Past Contestant of 'The Bachelorette' Dies at 29

Gettyimages | Jim Spellman

Bachelorette Alumni, Tyler Gwozdz was found dead after a drug overdose in Florida this past week. He was found unresponsive in his bathroom and was speculated to have overdosed on heroin. Gwozdz was then rushed to the emergency room where he was in intensive care for a week before his passing. The 29-year-old was pronounced dead on Wednesday, January 22nd. This dreadful news left a lot of Bachelorette fans in heartache as he was one of the leading contenders of the hit series.

Tyler Gwozdz was on this past season of The Bachelorette with Hannah Brown and he had to leave the season unexpectedly without any explanation. Unfortunately, another life was lost due to a drug overdose, since the airing of The Bachelor five contestants have passed away over unusual circumstances. There needs to be a bigger conversation upon the effects of reality television appearances for the talent who choose to follow through with it.

People who tend to go down the reality television route end up psychologically-damaged or deeply affected by the spotlight that they didn't realize they were ready for. Drug addiction or problems will be surely exacerbated in settings where there are millions of people watching you. Expectations to seem sane and stable are pressuring for guests who choose to be a part of reality television. This lifestyle doesn't have a guide to success and that is why people normally refer to drugs to give themselves a some sort of peace of mind.

Tyler Gwozdz was on route to earn his Ph.D. in psychology and although the reasoning behind his overdose is unclear there needs to be a discussion regarding sobriety in the entertainment industry. Drugs and fame are not an easy combination to navigate through especially if a man is trying to receive his degree while doing so. The controversy surrounding his departure from the show is probably due to his lack of mental stability which he comforted with heavy drug usage.

Out of the 15 seasons of The Bachelorette only six of those couples are still together and The Bachelor has an even less statistic. This proves to show that this show isn't about a journey for true love but is for mere entertainment for the masses and single people who are desperately seeking out for a connection or bigger wallet... ABC needs to restructure the way The Bachelor series works if they want to hold up some credibility in terms of building strong and longlasting relationships otherwise the network's programming is doomed. Hopefully, no one is subjected to the harsh spotlight that can deeply affect someone's psyche anymore because audiences shouldn't need to grieve another death that was too soon.