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Rachel Lindsay Surprise: ‘Bachelorette’ Contestant Met A Few Suitors Early

By Aaron Homer
Published on: 05:29 PST, Mar 14, 2017

Rachel Lindsay got a surprise all right! The Bachelorette 2017 contestant expected her upcoming show to be talked about on Monday night’s post-Bachelor finale special, “After the Final Rose.” What she didn’t expect, however, was for host Chris Harrison to introduce her to a handful of her soon-to-be suitors, right there on the spot, on live TV with no preparation!

As the Hollywood Reporter reports, ABC and the producers of The Bachelor had been hinting that “a Bachelor first” would taking place on Monday night during the post-finale special.

As the drama of Nick Viall ultimately giving the final rose to Vanessa Grimaldi settled over the studio audience, host Chris Harrison addressed Rachel to let her know a surprise was coming.

“I’ve been talking about this epic surprise for Bachelor Nation. The truth is, it’s actually an epic surprise for you. We’ve never done this before. You know, obviously, you’re the Bachelorette. What you don’t know is The Bachelorette starts right now.”

Next thing you know, the set transforms into the Bachelor mansion, and a limo pulls up containing four of the contestants who will be competing for Rachel’s heart later this year.

“I brought the mansion to you!”

The first fellow, according to the Daily Mail, was Dean, who made an awkward joke about the prospect of being in an interracial relationship.

“I just wanted to let you know that I’m ready to go black and I’m never gonna go back.”

Do better, Dean.

The next contestant, DeMario, came with a surprise proposal already in his hand! Not really, but he did have an envelope containing a ring and a ticket to Vegas, along with a quip that he was ready to elope with her.

Next came Blake, a bumbling oaf who only managed to spit out that Rachel smelled good. He was followed by Eric, a suave and debonair African-American man who, to this writer anyway, appeared to have made the best impression. Calm and collected, Eric simply told Rachel that he was looking forward to spending more time with her.

Already this season of The Bachelorette is shaking up to be a historic one, for several reasons. There was Monday night’s surprise, of course. But beyond that, there’s also the fact that Rachel, a 31-year-old Texas lawyer, was announced as the Bachelorette contestant even as she was competing on The Bachelor (spoiler: she didn’t win).

Most historic of all, however, is the fact that Rachel is the first woman of color to hold the title of The Bachelorette.

As for what she wants to get out of the show, Lindsay has been clear that she hopes the producers give her a wide choice of men, including men of color, according to TV Buzer.

“I obviously expect to see a wider pool of African-American men just because that’s me, but what I’m excited about is I’m hoping that my cast reflects what America looks like. I don’t [exclusively] date African-American men, I’ve dated all races before, and so I’m hoping the cast reflects what America looks like and I’m excited that my season is hopefully the one that has the opportunity to do that.”

Monday night’s surprise indicated that, in fact, Rachel will have her choice of men of several different skin tones once her season gets up and running in earnest in a few weeks.

Rachel Lindsay will surprise all of her suitors, one by one, when The Bachelorette returns, beginning May 22, 2017, at a time to be determined, on ABC.

[Featured Image by Moncherie/iStock]

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