Here's how desperate 'The Bachelorette' has gotten

Caroline Moss

Jun 22, 2015, 19:00 IST

I have a nightly routine - I scroll through Netflix and Hulu for thirty minutes until I find something I want to watch. Then, I watch for two minutes and doze off. Last night, I came across "The Bachelorette" on Hulu, now in its eleventh season.

I normally would flip right past it, but something caught my eye!

The title of the episode: "Kaitlyn's Dead."

Hulu

If you're not familiar with the show, here's a basic premise: A few dozen guys compete for the heart of one woman, usually a cast-off from "The Bachelor." The guys are narrowed down each week until there's two left, then one. Then there's usually a proposal.

Many of the couples do not end up together, and over the years the show has seemingly become more and more staged.

During the show, the bachelorette - this season, it's Kaitlyn - goes on dates with the competing dudes. Usually, it's skydiving or snorkeling; something that can easily parlay into a metaphor about love (think, jumping out of the plane with Matt made me feel like I could really let go and jump...away from my past and into my future.)

But on tonight's episode, the date...is a funeral.

ABC/Hulu

"Kaitlyn is dead...for today!" the show's host Chris Harrison explains to a handful of guys, telling them they're going to have a "traditional Irish wake."

Then he leads them into a funeral home where Kaitlyn is laying in a coffin, and tells the guys they have to give competing eulogies.

Everyone looks confused.

ABC/Hulu

A contestant named Ben Z. says he wanted to keep it light and fun, but also says it reminds him of his mother's actual funeral, so it's hard for him. Kaitlyn, in a voiceover, says she "wanted this [date] to be light-hearted, but knows it will be hard for Ben Z."

Then you see her reach out of the coffin to comfort Ben Z.