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Bachelor Brad Chooses Between Blondes and Brunettes

Lindsay Berg |
January 31, 2011 | 1:45 p.m. PST

Staff Reporter

Season after season, week after week, I have watched "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette," hoping for Ali, Trista, Bob or Charlie to find love or at least cause a lot of drama to keep me entertained. Now, it's Brad Womack’s second chance at love, and as I watch "The Bachelor's" 15th season, I can’t help thinking, why are all of the people on this show so white?

Season 15 contestants
Season 15 contestants

And then I thought back to the rest of the seasons of both shows. The show claims to have such diverse contestants, with professional snowboarders, doctors, actors and even a newly unemployed bachelorette. And it really branched out when the show went throughout Europe to find Lorenzo Borghese and Matt Grant. Lorenzo’s season was in Rome, and it had two local women to diversify the group.

But, even though most seasons of the show take place in the very diverse city of Los Angeles, there is no racial diversity on the show. The show and ABC have gotten a lot of flack for this, yet still the contestants are mainly white.

Notable exceptions include last season’s winner of "The Bachelorette," Roberto Martinez, who was the front-runner for Ali’s heart from the first episode of the season and Marshana Ritchie, who made it to the top five in "The Bachelor: London Calling."

One of the last Bachelor season’s bachelorettes, who attempted to win over Jake Pavelka, didn’t stand a chance from the start. Channy Choch attempted to impress Jake with a Cambodian phrase, but the translation was shocking, and not fit for the fairly conservative bachelor or for a rose.

This season is especially filled with Caucasians, and bachelor Brad Womack seems to be getting rid of the blondes as well. Still, I can’t help but wonder what would have happened if Brad was given more of a selection.

The same can be said of Ali Fedotowsky’s selection last season. Perhaps if more of the contestants had looked like Roberto, she would have had a different final four. The show could have done without Frank Neuschaefer’s whining and neediness.

Even the names are the same, with contestants having to tack the first initial of their last name onto their title. This did add suspense to the show everytime I was waiting for Chris L. to be called instead of Chris N., but I think that Chris Lambton deserved to be just called Chris. Chris N. could have been booted off the show, and for all we know, he was, because Chris Nordhorn was only on screen in one memorable scene that involved fellow contestant Kirk DeWint joking about how Chris and Ali would have brunch once a year to catch up.

Needless to say, Chris N. was sent home that night, leaving Chris L. to regain his name.

And it is not just the contestants vying for the main bachelor or bachelorette’s attention. The bachelors and bachelorette’s themselves have never been African American or Asian, with solely European ethnicities being represented.

I hope that next season will have more diversity because I’m tired of trying to distinguish between similar-looking men and women.

Reach staff reporter Lindsay Berg here



 

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