'The Golden Bachelorette's Quaker Oats Ad During the Show Was Perfect for Its Demographic

There are enough ads that air during any given episode of The Golden Bachelorette that there really isn't a need for carefully placed in-show ads. However, that didn't stop a Quaker Oats ad from being part of the Oct. 2 episode of The Bachelor spinoff. Quaker Oats is part of one of the group dates, and fans took to social media to discuss just how blatant the advertisement is during the episode.

The addition of the Quaker Oats would be fine if the kickball date challenge isn't also named after the breakfast oats. Host Jesse Palmer even says a few lines about eating a hearty bowl of Quaker Oats before the camera cuts to a shot of Charles L. doing just that. It's clear product placement, including what appears to be an actual ad within the episode.

Product placement in reality television is nothing new. And sometimes, it just happens by accident, as in shows like Big Brother, where it can be almost unavoidable. But Quaker Oats as part of a group date isn't exactly an accidental shot of a breakfast food. Instead, it's an intentional way for the show to include an ad of some kind while making it look natural.

The only problem is, the Quaker Oats product placement and in-show ad on The Golden Bachelorette is obvious from the start. And plenty of fans took notice right away during the kickball date. Not that there is anything inherently wrong about the in-show ad. But it took some viewers out of the episode for a little while.

One user wrote on X, "Now I can see how The Bachelor franchise can afford the private jet, they're getting sponsorships from Quaker Oats."

Another shared, "Quaker Oats being the sponsor of this kickball game is very appropriate. #TheGoldenBachelorette."

And, someone pointed out, "Never have I heard Quaker Oats mentioned so many times until tonight's episode of #TheGoldenBachelorette."

That doesn't mean that some viewers weren't downright entertained with the product placement and the accompanying commercial during the episode.

On Sept. 30, the official X account for Quaker Oats shared a post to promote the Oct. 2 episode. "Can we steal you for a sec… you won't want to miss this week's episode," they wrote. "Stream #TheGoldenBachelorette on Hulu and watch all new episodes Wednesdays on ABC!" Plus, a Quaker Oats commercial with some of The Golden Bachelor ladies in it aired during the live episode on ABC, which wasn't lost on viewers.

Chances are, Quaker Oats was a sponsor of The Golden Bachelorette, at least for the Oct. 2 episode. At the very least, since Quaker Oats was part of the date in the episode, perhaps it meant that the show had that much less time to devote to a commercial break within the episode. But really, who's counting?

OK, some fans might be keeping track of that, especially since many of them had to give their two cents on social media about the whole Quaker Oats thing. But since it was part of a group date where athletics were involved, The Bachelor franchise gets a pass this time around.

Watch The Golden Bachelorette on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.