On ABC's "Bachelorette" Rachel Lindsay has her hands full. Not only is it the most diverse array of bachelors ever seen on the show, she is the first black lead herself. Unfortunately, that has not stopped the black bachelor bashing that is becoming the main story arc of the reality show as we move into episode four. Last week we saw the stirrings of opportunistic targeting from Lee with bachelor Eric.
Eric is an emotional guy (probably a water sign). He is struggling with whether Rachel likes him back, and begins to freak (if you've watched before, this is typical of one or two contestants as they settle into the concept of dating a girl who is dating 15 other guys). So Eric agonizes. He whines to anyone who will listen. Southern, slick-talking Lee takes his shot and leads the charge against Eric (relishing his diabolical strategy to laugh and condescend a man's emotions and send him over the edge). But here's the thing — she likes Eric. They talk it over, hug up; he gets a rose. Lee is thwarted in his Napoleon-esque sabotage.
This week saw the continuation of Lee's rampage, and it has everyone talking. This time he picks on his own friend and front-runner King Kenny, the sweet and talented wrestler from Vegas. Lee effectively provokes Kenny's ire. Kenny checks him. It's enough for Lee to label him "aggressive", and we'll have to wait until next week's two-on-one date to see which of the two Rachel chooses. Well played Chris Harrison.
Photo:ABC
My thought after watching the episode was not only Lee's racial profiling, however. It's becoming an actual trend for any of the bachelors that feel insecure about their standing with Rachel. Take Iggy for example. Iggy is actually a minority as well, albeit Pacific Islander. He was not only one of the whisperers about Eric, he took this week to target Josiah. Josiah is a prosecution attorney. He had a surprisingly impressive physique on the group date yacht, he did push-ups with Rachel on his back. He won the spelling bee challenge. He also happens to be braggadocious (bet they can't spell that). In comes Iggy. He doesn't like Josiah's confidence. He feels "protective" over Rachel, despite the fact that their convos only ever involve him gossiping about the house, landing him solidly in the friend zone. But as he's sitting there telling her that Josiah "puts on this confident facade" when he's around her, and that he "doesn't think that's not the kind of man she needs", I'm sitting here wondering if he realizes how prejudiced and masogynistic he sounds? He doesn't know her enough to know who she likes! It seems like having too much confidence is yet another trait that somehow becomes off-putting if it happens to be a black man.
Photo:ABC
Time will tell if Rachel begins to see the trend (she is a lawyer). I think she was halfway in love with Bryan from night one, and I ain't mad at it. What is refreshing is to see the camaraderie between the black bachelors – they laugh and do fake British accents while they discuss Game of Thrones. It's enlightening as to who these guys are when they're not being villainized. In fact, ABC gets an honorable mention for their story-telling. Not only do we see Lee's motives very clearly, Iggy also comes out looking very weak, and the editing allows them to create their own unflattering narratives for the world to see. So, well done in capturing the sensationalism of interracial, mass dating. So far. Stay tuned!
