Well here we are at roughly 9:00am Wednesday morning, and the “Bachelorette” Facebook page hasn’t put up the guys for Katie’s season yet. Maybe it happens later today, maybe it happens overnight. But if they keep with recent tradition, we should be getting the list of possibly guys for Katie within the next 24 hours. I’ve given you nine (they’re all on my IG Highlights), and I’ve got at least 3 more coming later today as of now. Those will be posted on my Twitter, IG Stories, and saved on my IG Highlights. So that’s a little over a 1/3rd of the cast since I assume we’ll be given around 33-35 guys and 3-5 won’t end up making the cast. That’s how it’s worked since they started releasing these casts early. Can’t remember what season it started, but I wanna say they’ve done it 5 seasons in a row? Maybe 6? Either way, I will keep you updated once it’s up and will start filling in the guys last names with pics, social media accounts, and any other info I can find out. Lets just keep our fingers crossed it happens today. Would be much easier for me. I thank you all for your thoughts and prayers that my job is made easier.
Ratings are in from Monday’s finale, and lets just say, it wasn’t great. The finale drew 5.75 million viewers with a 1.4 rating. Peter’s finale last season airing at the same time last year (March 2020) drew 7.7 million and a 2.1 rating. The ATFR this past Monday night drew 5.2 million and a 1.3 rating. Peter’s ATFR jumped to 8.5 million and a 2.5 rating. That’s the bad news. The good news is, well, click on that link. Look what the share was in the Women 18-49. An 11 share. Dominated the night in the most sought out demographic. Bottom line: TV ratings have been down everywhere since the pandemic started. So it was expected. The gain from Matt’s first episode (5 million) to the finale (5.75 million) wasn’t a huge gain, and that’s where they’re probably disappointed. But overall, the fact this franchise just added a second “Bachelorette” season kinda shows they’re not on their way out. If they were struggling, they wouldn’t be adding shows to their lineup.
Emmanuel took to his IG yesterday to give a brief description of the Rachael/Michelle conversation that didn’t make the final cut. Here’s what he said:
View this post on InstagramAshley and I did our weekly IG Live last night, and for whatever reason, although when you watch Part 1 below there’s no buffering or videos issues, when it was live there was. Hence the reason we had to stop and start over. But here’s the first 20 minutes with no video issues:
View this post on InstagramAnd then here is Part 2:
View this post on Instagram
“Reader Emails” begins on Page 2…
justsaying
March 17, 2021 at 8:31 AM
Ladies, When Matt was awkwardly silent during the ATFR was because his brain is blank. Not because he’s being deep or trying to come up with something to say or feel. It was just because he has nothing.
That’s how guys work. If they feel something, oh we will hear and know about it. If there’s something on their minds, oh we will hear an earful about it.
kayakguy
March 17, 2021 at 1:29 PM
Not a bad assessment. Usually the case with me 🙂
stacylee
March 17, 2021 at 7:40 PM
Never make it in time for emails but had a few thoughts on ATFR:
~Emmanuel did a fantastic job. I was so impressed with his desire to educate, understand, and inform.
~Two favorite things he said were that you could be racially insensitive or racially ignorant without being a racist. He does not believe Rachael is a racist. I agree. He also said he doesn’t believe in “canceling” people. These are excellent points for all of us to remember.
~Rachael came off as very sincere and as a woman in love. But, clearly, she is in pain. It was clear she had lost weight and was still taking her actions very seriously and was sincerely remorseful.
~The most telling thing Rachael did was to put Matt’s pain at the forefront…not her’s. She reached for his hand and consoled HIM. Very impressive.
~Matt came off more poorly and I was disappointed in him. But, after thinking about it, I realize that he was in a lose/lose situation. He definitely loved Rachael at one time but had a lot of pressure put on him to represent the black race. I think he chose to say so little because he would be damned either way.
~ I would like for people to understand that although Matt is a black man, he grew up in a relatively affluent part of Raleigh NC, attended Wake Forest University, and has a LOT of very close white friends. Out of all the lovely women on this season, he chose a white woman. He was raised by a white woman. So, Matt has lived as a black man surrounded by many, many, loving, supportive black AND white people.
~When Matt said he didn’t sign up to have these conversations, I think that’s true. It’s quite possible that his experiences as a black man have been very different than people might think.
~ The time Matt came across the most authentic was on night one when he opened in prayer. That got Rachael’s attention and it got mine. I’m going to pray for both of them.
shellylite
March 17, 2021 at 7:40 PM
I don’t think Matt’s brain is blank but that he was struggling to say something that someone wouldn’t yell at him about, I.e., production. Everyone on this show has these scripted moments and without a script people get awkward.
I think this nails it: Watching Rachel Kirkconnell be crucified by Matt James on After The Rose was APPALLING.”
Because you know how last month was Black history Month? This month is Women’s History Month. And instead of respecting the women on the show we see one left to bleed to death on the stage sitting next to a man who said he loved her, said he was a Christian, and said she mattered to him. But apparently not enough to respect anything about her, even her basic humanity.
It’s no surprise to me that men who run the network, the man who runs this website, and Matt James and Mr. Acho don’t respect anything about Women’s History Month or women in general. I can’t wait until women run the world and can just get men out of all positions of power. I’m no fan of Chris Harrison, but what this show did to Rachel K . . . if I were her I would sue ABC for character assassination and defamation, and she would win. I hope she considers it. This kind of thing follows a person around for decades and she did not deserve how she was treated.
stacylee
March 17, 2021 at 7:44 PM
PS- Saw that someone mentioned his Christianity. I do admit that some of his behavior hurt his witness. But, going forward, he can work on that. I hope.
justsaying
March 18, 2021 at 7:42 AM
@shellylite Matt is a social influencer with Cameo, Instagram, TikTok and on and on accounts and he’s afraid to get yelled at and haters?? Doesn’t make any sense.
He dumped Abigail and Michelle in the coldest ways possible. He dumped Racheal over the phone too, even though I know she probably deserved it being a racist and all. His words or rather non-words to the women is obviously a pattern of his.
Coco
March 20, 2021 at 9:10 PM
Is Steve hinting that Matt and Rachel are possibly still together? Matt’s odd behavior on ATFR would make more sense if this was true. Maybe they are actually together, but are faking being broken up, because of social media and it’s the “right thing to do.” I honestly got this vibe… Maybe he came off as “cold” because he was trying to act “cold” and he’s not a very good actor.
elizabethkeygrinstead
March 21, 2021 at 4:12 AM
Enjoyed your response to the reader that bigot that you allotted exactly the consideration it deserved. EG none.
While I don’t generally support giving bigots a platform… I classify this in your ‘see the crazy I have to deal with’ category.
BTW, familiar w/KA Old South event. Even back in the early 80s, when the KAs held that annual event at my small college, I knew it was excreable taste & racist. And have was still in my musguided youthful conservative repuglican phase
Eas surprised that the reader will take to take time off storming the capital so watch the franchise 😉