Paul Lee said he would be surprised if the next 'Bachelorette' is not diverse, referring to the Farm Team.
- Jan 10, 2016
AceShowbiz - It has been a debate that last more than a decade. ABC's reality dating series "The Bachelor" is finally coming an inch closer to introducing more diversity in its cast, the network's boss Paul Lee said during their presentation at the Television Critics Association on Saturday, January 9.
The show had received many criticisms for lacking non-white lead in the past 20 seasons. Latino Juan Pablo Galavis was the furthest the producers could get for the 18th season. A white leading man Ben Higgins is fronting the current season, prompting questions like when the show is going to cast a black "Bachelor".
In his response, Lee told reporters, "We had a Latino Bachelor, obviously. We're doing a whole lot of tweaks. We have the farm team, right, which allows us to then pick the next one. But I'd be very surprised if 'The Bachelorette' in the summer isn't diverse. Perhaps I shouldn't have said that, but I think that's likely to happen. The tweaks that Mike Fleiss has put in place will get us where we want to go."
"The Farm Team" is the term used to call the current pool of contestants that producers have used since 2009. The next "Bachelor" or "Bachelorette" is usually chosen from this so-called team. However, there are only three women of color in the current season, making it a small chance that the next "Bachelorette" will be as diverse as Lee said. The announcement is expected to be made in March after "The Bachelor" season 20 wraps up.
