It’s no secret that the Bachelor franchise has typically been very white, so imagine our surprise when we heard that The Bachelorette Australia 2021 featuring Brooke Blurton is going to have it’s most diverse cast yet!
HALLELUJAH!
One insider source spilled on episode 109 of So Dramatic! With Megan Pustetto that this season, the producers made a huge effort to ensure they cast diverse contestants for Brooke.
“There was pretty much one person from every race on the show,” they spilled. “Producers made a point of getting different nationalities.”
First, they go and cast a pansexual Indigenous lead, now this?! We never thought we would see the day!
Brooke Blurton’s History-Making Season
In May it was announced that Bachelor and Bachelor in Paradise alumni Brooke would be this year’s Bachelorette.
The 26-year-old will be the first Indigenous and first openly pansexual woman at the centre of the hit dating show.
The first teaser trailer for the new season focussed on Brooke’s deep connection to her Aboriginal roots, something our source says is a recurring theme during the show,
“They go hard throughout the season about Brooke’s Indigenous culture,” they confessed, adding: “It’s all they have [left] to save the franchise.”
This year will also mark a world-first season in which both men and women have been cast as contestants! We can’t wait!
Former Contestants Have Been Calling For Diversity For Years
Racial representation is always a hot topic whenever a Bachie show begins airing, with former contestants leading the conversation.
Bachie fave Niranga Amarasinghe previously spoke to So Dramatic! With Megan Pustetto about how the franchise can diversify its casts.
To start with, he thinks the producers need to change how they entice POC to the show by being more forward with casting.
“I think they need to advertise it more, to make a more diverse cast,” he said during episode 38 of the podcast. “I don’t think they’re going out to look for them.
“They are just finding good-looking people on Instagram.”
He also thinks casting more POC will give “confidence” to those watching at home who may be nervous to apply due to “cultural differences”
“I think there’s a lot of cultural differences, getting half-naked on TV or making out on TV isn’t right for some people’s culture,” he admitted. “There’s a lot less people applying that are diverse. They need to give those kind of people more confidence.”
The Franchise’s Racial “Stereotypes”
The Bachelorette 2016 contestant Carlos Fang has also spoken up about the show’s lack of diversity.
The Chinese Australian contestant believes the franchise has fallen victim to racial ‘stereotypes’ and ‘tokenism’ when it comes to casting diverse stars over the years.
“I knew going on a show like The Bachelorette there would always be a ‘token’ guy,” he told HuffPost Australia in 2020.
Carlos also said that being the token person of colour for the serious is “likely to be a disadvantage” in the long run.
“Rarely is there a person of colour standing there at the end of the season.”
Will The Bachelorette 2021 prove different? Let’s hope so!
For more info, listen to episode 109 of the So Dramatic! with Megan Pustetto podcast.
The Bachelorette Australia 2021 premieres on Wednesday, October 20 at 7:30pm on Channel Ten and 10Play.
Know something about The Bachelorette 2021 that we don’t? Spill the tea here!
Get the tea first! Follow So Dramatic! on Instagram and tune in on Mondays to get your reality tea fix with the So Dramatic! podcast with Megan Pustetto.
