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If you are a fan of the “reality” shows ‘Bachelor’ and ‘Bachelorette,’ you know neither show has ever had a star of color.
Now the folks behind those shows are being sued for racial disrcimination.
Former football players, Christopher Johnson and Nathaniel Claybrooks, say they were almost immediately dismissed when they showed up at an open audition in Nashville, Tennessee. So could they possibly have a case?
Bigger than this one case, is there a racist pattern in the casting of “reality” TV that perpetuates negative stereotypes?
Images in media affect and shape culture and perceptions, so I thought this was a discussion worth having.
I asked attorney Seth Berenzweig and media critic and author Jenn Pozner to join me on HLN. Pozner is the author or ‘Reality Bites Back’ and founder of Women in Media and News.
Yes, there are too many examples of racism on tv/film…like if you have ever notice almost every major African-American actress has love scenes with white male actors..but never or hardly any popular white actress has never done scenes with major black actors…
I’m a black male and I feel there is no case at all here. The casting agency in a show such as this has every right to be selective in choosing the participants. This type of ‘mate selecting’ show should be viewed no differently than a ‘Female Seeking Male’ ad where they are specific as to what type of mate they are looking for. This would be as baseless a case as a guy that sues because he didn’t get chosen for a prom date.
Well I’m a black male and while I think they are right, I also think they’ll have a hard time proving it in court. I don’t actually watch these shows because the idea of 20 women living together and competing for 1 man (or vice versa) is just bizarre and is not reality. However, I do think that because by and large people date within their own race, the producers are concerned that having a black bachelor would would reduce the show’s appeal to the demographic who watches the show. There’s probably a more subtle concern that some of the bad behavior from the reality shows that do have black cast members would fundamentally change the image of the show. At the end of the day, it’s about ratings and advertising dollars. The producers themselves probably aren’t racists, but as long as they believe mainstream America doesn’t want to see interracial dating or a predominantly minority cast, they’ll continue to sprinkle in Black, Asian or Hispanic people into the mix of contenders, but the actual bachelor/bachelorette will be white. Oh, and I’m sure that the producers are fearful that if this suit is successful, then the next question will be “why hasn’t there been a gay/lesbian bachelor”?
I don’t think a lot of network shows are set up for people of color to be a part of them. The same as in hollywood blacks in films that do well are predominantly for white audiences. The same with mostly black reality shows that are on channels like VH1. I for one have never watched these two shows and wouldn’t find them interesting. I think it opens a door for more black owned networks and shows to be produced we can be in control of what we want to view.
I’ve watched both the Bachelorette and Bachelor shows at some point but always thought them snobby and I had noticed a common pattern with the contenders and bachelor/ette, all white with the exception of a few contenders. It has always bothered me and I wondered why not a more variety of people, what are the producers ect trying to imply? That only white people can fall in love with white people? Maybe this is not it but I’ve always wondered why and are the contenders choosed by the bachelor/ette’s preference? I think Christopher and Nathaniel both deserve answers from the shows producers. It feels like the show is being discriminating, perhaps they can give a more detailed explanation into how they select bachelor/ette’s and contenders , the selection process.
I do not watch these shows, I do not think it raises to racism. When every little thing is claimed as such, Then IMHO it “waters down” real acts of it.