‘The Bachelorette’ spoilers: More on Andi Dorfman, cast learning about Eric Hill’s death

Why is “The Bachelorette” choosing to show us the raw reactions to Eric Hill’s death among Andi Dorfman and the cast? This is going to be a subject of controversy for much of the next week, and this is therefore something that we will have a thorough podcast all about next week.

But for now, we turn to the show’s host to try to offer up some explanation about why these moments are included. While Chris Harrison is not the man with final say on the edit, he is typically a good source of insight onto such things. His explanation to Entertainment Weekly suggests to us that the news of Eric passing away was essential to the development of the series the rest of the way, and this is why it was so important to have it included:

“You also saw in the preview that next week is the week where we found out the tragic news that our friend, Eric Hill, had gotten into an accident and had passed away. This happened at the end of the week when Andi was wrapping up her final hometown visit and heading back to Los Angeles. I will warn you: You will see this play out in our lives. It’s raw and emotional, it very much affected all of us, and that’s exactly why we decided to show it to you. Next week you will see it all, and I look forward to discussing it with you then.”

The show may ultimately be in a rock-and-a-hard-place situation here. They on one side of the coin of course want to be sensitive to the situation, which is completely unprecedented and not something that they have really had to deal with before. However, at the same time they have a show that they have to put on TV and a story they need to tell, and they have to figure out the best way to combine these two things.

If you missed it earlier in the week, click here to watch a preview for next week’s hometown dates, and also the reveal of Eric’s death. You can also sign up if you want some further news and updates via our CarterMatt Newsletter.

Photo: ABC