Why don't "The Bachelorette" relationships last?

Utils are units of happiness. (More utils = good)

This is a hypothetical evening. Pablo wants to go to the Yankees game while Bertha wants to see Cats: The Musical (she likes spandex unitards). So both Pablo and Bertha get 200 utils if they get to do their preferred activity and -200 if they do the other activity.

Spending the evening together also provides positive utils. But, Bertha is way more attractive and funny than Pablo, so she doesn’t care that much if she gets to spend the evening with him. It doesn’t matter that much to her if Pablo is unhappy because she can easily break up with him and date someone else. Or she could even be the next bachelorette on “The Bachelorette” and thus if she doesn’t get to go on a date with Pablo she has 24 other men to choose from (they all want her). So, Bertha gets only 100 utils from being with Pablo (-100 if they spend the evening apart), while Pablo gets a whopping 600 if he gets to go on a date with Bertha (-600 if they spend the evening apart).

The pay-offs are shown in the matrix and are as follows:

If they go to the Yankees game together:
Pablo gets: 200 utils (because it is his activity of choice) + 600 utils (because he really likes being with Bertha) = 800 total utils
Bertha gets: -200 (she doesn’t really want to go to the Yankees game) + 100 (she does kinda like being with Pablo) = -100 total utils

If they go see Cats together:
Pablo gets -200 + 600 = 400 total utils
Bertha gets 200 + 100 = 300 total utils

If Pablo sees Cats alone and Bertha goes to the Yankees game alone (…why this would ever happen ever I don’t know)
Pablo gets -200 -600 = -800
Bertha gets -200-100=-300

If Pablo goes to the Yankees game alone and Bertha sees Cats:
Pablo gets 200 - 600 = -400
Bertha gets 200 – 100 = 100



So the Nash equilibrium in this game is that they see Cats together. Basically Bertha does what she wants to do (her dominant strategy because she like spandex unitards in Cats way more than she likes Pablo), and Pablo always goes with her (his dominant strategy because he will always get more utils from being with her than doing what he wants. cough cough, whipped, cough cough).

However, over time, Pablo will get annoyed because he could be getting even more utils if they went to a Yankees game together or did another activity of his choice (Although he will probably say something more like, “Cats is poopy. How come we never get to do what I want to do?”) So one way the relationship could end is by Pablo’s last straw being pulled, and thus he’ll explode and dump Bertha.

Or, Bertha might realize how she doesn’t like him that much and dump Pablo.

Or, Pablo might try to change the pay-off matrix by proving that he actually is desirable and cheating on Bertha, Bertha gets mad and breaks up with him because she never liked him that much in the first place.

Or, a random viewer that watched "The Bachelorette" and wants Bertha will scheme to break them up by calling to Pablo's attention that Pablo is whipped (Pablo will punch the viewer, Bertha will see that Pablo is not a nice guy like she thought, Bertha then punches Pablo).

With all of these probable break-up scenarios, it's no wonder a break-up is what usually happens!