Parents' Guide to

Ben and Lauren: Happily Ever After?

By Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Bland Bachelor reality explores post-show relationship.

TV Freeform Reality TV 2016
Ben and Lauren: Happily Ever After? Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

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age 18+

Based on 1 parent review

Dainyal I.
Dainyal I. Adult
November 16, 2016
age 18+

So staged and boring

So boring and you can totally tell everything they do is staged. Why are they using other bachelor parties. It should be natural. Then there is Ben, what an ass, he new the purpose of the show was to get engaged and get married at the end. Now he has cold feet. I would leave his dumb ass. I fall asleep watching the show, I'm done watching this dumb fake show.
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

The Bachelor spinoff BEN AND LAUREN: HAPPILY EVER AFTER? features Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell, two cast members that that got engaged at the end of the show's 20th season. Now that the reality fairy tale has ended, the couple lives in Denver, Colorado and is planning their wedding while building a life together. As they learn more about each other, they must deal with some unresolved tensions from their time on the show. Being approached by fans is awkward, and the attempts of The Bachelor's producers to keep them connected to the series in some way makes their lives complicated. But they love each other, and are committed to working on their relationship for the long haul.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1):
Kids say: Not yet rated

This bland series shows what it's like for two people who got engaged on a dating competition to continue their relationship once the series is over -- turns out, it's not that interesting. From reliving the angst created by Ben's declaration of love for another contestant while on The Bachelor, to changing out a toilet, it resurrects some ghosts from their past with some more ordinary activities.

As they learn more about each other's quirks, play pranks on each other, and think about their wedding, the couple struggles with the pressures put on them by their reality show fame. Ironically, they're hashing out these troubles in front of more cameras, and often during some obviously staged scenes. As a result, no matter how much it tries, Ben and Lauren: Happily Ever After? is hard to take seriously.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about TV dating competitions. Can people really get to know each other well enough on dates and other moments created for television entertainment? Does Ben and Lauren: Happily Ever After? prove that finding love this way is possible (or impossible)? Does it offer an honest look at what their lives are really like?

  • Families can also talk about reality TV. Would you like to have a reality show about your own life? Why or why not?

TV Details

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