I’ve long held the opinion that actually winning The Bachelor or Bachelorette is losing—if you last long enough into the season, you could be selected for a spin-off season, and even if you don’t, a future as an Instagram influencer awaits—and you don’t even have to get engaged to some chiseled stranger! Anyway, because the show guarantees financial stability, the caliber of contestant really runs the gamut of those who believe in the fairytale, and those who believe in creating a persona to ensure their names get in the headlines. Enter Victoria Larson.
Of Matt James’s contestants, Victoria made herself the lead villain almost immediately, declaring herself queen to the other women’s princesses on night one. In week two, when the women moved into their quarantined dorms at the Nemacolin Resort in Farmington, Pennsylvania, she announced to the group that she was already “so sick” of everyone. When her roommate Marylynn said she would like to get to know Victoria (presumably to figure out where her endless animosity stems from), Victoria said Marylynn was “psychologically disturbed,” and made a big to-do about moving out of their room and crashing on the couch.
The “drama” comes to a head at the cocktail party, where Matt presents Marylynn with an orchid (her favorite flower), causing Victoria to lose it. In the interview, she calls Marylynn “toxic,” despite having done nothing wrong, and labels herself an “empath” who can’t be around negative energy because “it can sometimes take over… so I think Marylynn should go home.”
Victoria approaches Matt and spins a remarkably inarticulate web of lies, saying that Marylynn “cries to manipulate situations.” He believes Victoria because he believes she’s been forthright the entire time and isn’t one to lie to him, but decides to check in with Marylynn to see what’s up. Meanwhile, Victoria goes to the other contestants and tells them she just had to tell Matt about how awful Marylynn has been to her, despite the fact that no one knows what the fuck she is talking about because she made the whole thing up. Marylynn’s then tasked with explaining the situation to Matt. The two feuding women eventually sit down, Victoria says a bunch more nonsense, and they leave unsatisfied with the conversation. If I had to guess, I would say it appears that Victoria is making shit up to get Marylynn to leave, just so she can have the room to herself—as a Queen might. The good news is that everyone else seems to hate Victoria, too, so she’ll stay for a few more weeks to keep things interesting.
The episode ends mid-rose ceremony, but it is clear Victoria will stick around—Bachelor Nation loves to hate her! But is it fun to dislike someone who is clearly doing everything in their power to come across as unlikeable for the clout? I’m not so sure.