Between The Bachelorette and The Proposal, ABC has come under fire as of late when it comes to its casting decisions. Now, Amanda Stanton, who starred on season 20 of The Bachelor as well as seasons 3 and 4 of Bachelor in Paradise, is weighing in on the matter.
“There are only a certain amount of contestants,” Stanton told Us Weekly after volunteering with Rising Above Disabilities, the largest residential camp for adults and children with developmental disabilities in Southern California, at their reality TV-themed summer camp on Monday, July 2. “I think maybe they should just start digging a little deeper. But it’s unfortunate and I don’t think anyone on [The Bachelorette] really had any idea.”
While the reality star, 28, admits she hasn’t been keeping up with season 14 of The Bachelorette, she tells Us that it was a shock to learn about recent controversies surrounding contestants Lincoln Adim, who was convicted of indecent assault and battery in May 2016, and Garrett Yrigoyen, who was discovered to have “liked” several offensive posts mocking women, immigrants, and school shootings on social media. “I know, from when I was on the show, that we go through extensive testing and background checks,” Stanton said. “So yeah, I’m surprised that something like that would get through. I’m not really sure how that happened.”
The network’s new show, The Proposal, also caused a stir when news broke that contestant Michael J. Friday was accused by Wisconsin resident Erica Denae Meshke of facilitating a sexual assault. ABC canceled the episode featuring Friday before it aired.
Still, Stanton expressed confidence that the network will crack down on its policies going forward. “I mean, I’m sure starting next season, they’ll dig deeper into things,” she told Us. “Up until recently, I don’t really think they’ve ever had any issues like that.”
Stanton, who recently vacationed in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, with boyfriend Bobby Jacobs, also says she’ll still be tuning in for Bachelor in Paradise when it returns on Tuesday, August 7. “I never watched the show before I was on it and I haven’t really watched it since,” she shared. “So I think I’m gonna start watching. But Paradise is my favorite to watch because it’s the most fun.”
And who knows? She may even have a new viewing partner in Jacobs. “He doesn’t watch it either, but I’m sure if I wanted to watch, he’d watch it with me. And I’m sure he’d like it too,” she said. “It’s one of those things: Like, guys never think they’re going to like a show, and then watch because their girlfriends make them, but then they end up liking it more than us.”
Stanton split from ex and BIP costar Robby Hayes in September. She was previously engaged to castmate Josh Murray, with whom she is on “OK terms.”
The Bachelorette airs Monday nights at 8 p.m. ET.
With reporting by Emily Marcus
