"Fifty Shades of Cray." That's the tagline ABC is using to promote the next season of the "The Bachelorette," which will pit two contestants from Farmer Chris Soules' season against each other: fan favorite Kaitlyn Bristowe vs. last season's painted villain Britt Nilsson.
When the network first announced the twist, fans were understandably ticked off. "So the 25 men, on night one, they are going to have the ultimate say on who they think would make the best wife," host Chris Harrison had said when making the announcement. Taking the power away from the woman -- and in this case women -- seemed to go against the (albeit low) morals that made "The Bachelorette" different than "The Bachelor" in past seasons.
Even Season 17's "Bachelor" Sean Lowe spoke out against the new format. "It’s downright degrading for the women -- for the two chosen and the women watching at home,” he wrote on his blog. “This move transfers the power back to the men on the show specifically designed for the women. As one tweet said, ‘Once again, you’ll have women competing for the attention of men.'"
The new 30-second spot (watch below) shows that the season will start off just as grim as we'd feared. The teaser previews the first night in "The Bachelorette" mansion and Harrison further explains how this whole "two Bachelorette" thing will work. "There are two bachelorettes," he tells the 25 male contestants. "But that's about to change. There's going to be a vote." Great. Sounds totally fair. Can't wait. Womp.