What does The Bachelorette have in common with the NHL playoffs and college football draft? No, not that JoJo Fletcher is BFFs with Tyler Seguin or that former athletes often sign up to be on the dating show.
The answer is fantasy — and I’m not talking about the suite.
Earlier this year, The Bachelor and The Bachelorette partnered with ESPN to launch their own fantasy league. Seriously. The effort kicked off with Nick Viall’s season and encouraged fans to make their predictions about who would be the top contestants and weekly guesses about what happens on the show.
If you’re accustomed to playing in fantasy leagues, this one will look strikingly different than what you’re used to. Unlike traditional leagues, there’s no money involved. Secondly, you’re not recruiting specific men on the show. Much like Dallasite Rachel Lindsay, you get to play the field with all of them, depending on the week.
Here’s how it works:
First, you’ll need to download the ESPN Fantasy app; the same one you might already use for football, basketball, and other (real) sports. You can also play via web browser.
Next, you’ll have to register within The Bachelorette Fantasy League. Create a nameand maybe even peruse “groups” to see if there’s one you want to join. Or if you have many friends and coworkers interested in playing, create a group. (Feel free to join me in the group Red Wine Loose Women. #classy)
The first thing you’ll be prompted to do once you have an account is pick who you think will be Lindsay’s top four suitors at the end of the show. Make sure to specify who you think gets the final rose. These choices can be modified until Monday, June 19, so if one of yours gets eliminated, pick a newbie.
Every week, you’ll be prompted to answer a multiple choice quiz about what happens during the show. Some might be true or false, as in “True or false: A bachelor will take a dip in a hot tub with Rachel in this episode.” Others will ask you pick what a date card says from four answers. Some also ask you to choose a specific contestant who does something ridiculous.
Your choices have to be in by the time The Bachelorette airs at 7 p.m. CST. Otherwise you’re locked out and get zero points for the week. Each answer is worth a certain number of points, which are totaled the following day when group leader boards are also updated to reflect the current standing.
What does the winner get? Nothing tangible — bragging rights and the chance to connect with friends cross-country on Monday night. Loser buys the next bottle of wine?