ABC’s “The Bachelor” has always been full of surprises, from who will get the final rose to what romantic hopeful will bawl the loudest after being rejected.
But this season’s finale and the selection of the next “Bachelorette” was more than suspenseful — it reawakened the lingering controversy over the franchise’s lack of cultural diversity, an issue that top network execs had hinted would be reversed in the upcoming installment.
In Monday’s “Bachelor” climax, Ben Higgins, the title character in the reality dating show’s 20th season, chose Lauren Bushnell as his mate. It was also disclosed that the next “Bachelorette” will be this season’s runner-up, Joelle “JoJo” Fletcher.
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His 9-to-5: Commercial pilot
Did he propose? Oh, yes! And the couple married a year later.
So what happened? It was true love after all. Later, Lowe appeared in the 16th season of “Dancing with the Stars.” P.S. Finalist Desiree Harstock was “The Bachelorette” in Season 9.
(Paul A. Hebert / Invision / AP)
2/12
His 9-to-5: Winemaker
Did he propose? Yes, twice! The pair called things off a month after the engagement while the show was still on the air.
So what happened? The duo patched up their problems, got engaged again, and then called things quits for good -- all within the same year. In vino veritas!
(Ralph Freso / ABC via Getty Images)
3/12
His 9-to-5: Commercial pilot
Did he propose? Yes, but ... the pair split about half a year later.
So what happened? Pavelka went on to appear in the 10th season of “Dancing with the Stars.” As for Girardi, she never was able to shake off being one of the most disliked characters on the show.
(Matt Sayles / AP)
4/12
His 9-to-5: Global financier
Did he propose? Yes, but the pair called things off a few months after the proposal.
So what happened? Lamas garnered more attention when her family appeared on E! reality show “Leave It to Lamas.” Lamas found love with blogger Nik Richie, and the pair welcomed a daughter together, with another on the way.
(Adam Larkey / ABC via Getty Images)
5/12
His 9-to-5: U.S. Naval Officer, Lt. Cmdr. Dr. Andrew James Baldwin, USN, thank you very much
Did he propose? Yes, actually. Though the duo called off their engagement a month after the show’s finale.
So what happened? Somehow they continued to see each other for another year until they split for good.
(Craig Sjodin / ABC via Getty Images)
6/12
His 9-to-5: Um, Prince? And a cosmetics entrepreneur
Did he propose? No. But the pair continued to be committed to each other until they broke up a year later.
So what happened? Interestingly enough, the “Bachelor” wires seemed to spark another romantic relationship. Finalist Tara Durr married Season 5 “The Bachelorette” contestant John Presser. Hey, at least someone found love via the show.
(Craig Sjodin / ABC via Getty Images)
7/12
His 9-to-5: Doctor
Did he propose? No. He didn’t have to. The pair took things to the next level but then called it quits shortly after the show aired.
So what happened? Turns out, Stork wanted a fellow doctor, or maybe it was just fate. He married pediatrician Charlotte Brown. Oh, and speaking of doctors, Stork appeared on the syndicated talk show “The Doctors.”
(Craig Sjodin / ABC via Getty Images)
8/12
His 9-to-5: Actor
Did he propose? No, but wait! The pair decided to make things serious without being engaged.
So what happened? They split two years after the show, and then rekindled their flame the following year. But they officially ended things three years after they got back together for the second time.
(Craig Sjodin / ABC via Getty Images)
9/12
His 9-to-5: Professional bass fisherman
Did he propose? Yes! And it was magical. Until, that is, the pair split after five years.
So what happened? Delgago was arrested on charges of battery. Some reports indicate she punched Velvick in the mouth. There was speculation that this incident stemmed from a “Bachelor” reunion, in which the audience asked if Velvick should marry Delgado. Velvick shook his head no, and the audience burst into laughter. Not funny, eh?
(Craig Sjodin / ABC via Getty Images)
10/12
His 9-to-5: Canadian college football player
Did he propose? No. The couple dated until the show’s end but split several weeks later.
So what happened? Palmer turned his focus to his career, later appearing on the NFL network as an analyst and commentator.
