Getting the gang together! Chris Harrison and ABC brought together 12 of the past 14 Bachelorettes for an exciting reunion special — the first time all the women were in one room (in the mansion!) at the same time. While most women admitted they became emotional while filming, for one, it was emotional for a completely different reason.
“It was sad for me to look around the room and [see that] no one else looked like me,” Rachel Lindsay tells Us Weekly exclusively. “It was sad for me to be the sole representation for women of color.”
Lindsay, 34, first appeared on Nick Viall’s season 21 of The Bachelor. She then became the first African American lead in the franchise’s history when she was named the season 13 Bachelorette.
While the reunion special — which includes season 1’s Trista Sutter, season 5’s Jillian Harris, season 9’s Desiree Hartsock and many more — was different for her than others, the Dallas native was grateful to be surrounded by incredible women.
“The best part for me was being in the midst of the women who paved the way for me to be the Bachelorette,” she tells Us. “They started this ‘journey’ at a time when it wasn’t popular to be the Bachelorette. America was not as accepting to see a woman in this role the way they were accepting of men. Social media was not a factor in their decision to find love. These were women who were open to a new experience and open to love. I loved hearing their invaluable insight.”
Lindsay found love during her season, getting engaged to Bryan Abasolo at the end. Although she met him for the first time at the mansion, that was a “shared experience” with the other men, so being back in that location wasn’t as special for her.
“It would have been emotional for me if it was at the place where Bryan proposed to me and he was the only man left,” she said.
The Bachelorette reunion special airs on ABC Monday, May 6, at 8 p.m. ET.
