The Power of the Pack: Women of The Bachelor Franchise
From on-screen catfights to many dramatic tears shed, the women of The Bachelor franchise have seen and done it all. However, viewers often glaze over the true friendships and camaraderie formed between the exceptional women on the show. Here are some of our favorite women- supporting-women moments in the recent seasons of The Bachelor.
Season 24 - Pilot Pete’s Women Tell All
On-screen, producers never miss a chance to capture drama—especially champagne fiascos. Although these 30 + girls are competing against each other for one heart, the Women Tell All special always proves how the women create genuine bonds with one another. Honestly, how could you not after so many wine nights? Pilot Pete’s ‘WTA’ was a memorable, yet emotion-packed episode as they highlighted a serious issue: online harassment and hate. From racist DMs to actual death threats, these women shared their experiences and the toll it takes on their mental health. “It sucks and it hurts,” said Mykenna Dorn (S24), “But also I had so much love and support from the other women and it meant so much.”
Season 25 - The Tale of Two Rach(a)els
In the past month, you may have noticed the overwhelming messages of support for Rachel Lindsay, the first Black Bachelorette. While we're all for women supporting women, a recent controversy surrounding some key players in the 25th season of The Bachelor has warranted a necessary amount of support to our favorite leading lady, Rachel Lindsay. The women in this season of The Bachelor have posted a joint statement addressing a recent controversy over contestant Rachael Kirkconnell’s allegedly racist actions, as well as host Chris Harrison’s failure to properly denounce intolerance when given the opportunity. How did we get here? First, a quick back story: Season 25 Bachelor, Matt James, is the first Black man to lead the franchise; Rachel Lindsay began to break through the barrier on The Bachelorette a couple of years ago. While Lindsay’s season was mainly drama-free, it’s been a different case this year because of recently surfaced photos and stories involving contestant Rachael Kirkconnell. Back in her sorority days, Kirkconnell attended an Old South–themed party. This is problematic because, whatever the intention, it glorifies the culture of the antebellum South plantations, where white people enslaved black folks. In response, women from the current season have posted a statement to social media about the incidents, saying, “We are deeply disappointed and want to make it clear that we denounce any defense of racism. Any defense of racist behavior denies the lived and continued experience of BIPOC individuals...Rachel Lindsay continues to advocate with ‘grace’ for individuals who identify as BIPOC within this franchise...We stand with her.” While Harrison and Kirkconnel have apologized to Lindsay and the BIPOC community since then, their road to reputational recovery is a long one. Through thick and thin, the girls of the 25th season have stuck together like glue and have displayed unwavering support of Rachel Lindsay, exemplifying the true definition of women supporting women.
Season 25 - Debunking MAJOR Rumors
Only four episodes into Matt James’s season, a rumor kicked off the tone for the [season] when contestant Anna Redmen told other women in the house that Brittany Galvin, another contestant, was an escort before her debut on the show. The episode in its entirety is an infuriating and dangerous two hours of television marked by ruthless sl*t-shaming. On Matt’s Women Tell All, Brittany confronted the rumor to Anna saying, “It’s embarrassing because when you Google my name now, the first 20 results are, ‘Bachelor contestant Brittany Galvin accused of being an escort.’ There’s nothing wrong with that industry, but it’s not me.” She also added, “...It’s just hard because I didn’t sign up to get bullied.” Anna apologized to Brittany (rightfully so) and admitted that everything she did in the situation was wrong and that there is no reason ever to take down another woman (yes Anna, we agree). Amidst the false accusation, the support Brittany received from Bachelor women—current and former—was inspiring.
While the main goal of the show is to fulfill everyone's daily dose of drama, earn high ratings, and maybe even get two potential lovebirds hitched along the way, it's almost impossible to ignore the real stars of The Bachelor: the women. In a show where women are pitted against each other to compete for attention, the women are the true masters of unconditional support and gracefully represent the power of the pack (i.e., you mess with one woman, you mess with all women.)
Written by Larissa Villegas & Samhita Anapu, Photography by Sophia Howard, Design by Bailey Kelley