Former Bachelor stars warn new suitor Jimmy Nicholson to ‘be prepared’ for racism ahead of the new season
Former contestants from The Bachelor franchise have warned new suitor Jimmy Nicholson to ‘be prepared’ for racism when he makes his debut later this year.
Pilot Jimmy, 31, who is of New Zealand and Fijian descent, is the first non-white Bachelor since Blake Garvey, whose father is African American, fronted the series in 2014.
Sri Lankan-born Niranga Amarasinghe, from the 2019 season of The Bachelorette, told Draw Your Box ‘there will always be racism but we have to be prepared for it’.
Diverse: Former contestants from The Bachelor franchise have warned new suitor Jimmy Nicholson to ‘be prepared’ for racism when he makes his debut later this year
But the aircraft engineer said he was confident someone in Jimmy’s position ‘can easily stand up to anyone with confidence’.
Juliette Herrera, from last year’s season of The Bachelor, also told the publication she was ‘relieved’ to learn a culturally diverse suitor had been chosen.
The stylist, who describes herself on Instagram as an ‘Aussie Latina’, said casting Jimmy showed Channel 10 and Warner Bros. Australia were ‘finally listening to audiences who have been… demanding for more diverse representation’ for years.
Experience: Sri Lankan-born Niranga Amarasinghe, from the 2019 season of The Bachelorette, told Draw Your Box ‘there will always be racism but we have to be prepared for it’. However, he added he was confident someone like Jimmy ‘can easily stand up to anyone with confidence’
She also noted that ‘whether we like it or not our skin can be political’, and that means Jimmy will be representing minority Australians regardless of whether his cultural background forms a part of his journey to finding love.
It comes after Channel 10 content boss Beverley McGarvey said in March it wasn’t easy finding diverse contestants for The Bachelor.
‘It’s a particular type of show, and there are certain cultural groups that don’t want to be part of that,’ she told TV Tonight.
Ms McGarvey added: ‘That is absolutely fine and it is disrespectful of us to try and encourage particular groups to be part of something they don’t want to be part of.’
Views: Latina Juliette Herrera, from last year’s season of The Bachelor, noted that ‘whether we like it or not our skin can be political’, and that means Jimmy will be representing minority Aussies regardless of whether his background forms a part of his journey to finding love
Niranga had made similar comments in July last year, telling News.com.au ‘there are less POC [people of colour] auditioning for reality TV’ for cultural and family reasons.
‘For the ones who do [apply] and are successful, there is another hurdle an individual has to conquer to actually make it to the filming stage,’ he explained.
‘They have to convince their families they are happy for them to go on reality TV. POC individuals can have very strict cultural backgrounds which don’t always allow this kind of public display.’
Cultural barriers: It comes after Channel 10 content boss Beverley McGarvey said in March it wasn’t easy finding diverse contestants for The Bachelor. ‘It’s a particular type of show, and there are certain cultural groups that don’t want to be part of that,’ she told TV Tonight
Channel 10 officially announced Jimmy as Australia’s new Bachelor last month.
He told Sydney Confidential he’d signed up for the role because his career as a commercial airline pilot had made it difficult for him to find a long-term partner.
‘I was never in the same spot for too long,’ he explained.
The Bachelor’s ninth season will air on Channel 10 later this year
New suitor: Channel 10 officially announced Jimmy as Australia’s new Bachelor last month