The Bachelor

Coming Out Doesn’t Excuse Colton Underwood’s Abusive Past

Colton Underwood, a young white man with short brown hair, smiles during an interview
by Gabriela Ramos Tavárez
April 20, 2021 at 10:04am
Accepting this narrative is a disservice to queer folk who are or were closeted and have never abused their partners in the process of finding themselves.
Rachel Lindsay, a Black woman with long, dark hair, smiles. She wears a dress and a white fur coat and sits on a rooftop.

Fucking Tired: Fixing “The Bachelor’s” Racism Isn’t Rachel Lindsay’s Job

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
February 17, 2021 at 12:01pm
Rachel Lindsay has become the built-in key to solving the empire’s ongoing problems with racism. Read more »
Cassie Randolph and Colton Underwood, two white adults, press their faces together for a selfie during a hike.

Jumping Boundaries: “The Bachelor” Rewards Red Flags in Relationships

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
September 16, 2020 at 2:29pm
In The Bachelor universe, men are encouraged to fight for love and to never give up. Read more »
Matt James, the first Black Bachelor, stands holding a rose.

The Final Rose: A Black Bachelor Can’t Fix a Franchise’s Race Problem

by Andie Kanaras
June 19, 2020 at 10:44am
The Bachelor franchise survives in the streaming age because it coddles white fragility. Read more »
hris Harrison, left, and contestants Julia and Brandon, all white people, stand on a stage. Juilia and Brandon hold microphones.

We’ve Entered Peak Dystopian Television, and Chris Harrison is Our King

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
May 12, 2020 at 1:49pm
Dystopian television is here, and it’s coming for our love lives—whether through song, or otherwise. Read more »
Madison Prewett, a white woman with long, light brown hair and blue eyes and a dark tan, speaks to another woman, who has her back turned.

She’s so Pure: “The Bachelor” Still Has a Virginity Problem

by Ilana Masad
March 5, 2020 at 2:04pm
Madison’s “purity” rhetoric illustrates a much broader, scarier problem with her virginity-focused narrative arc. Read more »
A photo of Luke Parker, a white man, and Hannah Brown, a white woman, on The Bachelorette

Viewers Over Decency: How “The Bachelor” Franchise Keeps Failing Its Leading Ladies

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
July 17, 2019 at 3:41pm
The Bachelor franchise is willing to toss women into the flames of abuse for bigger ratings. Has it even earned the right to tell the stories of these women if it won’t protect them? Read more »