Someone's not happy with the new "Bachelorette" twist.
"The Bachelor" alum Sean Lowe and his wife, Catherine Giudici, are reportedly disgusted with show's decision to feature two women on season 11 of ABC's "The Bachelorette."
On his personal blog, Lowe explained why he felt that the show's new twist would be disrespectful toward women and claimed that "no one likes the idea" - not even the women sitting in the audience when the announcement was made.
"I normally don't speak out against 'The Bachelor.' They've been so awesome to me - first allowing me to appear on 'The Bachelorette,' then selecting me for 'The Bachelor.' Amazingly, I met my wife on that crazy show!" Lowe started his blog post. "As much as I love the guys over there, I feel like I need to speak out about the development revealed last night by Chris Harrison... The looks on the faces of the women in the audience, the uncomfortable banter between the two 'lucky ladies,' and the tweets sent to me afterward tell the story. No one likes the idea. [My wife] Catherine thinks it's disgusting."
As an effort to boost the show's ratings, producers cast former contestants Britt Nilsson and Kaitlyn Bristowe as the bachelorettes for the upcoming season. During the show's season premiere, a group of suitors will choose one of the two women to be "The Bachelorette" - and the other woman will be sent home.
"As we were sitting on the couch watching this train wreck of an announcement, she made a good point. One of these poor girls is going to suffer the same rejection she suffered the first go around," Lowe says. "The first night only allows for very brief conversations, and it's really hard to get to know anyone in that amount of time. Basically, the guys will be left to choose based on looks for the most part."
"I know this show is already awkward and degrading - especially if it's not handled well by the main star," Lowe continued. "I also realize this is 'just another reality TV show.' But, in a way, it's not. 'The Bachelor' and 'The Bachelorette' still have a certain amount of credibility. Why? People watch it because they hope to see people find true love. I'm proof. It happens."
In his post, Lowe listed reasons why he thought there should never be two women on the show, claiming that "two Bachelorettes is just a rating ploy designed to bring The Bachelorette out of a two season ratings slump" and saod the process is degrading to women.
"[First,] it's downright degrading for the women - for the two chosen and the women watching at home," Lowe explained. "This move transfers the power back to the men on the show specifically designed for the women. As one tweet said, 'Once again, you'll have women competing for the attention of men.'"
"The Bachelorette" season 11 is set to premiere on May 19.
