Kim Harms
Sports editor
kharms3@jccc.edu
Travis Kelce is tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs and grand prize of the dating show “Catching Kelce.” As the series began, Kelce appeared to be a compassionate young man who had realized that time is passing him by and he wants to be ready to settle down.
Within the first 30 minutes of the premiere episode, it was clear which contestants were likeable. Most seemed nice enough besides one, Maya Benberry, who represented Kentucky. In each episode Benberry would pick at least one girl to throw under the bus in hopes that they would be eliminated and 95 percent of the time her plans didn’t work out. On her social media accounts she blames the producers for portraying her as manipulative, but that’s up to viewers to decide.
The weeks flew by, more episodes aired and the show really began to develop. Kelce was really appearing to fall in love with the girls. Lauren Schwab, a contestant from Missouri, had a very natural connection with Kelce. Avery Schlereth, from Colorado, was just one step away from giving her heart to Kelce when he decided to eliminate her one day early. Veronica Harwood of New Jersey had the most strong, explosive and undeniable connection with Kelce. The chemistry was so powerful and deep that Kelce said in his confessional that he could see himself settling down with Harwood and that she could be his potential wife. Last night, loyal viewers had their fingers crossed, hoping that one of these girls would be the one.
Ultimately, Benberry caught Kelce. It was a frustrating conclusion, not only because of her demeanor, but because of Kelce’s delivery of his message at the final elimination. He started out by explaining to Benberry that she possesses the same personality traits as his past girlfriends and that he needs a change in his life. He said that Harwood would be a change and viewers were briefly led to believe that Harwood had one. He then quickly said that he had to go with his heart and sent Harwood home. Another frustrating point was that Kelce spent a vast majority of the past few episodes building up Harwood’s confidence by allowing to stay at his house and calling her the type of girl he can bring home to his mother. He made it very clear that Harwood could be the one and he expressed that Harwood was definitely on the show for him and not for the exposure.
It’s understandable what he did was great for ratings, but it’s hard to watch a person build up someone who is falling in love with him only to embarrass them on international television. He humiliated Harwood in front of not just her family and friends, but strangers as well. This girl saw the whole world in this football player and was willing to give up her life on the East Coast to move to Kansas City and now she is not just heartbroken, but humiliated as well. Some have compared what Kelce did to the incident to when Steve Harvey announced the wrong winner for the Miss Universe pageant.
After a promising beginning and a cast full of affable ladies, Kelce’s decision making ran the show into the ground and ended with the equivalent of an endzone interception from the opposing team.