ABC's 'The Bachelor' Expected To Face Racial Discrimination Suit

ABC’s reality dating game show series, which includes “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette,” is expected to face a class-action lawsuit this week for racial discrimination due to its failure of featuring minority contestants on the show.

According to TMZ, attorneys for Nathaniel Claybrooks and Christopher Johnson will file the complaint in federal court on Wednesday morning against ABC production companies Warner Horizon Television, Next Entertainment, NZK Productions and “Bachelor” executive producer Mike Fleiss.

Sources tell the site that both plaintiffs attended a Nashville audition at a local hotel claiming that a producer questioned their attendance before leaving the two out of the normal audition process. Both believe their race led to the producer’s decision to not contact them following the audition.

The show’s lack of diversity over the course of 23 seasons has raised a few questions in recent years as to why there has never been a non-white bachelor. Last year show creator, Fleiss told Entertainment Weekly that he and his production team are always looking to cast for ethnic diversity, “it’s just that for whatever reason, they don’t come forward. I wish they would.”

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Comments

[Shanda Smalls]

03:23 PM on 04/24/2012

For all those who claim they don't wacth BET, let's look at this fact...this is a "Black Voices" section and how many people are reading it and commeting! I have no doubt that many people non-black people watch BET just like many Blacks watch White entertaiment TV (the rest of tv)

[Gabrielle Rossi]

06:58 PM on 04/22/2012

Why don't they just start another show called the Black Bachelor and have all black bachlorettes?

[Salty too]

08:30 PM on 04/22/2012

But the blacks can have all the "black" stuff they want and thats O.K. Thats not discrimination, right? What a bunch of cry babies.

[AshlBenn]

06:08 PM on 04/30/2012

Because whites have everything else... thought of that?

[Shanda Smalls]

07:56 AM on 04/25/2012

Why does it have to be all Black I think the point is they wanted an interrgrated show....are you still into separate but equal?

[Gabrielle Rossi]

01:38 PM on 04/25/2012

No, I think it would be great if there were more people on the show of other races. I have no problem with interracial couples. If somebody finds someone of another race they truly love and makes them happy, more power to them.

[Rounder]

03:32 PM on 04/20/2012

Everyone should have an equal opportunity to be degraded and humiliated before millions of viewers.

That said, the producers have a right to act in their own financial self-interest. As much as it pains me to say this, the reality is that fewer viewers would tune in if the contestants were black, or any other minority for that matter. I'm not sure that's prima facie evidence of racism, but the decision to exclude these two plaintiffs is no more illegal discrimination than the audition process for American Idol.

Do the judges on American Idol discriminate against people who can't sing? Of course they do. That's sort of the point. There's a reason that the horrible outtakes are only a fraction of the show. No one will watch a bunch of amateurs caterwauling away while the studio audience cringes in their seats.

[cl47]

11:15 AM on 05/25/2012

The analogy to American Idol fails. You're implying that African Americans on the Bachelor/Bachelorette are comparable to people on American Idol with no talent.

[gylonj]

01:36 AM on 04/20/2012

Why is it ok to have 20+ seasons of a show and have NO BLACK or HISPANIC or ASIAN LEADS. Not that I watch, not that I will lose sleep one way or the other... BUT WHY? If it is not racism it is prejudice and if it is not prejudice then it is ignorance.

[smartrealist]

03:40 PM on 04/20/2012

I agree with you and feel it is racism, prejudice AND ignorance. They are one and the same

[LovelyLaLaLewis]

11:00 PM on 04/19/2012

Flavor of Love is The Bachelor for Black people. lol.

[dirtydog1776]

06:04 PM on 04/19/2012

What a bunch of whiners and cry babies.

[jcolvin325]

05:02 PM on 04/19/2012

Blacks should be glad they were not chosen to be made fools of like everyone else on this show is.

[Fonsini]

02:18 PM on 04/19/2012

Oh sure, let's try having a black bachelor and see how many of the girls want to get with that?

Better yet, a black bachelorette, that would be PRICELESS.

Lordy, lordy.

[justicex]

08:15 PM on 04/19/2012

Seemed the white girls are having a good time with black dudes.. You feel me... LMAO!

[cl47]

11:28 AM on 05/25/2012

I love that those making claims that there is no racism on the show make a comment demonstrating exactly the racism still present in mainstream media, in 2012. You just said that African Americans are unattractive and nobody would want to date them. You argue that as though that is a legitimate unracist defense of ABC. I fail to see how the assumption that African Americans are unattractive and then prevented access to a regular audition process is any different than the many years of assumptions about how African Americans are just less capable, less intelligent (hell, they even tried to back it up with "scientific" studies) that also prevented access to better education, jobs, housing situations, etc.

