IT’S ABOUT LOVE
The first black Bachelorette says the new season won’t focus on race,
When a new season of The Bachelorette debuts on Monday it will feature more people of colour than any past iteration of the reality TV franchise.
Rachel Lindsay, a 32-year-old lawyer from Dallas, Texas, made headlines when she was selected as the first black Bachelorette in February. And more than a third of her 31 suitors are men of colour.
It’s been a long time coming for the franchise, which has 21 seasons of The Bachelor and 12 of The Bachelorette under its belt. In all that time, only one other non-Caucasian starred in one of the shows, which feature a man or woman dating a pool of contestants to find a future spouse: Venezuelan-American soccer player Juan Pablo Galavis in 2013. In fact, the producers were sued in 2012 by black Bachelor applicants who claimed they were discriminated against. (They lost the case.)
But don’t expect diversity to be a key part of the plot as the show follows Lindsay on her “journey” to find love.
The woman herself says this season isn’t about her being black.
“I do feel a sense of responsibility to be the first. I’m representing myself as an African-American woman and on a platform that hasn’t been done before (but) me being the first, me being black or anything like that didn’t affect the way that I was on the show,” she said in a conference call last week.
In fact, we’ve likely already heard the most overt comment made about Lindsay’s skin colour. A white contestant met Lindsay in a televised Bachelorette mini-preview in March and blurted out, “I’m ready to go black and I’m never gonna go back.” The comment drew condemnation online, but Lindsay said last week she wasn’t offended and, in fact, “enjoyed how bold he was and confident to come out onstage and make that comment.”
“That might have been the boldest comment that I had (through) the entire season,” she added. “Race wasn’t really — no one made me very aware that I was black or that. . . . This is the first time they’ve been in an interracial relationship. . . . It really wasn’t a theme or an issue during the season.”
Lindsay also previously made it clear that although she’s honoured to be the franchise’s first black star she wouldn’t be pressured into choosing a black man as her fiancé.
“It’s my journey in finding love,” she told the Hollywood Reporter. “Whether that person is black, white, red, whatever — it’s my journey. I’m not choosing a man for America, I’m choosing a man for me.” And choose a man she has. Although the usual practice is for Bachelors and Bachelorettes to play coy in pre-season chats with the media about whether they ended up with a match, Lindsay revealed, “I am very much so in love and very much so engaged.”
She and the man are currently in a secretive long-distance relationship since his identity can’t be revealed until the season finale (although the Internet is already alive with spoilers
“I do feel a sense of responsibility to be the first (black Bachelorette) . . . (but) that didn’t affect the way that I was on the show.” RACHEL LINDSAY THE BACHELORETTE
about who he is, if you care to look).
Lindsay said they won’t rush into a wedding after the big reveal a couple of months from now. “We just really want to get to know each other better and cultivate our relationship.”
In the meantime, we can expect the usual mix of personality clashes, oddball behaviour — one word, “Whaboom,” you’ll understand after you watch the season debut — titillation and tears that make The Bachelorette addictive viewing.
The cast is already being touted as “most dramatic ever” by host Chris Harrison. While Lindsay didn’t see what went on between the men when she wasn’t around, she said she would “put my money” on there being drama. “I do have guys with big personalities and I have a big personality, too.”
Whatever the future holds for Lindsay and her new love, the season could also mark a turning point for the franchise.
Since the stars of future seasons of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette are usually chosen from the seasons that came before, Lindsay’s diverse group of suitors could open the door to the first black Bachelor, particularly if black contestants are among her final four picks. And that, in turn, could beget more diversity in future seasons.
All we can do for now is watch and see. The Bachelorette begins Monday at 9 p.m. on City. Read Debra Yeo’s recap Tuesday morning at thestar.com/television.