On Monday night, Rachel Lindsay was thrown a curveball at the end of The Bachelor and was surprised by the show when the host told her The Bachelorette would begin immediately.
During Rachel’s one-on-one interview with host Chris Harrison, she explained how she felt leading up to her season.
“I am ready. I was a little skeptical before—I think everyone saw that. … But to go through what I went through and to turn that over and become a believer, I’m so ready to get my season started and so ready for my own opportunity,” Rachel told Harrison. Little did she know that her season was starting on live television.
“What you don’t know is that The Bachelorette starts right now,” Harrison announced as he brought would-be suitors onto the stage. “We couldn’t take you to the mansion, so I brought the mansion to you. You’re about to meet a few of the guys that will be vying your heart.”
Two of the contestants were black and two were white.
Contestant Demario, obviously filled with self-confidence, already had a ring and a plane ticket so he and Rachel could elope to Vegas.
Then there was Blake, who was a tad bit awkward and nervous, and he had great hair. But he was a little too “huggy.”
And, of course, just when you thought everything would be normal, here came Dean.
As a black woman who has dated interracially for the majority of her life, I have been fortunate enough not to come across men who fetishize black women and say stupid shit like Dean.
“I’m ready to go black and I’m never going to go back,” Dean said.
Seriously, the moment was cringeworthy to me, but to Rachel, not so much, as she laughed it off and thought it was cute. But I’m going to chalk that up to her not having any experience when it comes to interracial dating, as she’s previously stated.
Sure, Dean may have been nervous and said the first thing that popped into his head, but umm ... yeah, he should probably never use that line again.
And, finally, there was Eric from Baltimore. Laid back and smooth, Eric and Rachel definitely were my favorite, especially after their little dance.
Of course, these four men aren’t the only contestants vying for Rachel’s “love” 15 minutes of fame, but if Monday night was any example of what’s in store for Rachel when it comes to trying to find love, I just hope her moment with Dean will be the last cringeworthy moment of her season.