ABC Announces the First Latino ‘Bachelor’

Aug 07, 2013

After 18 seasons of exclusively white bachelors, ABC has announced the first ever Latino star of the popular TV show "The Bachelor." Juan Pablo Galavis, a Venezuelan former soccer player, is a doting father who says he’s looking for a great stepmom for his daughter Camila.  He was dumped by Desiree on Season 9 of "The Bachelorette," but this time he’ll be the one doing the dumping. 

ABC came under fire last year when it was accused of being racist against potential contestants, even leading to a lawsuit that was later dismissed. The show’s Executive Producer Mike Fleiss didn’t seem terribly bothered by the racism accusations in an interview with Salon.com, saying: 

"We really tried, but sometimes we feel guilty of tokenism. Oh, we have to wedge African-American chicks in there! We always want to cast for ethnic diversity, it’s just that for whatever reason, they don’t come forward. I wish they would."

Yeah, I wonder why they won’t come forward. It is yet to be seen, but Galavez could represent a step in the right direction for diversity on the show.