Photo by Paula Carroll

I am hooked on a reality television show. “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” reality television shows were never on my list of “want to watch,” but I took a peek and now I am mesmerized by these shows. “Bachelor in Paradise,” which is on during the summer, also kept me glued to the screen. These shows air on the ABC network.

My interest started when Iowa native Chris Soules appeared on “The Bachelorette” last year. He was from a small community in Iowa, and I was interested in how a small-town boy would fare on a big-time television show. I had never watched the show before Chris Soule’s entrance to the ABC series.

For those who are not familiar with the series, the premise is “The Bachelor” or “The Bachelorette” meet 13 — I think it’s 13, I don’t usually count — members of the opposite…