Even if one wants to make the argument that the producers of the show are not racist, but merely following the wishes of the 8 million or so viewers. Somebody is racist. Either the 8 million viewers who don't want to watch a African American bachelor or the smaller group of producers for the show. I'd prefer to think it's the latter.

Besides, we seem to ignore the fact that the media does A LOT to paint people as attractive/unattractive.

[chykim1]

02:09 PM on 04/19/2012

hello..everyone acts like its a bad thing..thank goodness, ppl of color arent on that rediculous show! wish we wouldnt be in any of these pointless shows! and why in the he** are they suing the bachelor...what damage has really been done to them. they theyre asking for money??

[cl47]

11:32 AM on 05/25/2012

If someone is denied a job interview because of their race, are they not entitled to damages?

The show absolutely is ridiculous, but it's also launched a number of people's careers in entertainment. A fair number of contestants on the show go on to host their own shows or start their acting careers. It may be ridiculous but it's an access point into the entertainment industry that people of color are being kept out of.

[chykim1]

01:48 PM on 05/25/2012

O ok...i dont watch the show, so i wouldnt know whose gone on to do what..but i totally get your point..maybe they should ask for money...thanx:)

[Rmchairphilo]

12:24 PM on 04/19/2012

It's a mystery to me that anyone watches this ridiculous show in the first place. Just another glaring example of the decline of our society.

[greasedog]

10:28 AM on 04/19/2012

Racism infects many aspects of American life. Beneficiaries are often knowing and unknowing. Victims are often aware of their victimization or unaware of their victimization. But, it is folly to pretend many aren't still negatively affected by it. It's obviously self-serving for those who complain about people who fight against racism as if THEY are the problem and not the racism itself. Racism takes on many forms. It can include murder, hiring, firing, promotions, elections, media coverage, etc. The sophistication can't always be contained within black and white. It has many subtle forms all of which are damaging to our nation's soul and goes against the core of who we say we are. Stop vilifying those who prove it. What does that say about you if you do that?

[justicex]

10:05 AM on 04/19/2012

Here's another thought.

Why do white people characterize the ENTIRE BLACK RACE when individual blacks take action? In this case, these two blacks guys are free to do as the law allows.

Perhaps, Blacks should start characterizing all whites as the same. After all, it's a primary reason for the continuation for discrimination, injustice, unequal treatment, racism, profiling, and stereotyping.

Trust me, we could easily start lumping you all into one single category. It's not that hard. And there would be a long ugly history to support it.

[greasedog]

10:29 AM on 04/19/2012

@justicex,
Amen!

[timequake45]

12:38 PM on 04/20/2012

"Why do white people characterize the ENTIRE BLACK RACE when individual blacks take action?"

Do all white people (THE ENTIRE WHITE RACE) do this?

[Bob Johnson1]

09:07 AM on 04/19/2012

How times have changed. It used to be that racism was characterized by brutal oppression, disenfranchizement and violence. Now it's not having enough minorities on a popular, and inane, TV show. So where does it all end? I suppose as long as there are white people there will be someone to blame for the world's ills.

[cl47]

11:35 AM on 05/25/2012

The lawsuit didn't name "white people" as defendants, just the producers of the Bachelor/Bachelorette, which may include a number of minorities.

You mentioned disenfranchisement as a characterization of racism, and that's exactly why the lawsuit was brought in the first place. The show may be inane but it's also launched careers of the contestants/lead.

[Jean Greyd]

08:27 AM on 04/19/2012

ABC has been taking an increasing risk with social backlash to this show that would eventually harm them more than being conservative with its formula would maintain thier ratings.
What baffles is that with their newer organic method of choosing the next Bachelor/bachelorette from the previous seasons' contestants, they had AMPLE opportunity to ease a contestant of colour into the public's consciousness that upon placing 2nd (and being popularly appealing) the audience would be begging to have them back in the titular role. ABC would have thus avoided risk in either direction.
BUT immediately as they started doing the show like that is when they stopped casting minorities across the board. They'd usually only have a token smattering of questionable minorities,and they cornered the situation into fulfillment by being risk averse to people noticing that tokenship, and instead of picking more cosmopolitan bachelors and upping the amount of attractive minorities, they fled in the opposite direction, getting more conservative and booting that aspect altogether. They did this despite the one off occurrence of Mary being chosen by Byron,when they could have seized the opportunity to be more ethnically diverse.

This is not a situation where one can say there's always VH1 shows as alternatives. Broadcast is always held to a different standard than cable, and should have base appeal, and the Bachelor has much higher production values. Leave the targeting to cable shows like Sweet home Alabama

[rt1027]

08:00 AM on 04/19/2012

big deal.......then don't watch it........problem solved

[greenwave5]

10:55 AM on 04/19/2012

I don't watch it anyway. It sucks!