Just when you thought “Bachelor in Paradise” was the worst installment in “Bachelor” history, think again.
As “Ben and Lauren: Happily Ever After?” continues to bore viewers on Freeform, Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell’s vanilla romance hit another “nonscripted” snag in Episode 2 Tuesday night.
Despite Lauren’s whining about dining with Ben’s ex, “Bachelorette” JoJo Fletcher, during last week’s premiere episode, the couple finally sit down with JoJo and her fiancé, Jordan Rodgers, in what may be the most uncomfortably produced lunch yet.
“Does this feel awkward for you? Because I think this is weird,” Lauren says to Ben before the mimosas kick in.
Following a few seconds of (likely scripted) silence, JoJo finally breaks the ice and asks Ben if he found it annoying how much she mentioned him during her season of “The Bachelorette.” Ben then proceeds to tell her about the air conditioning he had installed back home in Denver. If producers were looking to spark “Bachelor”-esque drama, perhaps JoJo should have quizzed Lauren instead.
“The Bachelor” has remained a success for 14 years because of catfights, back-stabbing and fallout from the Fantasy Suite. “Ben and Lauren’s” reality experiment continues to blunder because the biggest flare-up we’ve seen from the pair so far is a debate over whether or not Lauren farts in front of Ben.
That is, until Chris Harrison’s cameo makes things more complicated.
“You guys are so beloved and everyone still keeps up with your story,” he says after dropping a date card off on Ben and Lauren’s doorstep. “And so, we would like to televise your wedding to the world.”
Though the “Bachelor” emcee attempts to win Lauren over with the promise of an open checkbook and an audience, a reluctant Ben is worried about how organic a wedding can feel if it’s on TV.
“I’m a little overwhelmed,” Ben says. “My stomach’s dropped, my head’s spinning.”
While Chris tells the couple he’ll need a decision soon, Ben and Lauren don’t seem ready to give him a final answer — which Lauren feels is telling in itself.
“When you say that you’re just concerned if we’re ready and all that, I agree, but also it puts questions in my head too, as to, ‘Well, he’s not ready, what does that mean?’ ” she says.
If the central storyline of this series is going to be “are they ready for marriage?” perhaps Ben and Lauren should stick to couple’s counseling without the cameras rolling. That or enlist some new co-stars to spice things up.
Fortunately for those still watching, the return of Chad is coming soon.