When Rachel Lindsay appeared on The Bachelor, she soon realized how different her experience was as a Black contestant from many of the other people involved with the show. Her life experience made her recognize racial issues that most of the people who worked with the franchise never noticed. During one of these moments, Lindsay got some support from the producers that she hadn’t expected.
Rachel Lindsay was a contestant on ‘The Bachelor’ in 2017
Lindsay was on The Bachelor in 2017, and according to E! News, her time on the show was intense. That season featured Nick Viall as the bachelor, and Lindsay made it very close to the end of the competition. She was one of four hopefuls left when she was sent home. It wasn’t the ending she expected.
“I really thought that Nick and I had a really strong connection—and I was pretty heartbroken when it happened—but I’ve moved on since then.”
During her time on the show, there were a few tense moments for Lindsay. After one confrontation, she was afraid of how she would be judged for her response–and the reason she was worried might surprise you.
Rachel Lindsay had a confrontation with another contestant on ‘The Bachelor’
In an essay she wrote for Vulture, Lindsay explained a moment she had with another contestant, Vanessa Grimaldi. she felt that Grimaldi’s intense feelings for Viall made her less friendly to the other women in the house. She was upset with Lindsay in particular, so the producers set up a confrontation between them.
Grimaldi approached Lindsay and accused her of bullying her. Lindsay’s response was calm and no-nonsense, which was a logical reaction from a lawyer. She asked for examples of this bullying, and she was told that she didn’t look Grimaldi in the eye during conversations. Lindsay insisted that she wasn’t bullying her, and Grimaldi became increasingly upset.
When the discussion ended, the producers asked her why she didn’t display any emotion during the talk. That’s when she lost her composure.
“I was bawling. I tried to explain, ‘You do not understand what it is to be a Black woman in this house full of white folks and for a white woman to cry in your face and call you a bully.’ Did she call any of the other women a bully? No, she picked me.”
Lindsay felt that Grimaldi was displaying an unconscious bias against her as a Black woman, and that viewers would also have a negative interpretation of the conflict. She was afraid that her calm response would come across as cold, making it seem like Grimaldi was right about being bullied. But an executive producer spoke to her in private, assuring her, “This will never air.”
She says it wasn’t the only time the producers protected her, which she still appreciates. Unfortunately, it turned out that it wasn’t enough.
Rachel Lindsay became the first Black Bachelorette
Although she didn’t win that season of The Bachelor, Lindsay went on later that year to be the first Black Bachelorette. During her season, she chose Bryan Abasolo, and the two have been married since 2019. They’re reportedly very happy together.
However, Lindsay’s relationship with the Bachelor franchise hasn’t endured. After multiple racist social media posts from other contestants surfaced, Lindsay grew tired of producers of the show giving lukewarm responses. When she spoke out about these problems, she became the target of intense social media attacks, including death threats. Eventually, she made the decision to break ties with the franchise.
“I’m no longer making myself available to The Bachelor universe (though any contestant, past, future, or present, who needs my advice can call me),” Lindsay said. “To the franchise, I am no longer a figurehead.”
Lindsay’s time on The Bachelorette ended in a happy marriage. It doesn’t seem quite accurate to say that she has had a happy ending with the show, but in at least one vulnerable moment, the producers did what they could to protect her.
