McDonald's Cheesy Bacon Fries

It's late.  You just got off work and you're hungry.  You have food at home, but it would take time and energy to prepare - time and energy you're not sure you have.  You decide on fast food; you can get something quick and stay in your car.  The "golden arches," of McDonald's signals. You wonder what new menu items are on offer when something in particular catches your eye - this will be the night's guilty pleasure.

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It may vary from region to region, but my local McDonald's recently started carrying a product called, "Cheesy Bacon Fries."  I tried them on a whim; what follows is my review of that experience.

Basic Information

• $3, available for "a limited time" from McDonald's.
• Consists of 3 ingredients: McDonald's fries, "cheesy sauce," and bacon bits.

Pros

• McDonald's fries are above average as fast food goes.  Their combined sponginess and fattiness means they scratch a particular fast food itch.
• The price ($2.99) seems reasonable for the amount of food you get.
• I don't know if this happens at all McDonald's locations selling the cheesy fries, but mine was kind enough to include a fork and knife to eat said fries.  

Cons

• The bacon was a non-starter for me.  It's not that I don't like bacon; it's that the included bacon added virtually nothing to the experience.  When eaten with the other two ingredients, it was easily overpowered in flavor by the cheese and texture by the fries.  When eaten by itself (ie when I ate the bits of bacon left over after eating all the fries), they had hardly any taste at all. 
• It makes sense that they call the sauce "cheesy," rather than cheese, as it bears little resemblance to it.  I think the ingredients list (copied below) speaks to that.  On the other hand, the use of "cheesy sauce" over cheese may not be a total loss for those wanting / expecting "melted fast food cheese whiz."
• Ingredients: Water, Cheddar Cheese (Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes), Interesterified Soybean Oil, Whey, Maltodextrin, Sodium Phosphate, Contains 2% or Less: Apo-Carotenal (Color), Citric Acid, Corn Syrup Solids, Granular, Semisoft, Blue Cheese (Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes), Lactic Acid, Potassium Sorbate and Sorbic Acid (Preservatives), Salt, Sodium Alginate, Sugar, Xanthan Gum.
• Note from Quinn: WTF is "Interesterified Soybean Oil?"
• I am not on a diet, per se, but even I have a hard time justifying the 560 calories and 51g of carbs these fries represent when compared to the amount of food and flavor.

Conclusion
If money is no consideration, these fries are a hard sell compared to In N Out's animal fries, especially when the In N Out fries are "well done."  Given the high calorie count and lackluster bacon, the value proposition for this particular item doesn't make sense for me.  If money is a consideration or McDonald's is the only local option, I would categorize these fries as serviceable.  Ultimately, while the cheesy bacon fries did not offend my sensibilities, I'll probably just order regular fries the next time I go to McDonald's to indulge.

Final Score
4/10