ABC’s The Bachelor Season 27 is right here, and followers are already reeling over an incident with one of many contestants on Twitter. Bachelor Nation continues to disappoint followers by inviting contestants on the present who’ve a historical past of racist phrases or actions. And The Bachelor govt producer’s response to Erich Schwer definitely isn’t getting old properly now.
Erich Schwer’s blackface incident brought on followers to query ‘The Bachelor’ franchise
Gabby Windey selected Erich Schwer on the finish of The Bachelorette Season 19. Erich acquired down on one knee for Gabby, although followers later found {that a} highschool photograph exhibits Erich in blackface. This incident got here after followers discovered that The Bachelor star Rachael Kirkconnell attended a plantation-themed occasion.
“I wholeheartedly apologize for the insensitive photo of me in blackface from my high school yearbook that has been circulating,” he wrote on Instagram. “What I thought at the time was a representation of my love for Jimi Hendrix, was nothing but ignorance. I was naïve to the hurtful implications of my actions to the Black community and those closest to me and will forever regret my offensive and damaging behavior.”
Windey admitted she was additionally “shocked” by the photograph. “I was incredibly shocked,” she informed People. “[I] just really had to process my thoughts and then think about how we can grow as a couple and learn from this.”
Government producer Rob Mills says the franchise is ‘improving’
Erich Schwer’s blackface incident from The Bachelorette exhibits the extra profound points inside The Bachelor franchise. After photographs of Rachael Kirkconnell attending a plantation-themed occasion have been discovered, the present addressed it in the course of the After the Closing Rose particular, because it deeply affected her relationship with Matt James. Erich Schwer’s incident wasn’t addressed on the present. And when govt producer Rob Mills was questioned concerning the franchise’s future, he didn’t provide a very good reply as to what the franchise is doing about this situation.
An interviewer with The Hollywood Reporter requested Mills if the “vetting process” for the present will evolve in gentle of current occasions. “It’s always evolving, so we’re obviously trying to get better,” he stated. “Obviously, your goal is to have zero issues. As we go season by season, we try and get better and better because we hate when these issues come up. I do think we are improving, and we’re learning how to perfect this as we keep doing it.”
Sadly, followers need extra concrete motion than Mills said. Phrases like “trying” and “think we are improving” don’t instill confidence.
‘The Bachelor’ Season 27 star Greer Blitzer apologized for ‘offensive’ tweets
The Bachelor Season 27 already has its first racist incident to take care of. Greer Blitzer, the lady to obtain the First Impression Rose from Zach Shallcross, tweeted dangerous feedback. In 2016, she defended a pupil who wore blackface whereas dressing as Tupac for Halloween.
“The students involved didn’t even know what blackface was, so my point exactly,” she tweeted, in accordance to TMZ. “It wasn’t an intentional racist act.”
“Putting white powder on your face isn’t OK either,” she tweeted. “That didn’t make the news, did it?”
Blitzer apologized for the tweets. But it surely’s clear that producers nonetheless have a great distance to go when vetting their contestants. Whereas Rob Mills stated the franchise retains “trying” to discover high quality contestants, they proceed to fail.
For extra on the leisure world and unique interviews, subscribe to Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s YouTube channel.