ABC so rudely shook Bachelor Nation to its core when they announced Rachel Lindsay as the next Bachelorette on February 13th. This was controversial for a few reasons - #1 being that she is black and #2 being that she was still on the show. Considering that this was 2 weeks ago, you would have thought she went home the next episode. But, nope 2 full episodes later and she is STILL in the running and gets into the fantasy suite.
There are a few theories that have been kicking around...
Theory 1: This season sucks.
In an effort to distract viewers from how blah this season is, ABC made the announcement to get people already thinking about what's next. Even with last season being the Jojo/Jordan show, it was still GOOD because you could see how much they actually liked each other. Nick is so hard to get a read on, you can't tell who he cares about the most (the answer is himself).
Theory 2: They want a more diverse group of guys to apply.
ABC's lack of diverse cast members on the Bachelor/Bachelorette has been a topic of discussion for years. Rachel was the first black contestant to get the first impression rose and to make it to the final four. By announcing her as the Bachelorette early, maybe ABC is hoping that more chocolate bears apply. Rachel has said that she "doesn't have a type," but she also admitted that Nick was the first white guy she brought to meet her parents.
Theory 3 (the winner): ABC has us brainwashed.
Look, Rachel is AWESOME. When her and Nick had their one-on-one in New Orleans, it was obvious that she was way too cool for him. She's gorgeous, successful, fun, mature, etc. but for whatever reason she's still into Nick? It's clear that she has feelings for him, especially if they get it on in the fantasy suite and then he dumps her. ABC is so smart, that as soon as Nick broke up with her, they consoled her by saying "we want you to be the next Bachelorette!" And as viewers, we will watch her get her heart broken and then love her even more and look forward to watching her "journey of love." Because make no mistake about it, there is ZERO chance that the people who made this decision are idiots. They knew there would be backlash for announcing her while she was still on the show, but they also knew that it would make her more loveable to viewers. And we are so fing brainwashed that while we all bitched that it was announced early, we will still tune in. Boom, "mystery" solved.
