‘The Bachelorette’ looking for most diverse cast ever for Rachel Lindsay’s season
We’re now a couple of days removed from the big announcement that Rachel Lindsay will, in fact, be named the new lead for the upcoming season of “The Bachelorette.” Now, we come to the next order of business: Learning a thing or two about what the show is planning when it comes to the casting process.
According to a new report coming in right now courtesy of IndieWire, ABC’s senior vice president of alternative series Robert Mills made it clear that the show is looking to have more representation on Rachel’s season than ever before. This makes sense given that she is the first black lead for a season, but at the same time, it wasn’t a given. Remember that this is a show that tends to do the same sort of stuff every season, from the casting to the dates, and simply finds a new and interesting way to repackage it.
So much of what ABC is doing this season is already different, and part of that begins with them announcing that Rachel is the lead while she is still a contestant on the show. We do understand the backlash that comes with that, given that there are a high percentage of viewers out there, contrary to what you may believe just from looking at the internet alone, who really don’t read any spoilers or like to know what happens on the show in advance. Yet, simultaneously we feel like this news was announced so early mostly because it would give them time to find a more diverse cast, and get applicants who were there specifically to date Rachel as opposed to Raven Gates or any other possible contender. Ultimately, this is something that the network and the producers want to do right.
In a way, “The Bachelorette” has always been at a casting disadvantage given that the majority of the time, the women who appear on “The Bachelor” have a chance to know who they would be competing to be with before they get too deep into the process. Meanwhile, for “The Bachelorette” at times it’s really been a down-to-the-last minute thing, which is why there’s been drama over the years (see Ashley Hebert’s season) about guys who appear on the show, but were hoping that it would actually be someone else cast in the lead role.
Are you excited to see what Rachel will have to offer on her season, even if you are not watching this one? Let us know now in the comments! Meanwhile, be sure to click here in the event you want to get some more news right now in regards to the current “Bachelor” season. (Photo: ABC.)