This season of The Bachelor is now over but, it has been one of the most controversial seasons ever. This season has dealt with racism, bullying, the pandemic, and the first Black bachelor ever! Although this season has been all over the place, us over at MEF want to talk about how āØ C H A O T I CāØ it has been.
To start us off, we have finally been given a Black bachelor, Matt James! Although it is long overdue, it is great for us Black people to see some representation on screen. It was also great to see so many Black women cast as a love interest for our bachelor. Itās always been hard for Black women to find love on reality television shows because no one ever chooses them. It makes us believe that we arenāt good enough to be loved and thatās just not the case.
2/3 of the women that made it to the finals are Black and that was a win for us Black women! It has been great seeing these Black women choose Matt and some of them being vulnerable as well. Black people expressing their emotions and how they feel arenāt as talked about within the Black community, and to have Black people talk about how theyāre feeling and to do it on t.v. is inspiring.
Another level of disappointment
Although us Black people have our own internal issues, we still have to face the biggest issue of them all, racism. As this season of The Bachelor continued, fans decided to do their own research on all of the contestants. They found one of the contestants, Rachael Kirkconnell, photos of her attending a Southern antebellum plantation themed-party. Also, there were claims against her that she bullied students at her high school and college for dating Black men.
It was extremely disheartening and frustrating to see this surface. Just imagine being a Black woman watching this show and possibly rooting for her to end up with Matt and she doesnāt even like you because of the color of your skin or because youāre dating black men. When the pictures started to surface the current contestants took a stand and demanded justice and a previous Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay demanded accountability. If you think about it, was this an insensitive act or was it just straight up racist?
Kirkconnell distributed an apology but before an apology was distributed, the host of The Bachelor, Chris Harrison defended Kirkconnell on an interview show with previous bachelorette Rachel Lindsay, saying that this was normal. Girls her age always used to do themed parties like this in 2018. Harrison also asked if the photo wasnāt a good look in 2018 or in 2021. Rachel Lindsay expressed that a photo like that is not a good look period and that she should be held accountable for her actions.
Fans were taken aback when they realized what type of time Harrison was on. Harrison then realized the mistake he made and issued an apology and decided to step down as host for the remainder of the season.
Bully or Bystander? Which is worse?
Another tribulation these women, The Bachelor, and fans had to face were women being bullied on this show. It was hard for fans to watch because we would see these women constantly being picked on and no one would defend them.
We have some women on this show that arrived on episode one and others that arrived later in the season. The women that were there first, werenāt happy about any newcomers. They decided that they would belittle these women and get away with it.
Some women have called others escorts, belittled them in front of everyone, and have gaslighted other contestants as well. This season most definitely gave off mean girl energy. Things werenāt handled until contestant, Katie Thurston, became frustrated with how the women were being treated and expressed concerns to Matt.
Katie lost respect from the women in the house because they believed that she was trying to start drama. She did gain a lot of support and respect from fans. A few weeks later, Katie was sent home because Matt no longer saw a connection with her.
The Finale
The finale of this season of The Bachelor aired Monday, March 15. and fans already knew what to expect. Matt ended up choosing Rachael and gave her the final rose, wanting to be with her but, not ready to marry her. Matt had no clue that Rachael was apart of a plantation-themed party until the show was already filmed.
We then have the final rose ceremony where The Bachelor gets to talk to the women he recently sent home. Weāve seen him talk to the last woman he eliminated, Michelle Young. Matt also decided that he didnāt want to pursue a relationship with Rachael at the final rose ceremony. New host, Emmanuel Acho, him, and Matt were questioning Rachael about what she did and held her accountable for her actions.
This season of The Bachelor ended well. Anyone that was involved with racists acts was held accountable. As well as anyone that was either the bully or the bystander were held accountable. Although Matt didnāt find a love as he expected, two women who deserved it will be getting their own two seasons of being The Bachelorette.
Katie Thurston will be The Bachelorette this Summer and Michelle Young will be The Bachelorette this Fall. Weāre excited to see some strong, intelligent, and a Black woman on our screens this year finding love and not taking any B.S.
Tell us what you guys thought about this season of The Bachelor and your expectations for the next seasons of The Bachelorette in the comments!