Last week we told you about what may have been the most complicated dinner party we’ve ever attended (culinarily speaking), The Vagrancy Project. So as not to make you think we’re elitist about food parties, because we do enjoy formal meals and casual dining alike, we wanted to tell you about our Bachelor Mondays dinners.

Yep, that's right, we watched The Bachelor all season. By "watched," we mostly mean "yelled at," though, which is really where most of the fun is at. But now that the show is over, and Caveman and Model are left to their own devices (we're guessing an US Weekly cover followed by a breakup followed by irrelevancy), we're all left with a sad, empty spot on our calendars where Bachelor Mondays used to be.

Which is why, when one of the girls suggested we start watching Dancing with the Stars, we answered with a chorus of excited yeses. So if you need an excuse to get your friends together, look no further than your guilty pleasure TV shows (we're lookin' at you, Toddlers and Tiaras, Millionaire Matchmaker or any of those Real Housewives shows.) Here are three lessons we learned from Bachelor Mondays to help make your Trashy TV Dinner Parties a stress-free affair.

1. Get everyone to help out. If you're hosting the party, we suggest you make the main course. Alie is a pro at roasting and has a perfect apartment for entertaining, so the hosting usually falls to her. The rest of us will bring a salad, a couple bottles of wine or something to snack on after dinner while watching the show. Be sure to check dietary restrictions, lest you piss off your vegan friend who then upends a table.

2. Dessert should be simple. After the conversation dies down a bit, and we're all pleasantly full, we are all ready to get the trashy TV show started. Into the living room we go, everyone trying to stake a coveted spot on the couch, the rest left to pillows on the floor. We cover the coffee table with an array of sweet bites – a dark chocolate bar here, a box of gluten-free cookies there, some fresh pineapple and berries – and everyone snacks throughout the show. It's casual but delicious and everyone can contribute what they like, instead of one person slaving over cupcakes or spending crazy money on a cake.

3. Help clean up. This may be a given to some, but make sure to stay behind after the show is over to wash dishes, box leftovers and tidy up the apartment. If you're too tipsy on red wine by the end of the night, then you drink too much and should probably see a professional about that. Trust us, you'll be way more likely to be invited back if you offer to wash dishes and aren't a drunk. Besides, some of the juiciest conversation happens post-party, when everyone is admitting they've behaved like the crazies you just watched on TV.

Above all, be sure to have fun. This may be your only chance that week to just relax and talk with your friends, and with all the trashy shows out there begging to be given a dinner party over, we're sure you can make this a year-round thing. In our case, Dancing with the Stars can count on being yelled at by us this season. And for the record, we'd like to place our bets now for a Gladys Knight vs. Urkel final-two showdown.

Alie Ward and Georgia Hardstark are best friends who met outside a tragically hip dive bar in Los Angeles. Together, they created the cocktail abomination called the McNuggetini. You can find them on Cooking Channel stirring up Drinks with Alie and Georgia, getting schooled on Classy Ladies and devouring desserts for Unique Sweets. Find out more about them here.