Sean Lowe Responds to ‘Bachelorette’ Casting Controversy With Refreshing Feminist Statement
Sean Lowe is a great ambassador for ABC’s reality dating competitions — he’s the only Bachelor star who actually married the girl he chose on the show (the odds definitely don’t look good for Chris Soules and Whitney Bischoff). It could be argued that Sean is one of the most respected stars of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, so when he expresses his opinion about one of the shows, ABC should probably listen.
According to E! News, Sean Lowe recently shared his feelings about ABC’s decision to start out with two bachelorettes on the next season of The Bachelorette. As most fans already know, Bachelor rejects Britt Nilsson and Kaitlyn Bristowe will continue their search for love on ABC’s spin-off show.
Lowe poured his heart out in a blog post that feminists should applaud. It’s true that Sean appeared on a show alongside 26 women competing for his affection, but he also walked in their shoes on The Bachelorette. He ended up marrying Catherine Giudici, and his wife also isn’t a fan of the producers’ decision to double up for season 11 of the show.
“No one likes the idea. Catherine thinks it’s disgusting,” Lowe wrote. “As we were sitting on the couch watching this trainwreck of an announcement, she made a good point. One of these poor girls is going to suffer the same rejection she suffered the first go around.”
Sean Lowe is making assumptions here, because no one is sure how ABC will handle having two bachelorettes. Sean thinks that Britt Nilsson or Kaitlyn Bristowe will be sent home during the first episode after the male competitors decide which lady they want to compete for. E! News reports that “there will be one girl giving the final rose at the very end,” so this certainly makes it sound like one of the women will be sent home at some point.
Sean Lowe explained why ABC would be making a big mistake by asking the bachelors to decide between Britt and Kaitlyn during the first night.
“The first night only allows for very brief conversations, and it’s really hard to get to know anyone in that amount of time. Basically, the guys will be left to choose based on looks for the most part.”
Sean went on to list a few more reasons why ABC’s move is a bad idea, including one that would make Emma Watson feel like she’s making a little progress in her quest to turn more men into feminists.
“It’s downright degrading for the women – for the two chosen and the women watching at home. This move transfers the power back to the men on the show specifically designed for the women. As one tweet said, ‘Once again, you’ll have women competing for the attention of men.’ “
As the Inquisitr previously reported, Sean Lowe isn’t the only former Bachelor/Bachelorette contestant who has spoken out against the producers’ move — Desiree Hartsock and Emily Maynard made sure to express their displeasure with the huge format change. Many fans of the show also took to Twitter to let Sean know that they agree with his opinion.
THANK YOU, @SeanLowe09, for writing my exact thoughts about how degrading the next season of #TheBachelorette is. | http://t.co/gsTEjceLHU
— Ellen Kobe (@ellenkobe) March 11, 2015
@SeanLowe09 THANK YOU!! We need more men to speak out and notice these things happening and defining our culture. @BacheloretteABC
— Alex Kocoj (@AlexandraK87) March 11, 2015
Sean Lowe’s comments on the new Bachelorette twist makes me love him more, it is truly disgusting.
— Maureen (@itzMomos) March 11, 2015
@eonlineTV you should be doing nothing other than applauding Sean Lowe for his speaking out. E! employs so many women and they should agree
— Jeanette Cib (@jeanettecib) March 11, 2015
@SeanLowe09 @clmgiudici-I applaud y’all for speaking out re: the atrocious dual Bachelorette format. I’ve watched for years, but can’t now.
— Nicole Arrington (@nicole_419) March 11, 2015
Sean Lowe ended his website rant against the dual Bachelorettes by questioning whether the producers of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette actually want to help contestants find love anymore. It’s possible that the shows have abandoned this mission, but Sean hasn’t — he doesn’t want to be the only married Bachelor star, and he’s hoping that Chris Soules will follow in his footsteps by getting hitched.
It was recently announced that Soules will be competing on Dancing with the Stars, which is something Lowe also did shortly after his stint on The Bachelor. During an interview with Hollywood Life, Sean warned Prince Farming that doing DWTS could test his budding relationship with Whitney. He also gave Chris some helpful advice.
“Spend as much time with your new fiancee as possible. Being on Dancing with the Stars is exciting and all, but the twelve hour dance rehearsals can place strain on the new relationship.”
Instead of having two bachelorettes, perhaps ABC should have offered a DWTS spot to Britt Nilsson or Kaitlyn Bristowe as a consolation prize.
Do you agree with Sean Lowe that The Bachelorette producers are making a big mistake?
[Image credit: Kevin Winter/Getty]
