‘The Bachelorette’: Chris Harrison, Jimmy Kimmel confirm Rachel Lindsay casting (video)
While the announcement may have leaked early, last night ABC made the news official: Rachel Lindsay is going to be the star of the upcoming season of “The Bachelorette.” Jimmy Kimmel helped to make the announcement last night alongside show host Chris Harrison — the two parties took part in a fairly amusing parody, one where Chris stalled as lost as possible (he was playing the “Chris Harrison host” character) before the news was finally revealed and Rachel came out to cheers from the crowd.
Rachel conceded that her getting the gig was a pretty clear sign that she doesn’t end up with Nick Viall — the timing marks the first occasion ever where a Bachelorette was named while they were still a part of the current season. Still, it’s not exactly unprecedented, given that they named Nick Viall the Bachelor before his time on “Bachelor in Paradise” was over.
What was a little more interesting about this interview is how there was apparently none of the show’s trademark waffling over who was going to be the next lead of the series — we tend to see them advertise a down-to-the-wire decision between two candidates, but in this instance Rachel noted that she had been offered the part pretty early on in the process. This is probably a bummer to fans of fellow contender Raven Gates, but we agree that this was too big an opportunity for ABC to pass up. Sure, Rachel is the first black Bachelor or Bachelorette in history, but she’s got a ton of amazing qualities for the leading role beyond just diversity — she’s funny, articulate, and has a successful career already. She’ll actually be the first lead of the show since Chris Soules where the person’s job was actually a big part of their story.
Rachel’s appearance also seems to be, as we speculated yesterday, a way in which the show can get some added press around casting. They can use the early announcement to dip into a broader casting pool than we’re used to getting for the show.
What do you think about the way in which Rachel’s casting was announced? Let us know below, and you can head over here to get some additional casting news right now when it comes to “The Bachelor,” including a review from last night’s episode. (Photo: ABC.)