“The Bachelor” accused of racism
Paul Janke “The Bachelor” poses during the Bachelor Party at Café Keese on February 22, 2012, in Hamburg, Germany.
Hit reality dating show "The Bachelor" and offshoot "The Bachelorette" are being sued for racial discrimination after two male hopefuls from Tennessee claimed they were turned away from auditions because of their race, reported the New York Daily News.
The lawsuit will be filed in a US District Court Wednesday "on behalf of all persons of color who have applied for the role of the bachelor or bachelorette but been denied the equal opportunity for selection on the basis of race," said the men's lawyers in a news release, according to CNN.
"Over 10 years and a combined total of 23 seasons of 'The Bachelor' and 'The Bachelorette,' neither show has ever featured a single person of color in the central role of the 'Bachelor' or 'Bachelorette.'"
One plaintiff is Nathaniel Claybrooks, a former college football player for minor league team the Nashville Storm. The other is Christopher Johnson, who the news release says is "an aspiring National Football League player." Both are African-American, and name ABC, executive producer Michael Fleiss, Next Entertainment, NZK Productions and Warner Horizon Television as defendants.
According to entertainment gossip site TMZ, Claybrooks and Johnson said they were taken to the side of the audition room and left out of the normal process to choose participants for the show. Neither was called back, and they believe it's because of their race.
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