‘The Bachelor’ Never Shows Up for Black Contestants. Are We Really Surprised?
The franchise’s diversity quick fix has still failed its contestants of color
Last June, The Bachelor kicked off an exhaustive sweep of changes as it responded to criticism over the franchise’s lack of diversity.
From the surprise announcement that Matt James would be the first Black Bachelor to talk of employees attending diversity workshops, the franchise appeared to fast-track diversity efforts after largely ignoring race for almost two decades. Even the show’s executive producers released a statement about the role they played in the limited representation — they pledged to “expand diversity in our cast, in our staff, and most importantly, in the relationships that we show on television.”
Many fans questioned the timing of the sudden focus on diversity issues; the quickfire changes happened in unison with a global wave of Black Lives Matter protests against systemic racism, police brutality, and social injustice.
