Sentence completion 3

Originally, most intellectual criticism of mass culture was ___ in character, being based on the assumption that the wider the appeal, the more ___ the product.
A. unpredictable ... undesirable
B. ironic ... popular
C. extreme ... outlandish
D. frivolous ... superfluous
E. negative ... shoddy

Here's my reasoning:
1. the wider the appeal, the more undesirable the porduct -- it may suggests the unpredictable character;
2. the wider the appeal, the more popular the product -- it's logical (so "ironic" doesn't fit);
3. the wider the appeal, the more outlandish the product -- it makes no sense to say the "extreme character";
4. the wider the appeal, the more superfluous the product -- again, no sense suggesting the "frivolous character;
5. the wider the appeal, the more shoddy the product -- it's probably fine to suggest the "negative character".

But to my surprise, the answer is B. Why?
Thank you so much.