but we spoke to a few sound pros to find out why those pulling the strings behind the camera may actually want it that way (gah!).
Why are the kissing sounds so loud on The Bachelor?
Because the producers and directors—not the audio crew—wanted it that way.
To be clear, one thing we were told is that this louder kissing isn’t just your imagination; it’s a totally intentional choice, but not one made by those who work on the show’s sound crew. “I’ve worked on a lot of shows like The Bachelor and I would pretty much bet my reputation on the fact that this is a specific choice by producers,” says Carl Bishop, an audio post mixer in New York City. “It’s not a mistake.” If this was, in fact, intentional, it was “likely out of the hands of anyone involved on the sound side of things” and “not an intentional choice from the production sound team,” adds production sound mixer Henri Rapp. Instead, it was probably a decision made by directors in post-production (i.e. the time when all the film that was shot is put together to create the final product). Bishop agrees. “More than likely, it is the choice of the producer, especially when a sound sticks out as noticeable and even slightly exaggerated,” he says.
The Bachelor could have gotten better mics this season.
Everyone’s got to upgrade their equipment at some point, and Bachelor producers may have done that for Clayton’s season, Rapp says. “It’s possible they are using radio mics for this season that are of higher quality and capable of capturing a larger dynamic range than has been what’s been used in the past on this show,” he says. That, Rapp explains, would allow for “more detail in the subtler sounds”… like kissing.
Producers could just be trying to create a mood.
Hit shows like The Bachelor have an overall vibe they’re going for, and all those loud kissing noises could be feeding into that, Bishop says. “Producers and executive producers decide how they want the show to feel,” he says. That, along with exaggerated noises like the sound of flowers being handed out and ice clinking in glasses, can help make you feel like you’re actually there, Bishop says. “It gives it all a tactile feel,” he adds.
It may simply be a play for attention—and ratings.
Bachelor and Bachelorette viewership numbers haven’t been amazing lately, so it may be that producers are just trying to draw attention to their show in a different way. “It could very well be producers thinking, ‘Let’s jack these sounds up so people notice it and start talking about it,’” Bishop says. We reached out to several members of Bachelor Nation to see if they had any insight on this, but nobody got back to us. However, it seems like at least some of them are just as grossed out as the rest of us. Case in point: Former Bachelorette star and co-host Kaitlyn Bristowe has weighed in, pointing out that even reading about the kissing noises makes her “uncomfy” thanks to her misophonia, a condition also referred to as “selective sound sensitivity syndrome” in which everyday sounds—sometimes oral sounds in particular—can trigger anger and even panic. Bristowe’s not the only one who’s pointed out that the series has been particularly hard to deal with this season for those who suffer from misophonia. One person who seemingly isn’t complaining about all the amplified lip-smooshing? Clayton himself, although being on camera so much has revealed that he has a slightly annoying lip-licking habit that he hopes to get under control. Next, Who Will Clayton Pick on The Bachelor Season 26? All the Spoilers We’ve Found So Far!
