The Sunday Interview: The Bachelor, Christian Nationalism, and the Politics of Purity w/ Claire Fallon

What can reality TV tell us about Christian nationalism, purity culture, and the politics of gender? Annika Brockschmidt talks with journalist and podcaster Claire Fallon about the surprisingly deep connections between The Bachelor, evangelical Christianity, and the conservative politics shaping American culture. They discuss how the franchise normalizes heterosexual marriage, traditional gender roles, purity culture, and evangelical assumptions; how conservative Christian contestants have turned reality TV fame into influential media platforms; and how figures like Madison Pruitt have moved from The Bachelor into the world of MAGA Christian influence. They also explore the politics of dating in the Trump era, the rise of Mormon reality TV, and what shows like Love Is Blind and The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives reveal about the changing relationship between religion, politics, sex, and popular culture.

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