But the man behind the curtain doesnt believe in tidy endings.
It wasnt just his wizard look though his head of frizzy salt-and-pepper hair and long beard certainly helped.
He just had such a dominating presence not like in an intimidating way, in a very approachable way.
He had this presence where you just wanted to be around him.
The man was Elan Gale, then a co-executive producer onThe Bachelor.
Its just a lot of drama and less comedy, says Viall.
Once he left, they went back to the original roots, because they didnt have Elan speaking up.
(Its second season finale airs this Thursday.)
Or theymight fly her ex to the setso he can remind her what shes missing back home.
According to a former producer, theymay even plan confessional interviewsaround womens periods to elicit the most emotional responses.
We make a run at turn it into something thats logical and coherent.
Today, Gale still has a spot in her phone contacts as Father Elan.
Elan has never lied to me, Haibon says.
And so in the moment youre like, Oh, OK, great, great.
And then you walk away and youre like, Wait a minute.Thatshappening?
And its just because he was so easy and warm and comfortable to be around."
But in reality, Gale finds being the center of attention a little uncomfortable.
Im more used to asking other people how they feel, he says.
When I express surprise, he offers the kind of capital-V Vulnerability thats currency in the shows he creates.
Thats 80% of my life.
Weve been talking for barely five minutes.
To say Elan Galewas an anxious child would be an understatement.
It was the existential dread that was immediate in me.
After spending his childhood and adolescence performing in theater and musicals, he developed an interest in screenwriting.
I think mundanity is the scariest thing to me because, again, death, he says, shrugging.
I want to do as much as I can before that happens.
I just fell back-asswards into all of it and loved it, he says.
Gale liked making reality TV for the sense of order it provided.
Thats how I feel about everything, he says.
Nothing is scarier, he adds, than the day after filming wraps.
But the ridiculous and the profound go hand in hand, Gale says.
To me, life is a comedy because its unbearable any other way.
Its just too hard to be alive unless its funny.
So when its a show that Im in charge of, its a comedy.
Hes asking about philosophy stuff: Why are we here?
Isnt this a miracle?
It has nothing to do with anything that has to do with the TV show.
Well never ask about it in an interview.
Itll never materialize in a TV show.
Its just this vigorous interest in human beings.
I think thats the secret sauce.
Ill put it this way: I think its fair, he says of the criticism.
He sweeps his fingers through his beard as he carefully chooses his words.
I dont think its possible to ever get everything right.
I always tried my best, but it doesnt mean it was good enough.
I dont know whats going on over there.
I know that I love a lot of the people [who work there].
Not all, but a lot.
Leaving theBachelor world behind in 2018 giving up the safety and predictability of a familiar workplace terrified Gale.
That show is a juggernaut.
Its scary to leave something that will probably be permanent, you know what I mean?
That kind of job security rarely exists.
But Gale was ready for something new, including another genre.
The two had bonded over a shared love of film, and horror in particular.
(Flanagan even gave Gale amemorable cameoinThe Haunting of Hill Housein 2018, just for fun.)
So when Gale sent Flanagan a script hed written for a low-budget horror feature, Flanagan had an idea.
I was very pleasantly surprised to find it was really well-written, Flanagan remembers.
Yet another surprise that Elan has up his sleeve.
Its like, Oh, hes a very good writer.
At the heart of it, he is a storyteller, Flanagan says.
He has an innate understanding of people.
He knows how and why they behave the way they behave.
Producing isnt about being a puppet master, according to Gale.
Its a quest for understanding.
It means that Im reducing people conceptually into cause and effect.
You cant fight the chaos you have to embrace it.
People are much more interesting than we think they are.
Its just like life; its condensed, and its compressed, and its heightened.
But life isnt good or bad, or happy or sad, its a whole clusterfuck of everything.
Hes looking me straight in the eyes.
I always promise people an interesting experience.
It will be very, very, very interesting.
Photographer: Jeff Minton
This article was originally published onAug.
