Last night, Chris Harrison announced the identity of the next bachelorette on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and in doing so full-on spoiled the current season. Is this protocol?! I’m a Bachelor franchise novice but am told this is unusual. Perhaps it was just that important. Watch below then meet me under the vid to discuss:
So many revelations! The least of which being how unfunny Chris Harrison is, the most being the new bachelorette herself: Rachel Lindsay, a 31-year-old lawyer from Texas. She’s breaking the mold in more ways than one: she’s the first black woman to helm the show and the oldest. There is yet to be a black Bachelor lead and the average Bachelorette age is 27 (which is absurdly young and I will not hear otherwise).
I’d be more impressed with this move on the part of ABC if it wasn’t so ridiculously long overdue. How is this just now happening!? The Bachelor first aired in 2002 and the spinoff The Bachelorette came a year later. Based on my trigonometry, that’s 15 years ago. Just think of how many celebrity children didn’t exist back then! Lily-Rose Depp was two! For a show that purports to be this utopian reflection of love and courting in America, it sure is terrible at representing this country.
I guess I’m not surprised though, most everyone who watches the Bachelor and Bachelorette holds them to very low standards and seems wise to the whole deal. Like that it’s hardly real, for one, it’s grossly manipulated, for two, and the overall narrative and cadence of the show is built around archaic and oppressive cultural traditions, for three! (I’m fun at parties.)
Representation is crucial in every pocket of pop culture, though, especially the zeitgeisty ones that are talked about ad nauseum. This is a win, reality TV’s flaws notwithstanding, so GO RACHEL!
Of the road ahead (do I sound like Chris Harrison?), she says: “We are a couple weeks out from filming and we’re ready to get this started. I’m ready to find love, find a husband, so if you know anybody out there who needs to apply, sign up, go ahead and get it started…”
Take note, guys!
Photos via ABC.