(Craig Sjodin / ABC via Getty Images)
11/12
His 9-to-5five: Mortgage company founder
Did he propose? Not really. Instead, Guiney gave Gardinier a promise ring. But the couple’s relationship fizzled not long after the show aired.
So what happened? Guiney found love with soap opera actress Rebecca Budig but broke things off after five years of marriage. P.S. Finalist Meredith Phillips became “The Bachelorette” in Season 2.
(Craig Sjodin / ABC via Getty Images)
12/12
His 9-to-5: Sales manager of Firestone Family Estates
Did he propose? Yes. But the pair called things off a few months later.
So what happened? They each found love later. Firestone married actress Ivana Bozilovic. Meanwhile, Schefft was “The Bachelorette” on Season 3 -- though she didn’t find love there. She married public relations executive Joe Waterman and welcomed two bundles of joy with him.
(Mitch Haaseth / ABC via Getty Images)
But the maybe-happily-ever-after coupling of Higgins and Bushnell was largely overshadowed by JoJo’s new title as “The Bachelorette.” The Dallas-based real estate developer is not exactly the culturally diverse candidate some fans had been hoping for — and were led to believe they would get.
Reports had surfaced that Caila Quinn, a “Bachelor” contestant who is half-Filipino, was seen filming segments for “The Bachelorette’s” new season. But the producers decided to move in a different direction.
Former ABC Entertainment chief Paul Lee, who had made improving diversity a priority during his years at the network, earlier this year promised change for “The Bachelorette.” “I’d be very surprised if ‘The Bachelorette’ in the summer [of 2016] isn’t diverse,” Lee told reporters at the TV press tour in Pasadena in January. “I think that’s likely.”
Lee was recently ousted and replaced by Channing Dungey, who is the first black entertainment president at a major American broadcast TV network.
ABC, which declined comment on Tuesday when asked about the show, may claim Fletcher is indeed a different kind of “Bachelorette.” Although the network in a release called her a “Southern sweetheart,” and she seems to identify as white, she has said that her mother is Persian and escaped from revolutionary Iran, which may give her more claim to diversity than the typical “Bachelorette.”
Still, her selection is unlikely to quell the criticism surrounding the franchise and its mostly white version of soft-focus romantic fantasy. Since the launch of “The Bachelor” in 2002, that show and its companion series, “The Bachelorette,” have been repeatedly slammed for assembling all- or nearly all-white casts and with a white lead for its mostly white viewers to relate to. Observers complain that the franchise stands alone, like a 1950s relic, among dating/relationship shows on TV.
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Actresses Viola Davis and Kerry Washington, executive producer Shonda Rhimes and actress Ellen Pompeo are just a few of the reasons that ABC’s schedule bucks the trend of white males that seemingly dominate the televison airwaves. Here’s a quick look at some of the network’s offerings.
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Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter in " Marvel’s Agent Carter.”
(Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) A class-action lawsuit argued that “The Bachelor” intentionally excluded people of color; the case was dismissed in 2012 on 1st Amendment grounds.
The lone exception so far to the franchise’s diversity record — Latino “Bachelor” Juan Pablo Galavis in 2014 — promptly stirred a scandal of his own by dubbing gays “perverts.”
Mike Fleiss, the show’s creator and executive producer, has in the past said minorities have not been proactive about trying out.
“We always want to cast for ethnic diversity,” Fleiss said in 2011. “It’s just that for whatever reason, they don’t come forward. I wish they would.”
The network’s overall diversity commitment has so far failed to make a dent at “The Bachelor.” On the other hand, the absence of multiculturalism has not affected the popularity of both shows, which are among ABC’s most popular offerings with women.
For a few moments this season, it seemed that change was about to happen. Jubilee Sharpe, a 24-year-old war veteran who is Haitian American, became a fan favorite and appeared to be a major contender when Higgins seemed smitten with her. But Sharpe had her own difficulties — she was involved in racially charged exchanges with two other mixed-race contestants over who was more black. She was eventually eliminated.
It remains to be seen what sort of prospective mates Fletcher might be paired with. “The Bachelorette” has flirted with mixed-race matches before, although nothing much has come of them. Black and Latino contestants have appeared on the show but have been sent packing quickly.
The controversy is likely to be revisited before “The Bachelorette” premieres on May 23.
Twitter: @scottcollinsLAT
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