It was my turn to address the group at a meeting of the National Speakers Association a few nights ago, and I opened by saying, “In my past life, I used to get confessions out of people…” 

Before I could say another word, a lady blurted out in amazement, “You used to be a priest?!” 

Me, a priest… wow, now that’s a new one.  Of course, the confessions I used to listen to were in a police station, not a church!

But occasionally I have a confession of my own, so here’s one now:  I watched ABC’s The Bachelorette.  Not just one night, but two.  I did it for my wife, okay?  Will I watch the whole season?  No.  Well, if she makes me.

Anyway, since confessions and accusations always travel together, I have one of those, too:  The character Craig M. is…

A plant. 

A hack. 

A shill, orchestrated by the producers for good theater.  It’s worked so well that I don’t know of anyone else who’s caught on to the charade.  In fact, the entire viewership apparently bought this deception hook, line, and sinker.

If you’re a hardcore fan, I’m sorry to shoot the goose, but stick with me here:  I’ll tell you why I believe this, and what you can learn from my revelation.

And if you didn’t watch the first two nights of the Show’s new season, that won’t matter—I can bring you up to speed without you donating 4 hours of your life to the lesson.

During the opening episode on Sunday night, Craig M. (Dental Sales - Toronto) stood out immediately as this season’s provocateur.  He was arrogant with the other guys in the house, pushed Jesse  (Contractor - Peculiar, MO) nearly to the point of getting a punch in the kisser, and then focused his energies on Jonathan (Weather Man - Houston, TX). 

The first to fall hardcore for the act, of course, was The Weatherman.  In the video above you can see him making his case to Ali, trying to convince her of Craig’s evil traits.

Now I should stop here and offer another confession:  The first night of the Show I was with everybody else; I just considered Craig to be the jerk in the bunch—every season seems to have at least one (not that I’ve watched before). 

But by the end of the episode, I started to have my doubts.  And they intensified early on during last night’s show.

At 1:53 in the video above you’ll see the beginning of Craig’s one-on-one meeting with Ali. 

So stop here, watch it and see what you think of it, then I’ll give you my thoughts.

 

The problems with Craig’s believability:

1-Ego is a big part of show business, and it’s why everyone appears on these shows.  Are they looking for love?  Or looking to be on TV?  You tell me.  Behaving like a playground bully isn’t something many 34 year old men (if that’s his real age) would consider doing on national TV… unless it’s their assigned role. 

2-His behavior was over the top.  He went from one guy to the next, provoking, critizing, belittling.  Instead of his behavior being organic to the situation, he was manufacturing issues and making the most of them.  It’s the equivalent of a person trying “sell” you on what they’re saying.  People who are genuine—even if they’re genuinely bad—don’t try to convince you of it. 

3-In the early scenes where he tangled with the other ‘contestants’, he was sure of himself, never at a loss for words, and always appeared very clear headed.  In the video you see with him and Ali, he’s goggled-eyed, befuddled, and acts just plain weird.  This was part of the plan, too, designed to alienate Ali and induce her to kick him off the show.

4-When Ali asks if he’s interested in her, he pegs the weird meter, stammers around even more, and never answers the question.  Watch these shows and you’ll notice the contestants always want the Bachelorette.  Isn’t it interesting that all 25 men view the woman as their ideal mate?  That’s because it’s really not about finding love, it’s about…

Winning. 

About not losing. 

About staying on the show. 

Ultimately, it all goes back to ego, doesn’t it?  All the guys want the girl… because it’s not about the girl, it’s about 1-Being on the Show, and 2-Ego, not losing. 

Nobody goes on these shows for love of another, it’s for love of self.

And no one wants to be sent home… and Craig couldn’t be trying harder to get this done.

5-It doesn’t take Columbo to pick up on Craig’s defensive body language, and Ali spots it easily, remarking about his legs being crossed against her, and that he looks away from her when speaking.  He’s doing everything in his power to appear odd, unapproachable, and disinterested.

At the end of their conversation, Ali says, “I’m glad we had this talk.”  Notice the sigh she lets out, and the chuckle.  Was she glad?  Yes, completely truthful.  She learned everything she needed to know to make her decision, but still not the truth.  

6-Afterward, Craig tells the camera that he’s going to confront the group to learn who snitched him out to Ali.  Notice at 4:53 how he says, “This guy’s dangerous!”  He’s not dangerous, this guy’s an actor!  Then he says, “It’s gonna be like a storm in the house, let’s just say.”—not an random remark, but a clever meteorlogical metaphor, calculated and staged by the producers.  And that’s okay… hey, this is show business.

And this is really important:  What you don’t see in the video is what follows, when he addresses the other men after his meeting with Ali.  His collected demeanor is back, and the disjointed weirdness he delivered on Ali is gone.  This shows how important baselines are when you’re conversing with another person; notice how they behave normally, and notice when they deviate from it.  There’s always a reason.

The first night my wife saw Craig M. and said, “He looks like an actor, somebody you’d see on TV.”  Have my instincts on human behavior rubbed off on her?  Maybe she’s better at this than I am, she beat me to the truth this time! 

Because he does have a face for the screen. 

Did they pull him out of the line at a soap opera audition?

Was he an actual contestant with acting aspirations and they solicited him for the role of demonic brute? 

Whatever the truth behind the lie, it worked well.  He created buzz over the show, and the web is full of blog posts about Creepy Craig.  Everyone’s in.  

But I’m not. 

Can you watch that video and honestly argue he’s for real?

-jef

PS—My forecast:  The Weatherman goes home next week.

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Tags: Deception

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