Thursday, August 25, 2011

UPDATED: Is ABC's The Bachelor/Bachelorette Racist?

New Bachelor Ben Flajnik
Sigh! Today is just one of those days. ABC gets the sit your a** down award for this week!

A US tabloid is claiming that television network ABC’s plans on announcing that the next Bachelor will be 28-year-old California winemaker Ben Flajnik. Flajnik is not new to the franchise as he was dissed by Bachelorette Ashley Herbett this past summer.

I used to watch the show religiously but I started turning away because of one main reason.

Previous Bachelor Brad Womack
Will ABC ever cast a person of color as Bachelor or Bachelorette?

Jake Pavelka
As a regular watcher of the show I have noticed that they often times have a token person of color as a potential love interest but never in the lead position. In most cases they don't even have a person of color and usually have a totally white cast. Do Black, Indian, Asian & Latin people not date on prime time television? It's 2010 for crying out loud there's a black man running the White House. You mean to tell me a minority  can't get the lead role The Bachelor/Bachelorette house? C'mon now!

Now before you jump on my case, I understand that we (as in minorities) have a plethora of dating shows on cable. VH1 has done the minority community dirty by airing match making shows such as Flavor of Love, I Love New York and Basketball Wives. Granted these women sign up willingly for these shows and usually get a pretty penny to do it, truth is they usually perpetuate the worst stereotypes of people of color. Sure the women on ABC are catty as well but there is a different tone on those "family friendly shows". Why do people of having color have to be shown only at their worst in the reality dating sphere?

Host Chris Harrison has been quoted in the past saying that there are not a lot of people of color that apply for the show hence the lack of diversity. I call BS on that. There are tons of eligible singles that would be more than willingly to document their quest for love. My worst fear realized is that the country is just not ready to see an interracial romance on prime TV. ABC's last season finale of the show pulled in over 30 million viewers, so if folks are still watching, then why change?
Take note ABC, diversifying your cast of characters would only increase your audience.Until then, I will be channel surfing until I find a show that embraces all races.

Thoughts?

UPDATED: Make sure to read the commentary below to get the inside scoop from former Bachelor contestant Marshana Ritchie
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3 comments

  1. The television world is still a white world anywhere whichever way you look at it. Beside the culture they are promoting on that show is both adulterous and degrading to women. If it was happening in Africa a lot of pople would cry foul. But offcourse when its done by the white men its alll glorious. I do not even watch the show myself because it has nothing for me.

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  2. I totally understand your point Chief Justice! However you don't watch the show but millions do. We need to bridge the gap on tv. it ain't right. Equality for all.

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  3. As you all know, I was on the show, and spent five of the eight weeks on air, plus the reunion show.

    They have not cast a Black Woman since...

    Nor have they EVER cast a person of color in the lead position on The Bachelor or Bachelorette.

    Now I was given the opportunity to be on Bachelor Pad Two, I declined for personal reasons. Then there is always that small voice that says...will I ever really have a shot at winning anything this franchise has to offer???

    Not to be funny, the pool of people chosen for the lead on either series after mine has come from the pool of people selected to compete on The Show. We have not seen any "New Talent" chosen to lead.

    Therefore, if there are no people of color chosen to participate to begin with, then how can they ever make it to the lead??? They would first have to be cast, then make it a good way on the show, have favor with Audience (Good Luck with that)and then have favor with the producers.

    I mean hey, who knows? I expressed interest in being the Bachelorette, and even OK Magazine wrote and article about it:http://www.okmagazine.com/2008/04/marshana-ritchie-the-next-bachelorette-6076/

    However, they had already chosen Deanna, from the season before mine to lead the Re-Birth of The Bachelorette series after a few years on hiatus. Not her fault, she was just in the right place at the right time.

    Knowing the show from both sides, having watched it, and been on it, it's so hard to say. It's a complex process to be on the show. It ain't easy to be chosen. I'd love to see a person of color lead the show.

    Makho, you're right, we have a black man in the White House, it's 2011. Give us a little please. I know that the how has it's base audience, and perhaps they would not like to see a person of color lead the show.

    But just think of the rating potential....because even if people are hating on it...they'd be tuning, in record numbers, just to talk about it. And who knows, they may tap into a new market of audience members who didn't watch before...

    Sigh, who knows what will happen in the future. We will have to wait and see.

    Marshana Dahlia Ritchie

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