I’ve never really cared what “The Bachelor” was. For years, I  assumed that it was a chill dating show where an available guy dates girls one at a time until he finds the one for him.

I was so naive. I should have known not to expect so much decency from reality television.

I watched “The Bachelor” for the first time last week. I followed it up with some of “The Bachelorette” just to get a taste of both flavors.

And I didn’t care for either.

To me, the shows dramatize the dating scene too much, and they play off of stereotypes of desperate, love-hungry singles in an inappropriate way. Basically, they normalize desperation to the point of settling, and that’s not ok.

Let me just say that I understand why “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” have been so obviously successful. It’s got to be a little comforting to watch other singles like you fail miserably when it comes to having a love life.

It’s got to be satisfying to watch this season’s villain (finally) get dumped by the head hottie. It’s got to be a little fun to pick your favorite contestant and root for them through thick and thin.

It’s probably even fun just to try to keep up with the drama ( Did you see where Corinne took Nick on her hometown date? She’s so shallow.)

I’m not one for melodrama, but I could see how it could be fun for someone who’s into it.

But, my goodness, it’s just so fake. And so, so wrong.

Let’s just start with the fact that about 30 singles compete for the love of one man/woman. Is this like the dating world?

Yes. I mean, we don’t all have 30 aspiring suitors (don’t we wish), but there are usually several different options for who you can date.

But at a certain point, it gets weird. I’m not sure exactly where this point is, but at some point several women start calling the same man their boyfriend.

It’s very apparent that “The Bachelor” and its sister show are drama-soaked engagement splits waiting to happen. But it still grossed me out to hear four women say they were falling for the same man when I tuned in last week.

Are you sure you love him, Vanessa? I think you could probably do better in Canada.

I mean, the producers aren’t trying too hard to trick us into seeing this as 100 percent genuine. I’m sure they realize that it is watched more as an indulgent guilty pleasure than anything else.

But still, I’m not sure where the real and fake emotions begin and end for these contestants.

It’s a little bit sickening to even try to take the shows seriously.

Watching all these beautiful women give their all for this so-so male made me a little sick to my stomach. The same thing goes for the men on “The Bachelorette.” I get that all this drama makes for good TV, but it doesn’t make for good dating standards.

Human affection is more complex than this competition can show. And while being desperate for affection is an understandable feeling, it’s not a feeling that we as sad singles should risk our worth for.

Desperation doesn’t have to mean crying over the same man as everyone else. Instead, in real life it’s so much healthier to get a grip and get through your lonely times without obsessing over someone else, even if that means you have to get through being lonely alone.

These shows don’t show that. They show men and women grossly competing for one person. They show human weakness through fake lenses.

They show women and men who want love so badly that they’ll fake it with whichever producer-fluffed hero is the lucky bachelor or bachelorette this season.

If you watch it, I cast no blame. But please don’t expect the same dating scene in real life.