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Bachelor Nation’s Wells Adams: America Won’t ‘Embrace’ a Black Bachelorette

Who’s the next Bachelorette? Bachelor Nation’s Chase McNary and Wells Adams were guests on Vinny Ventiera‘s Wrong Reasons podcast on Thursday, February 2, and the three Bachelorette season 12 alums discussed which of Nick Viall‘s Bachelor season 21 ladies might get picked, including such standouts as Rachel Lindsay and Corinne Olympios.

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McNary said that while he thinks Lindsay could be the next Bachelorette, given that viewers have been calling for a more diverse choice as the show’s lead, he’s not sure if producers will go through with it. “[Producers] want everyone to think, Oh, this black girl is finishing pretty late on’ and they’ve never had a black Bachelorette — that might be the direction they’re going to go,” the medical sales rep said. “It’s the direction they have to go. But then, ‘Holy s‑‑t, Donald Trump‘s the president, and Corinne’s the Bachelorette? What’s the world going to do?'”

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McNary pointed out that the show’s producers had picked Caila Quinn as the season 12 Bachelorette before switching to JoJo Fletcher at the last minute. He said he could see something similar happening this season, with producers potentially trying to “trick us again with, ‘It’s going to be Rachel,’ and then have somebody lead on that it’s going to be Vanessa — I don’t know — and then surprise, it’s actually crazy-ass Corinne.”

Wells Adams
Wells Adams on Jan. 2, 2017, in Los Angeles.

Adams agreed that Olympios, the polarizing season 21 villain, might ultimately be the choice. “Remember, we all thought it was Caila, and that was exactly what they were trying to do — that was diversity being the forefront,” the Bachelor in Paradise alum said. “And then they kind of took stock of how America felt about it, they kind of leaked that information, and they realized America wasn’t superpumped about that choice. Regardless of the diversity issue, it might’ve just been they didn’t really love her personality or persona. But when they found out it was JoJo, people were very excited about that.”

“I think the franchise wants to so badly break out of its cookie-cutter, white-person shell, but I don’t think that America will embrace it, sadly enough,” Adams continued. “And I think what they’re going to do is it will be misdirection. I think it’s going to be … Rachel, and then at the last second, they’ll have Corinne.”

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ABC president Channing Dungey told reporters at a press event in August that her goal is for the Bachelor franchise to start choosing more diverse leads. “I would very much like to see some changes there,” she said.

Tell Us: Who should be the next Bachelorette?

The Bachelor airs on ABC Mondays at 8 p.m. ET. 

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