This past fall, I told you about the online competition for the great American boyfriend hosted by GenuineKen.com. The competition featured men from around the country who were nominated to be judged based on their appearance and what a short questionnaire revealed about their personalities. If that wasn’t bad enough, the reality show that has stemmed from that competition is now an online show on Hulu that features the top eight winners of the online competition.

Somehow, the show manages to be totally offensive. The theme song contains the line “Everybody needs a Ken.” (Really? Is that what everybody needs?) And the contestants are all lauded for their athleticism and appearances. This isn’t to say that “athletic” and “nice” are mutually exclusive, but these so-called “great boyfriends” spend most of the first episode trash-talking their competition’s contributions to a talent show. These guys spent most of their camera time being both nasty and self-absorbed. Somehow those qualities don’t seem like those of the “great American boyfriend,” or even someone I’d want to spend any kind of time with.

The pilot episode alternates between revealing the contestants’ misguided assumptions about what women like and a horrible talent show—one contestant wrote a love poem…about himself and another spent much of the episode mocking another contestant’s musical abilities only to perform a song that had the judges cringing. (If we look at what these guys are being judged on, then we can’t help but conclude that all women like muscular, athletic musicians who can also do acrobatics. This is news to me.)

In spite of all of this, I was sort of entertained: this is the kind of show you love to hate, if you don’t mind constant cringing or shaking your head in disbelief that, yes, someone is really taking this seriously.

—Taylor McCabe, 18, Contributor

Sometimes couples go crazy making sure that plans are perfect for Valentine’s Day. You have to worry about where to have dinner, or you go on a wild treasure hunt through the mall to find the perfect gift. Oh yeah, don’t forget the flowers, and make sure your outfit is extra cute. Be super nice and on your very best behavior!

Have you ever wondered why so much importance is placed on Valentine’s Day? What happened to the other 360-something days of the year? Shouldn’t we treat our partners with love and respect every day and not just on February 14?

Just imagine how much better relationships could be if you took time to treat your girlfriend or boyfriend like royalty on ordinary days and not just Valentine’s. It’s the little things—everyday honest conversations, thank yous and I love yous—that make a relationship special. If you keep that in mind, February 14 becomes just another amazing day of the year with your partner.