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Christopher Johnson

Nathaniel Claybrooks

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• Racial bias alleged on 'The Bachelor'

The discrimination suit filed by Nathaniel Claybrooks and Christopher Johnson in Nashville federal court argued that ABC had never cast a person of colour - African-American, Hispanic or Asian - in the show's central role as a matter of policy.

The men's goals were "laudable," but the rights of the show's producers to control their creative content are protected by the First Amendment, U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger ruled.

Claybrooks and Johnson had sued ABC, which is owned by Walt Disney Co, Warner Horizon Television Inc, which produces the show, Next Entertainment Inc, NZK Productions Inc and executive producer Michael Fleiss in April.

"We felt from the outset this case was completely without merit and we are pleased the court has found in our favor," WB Entertainment spokesman Paul McGuire said.

The two reality shows in question, "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette", follow a man or woman's search for a mate that is chronicled through dates with a couple of dozen contenders until a selection is made on the season-ending episodes.

Claybrooks, a former college football player and an entrepreneur, and Johnson, a teacher and football coach, said when they filed their lawsuit that their auditions for the show were perfunctory compared with those for the potential white bachelors.

Claybrooks and Johnson "seek to support social acceptance of interracial relationships, to eradicate outdated racial taboos, and to encourage television networks not to perpetuate outdated racial stereotypes," Trauger wrote.

"Nevertheless, the First Amendment prevents the plaintiffs from effectuating these goals by forcing the defendants to employ race-neutral criteria in their casting decisions in order to 'showcase' a more progressive message."

"The Bachelor" debuted on ABC in 2002 and "The Bachelorette" started the next year. As of the filing of the lawsuit in April, neither show had featured a person of colour in the leading role and the vast majority of contestants had been white.

Comments

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Sun May 26 07:53:45 SAST 2013 ::

Oct 17, 2012

maditaba

This guys are idiots. Start your own multiracial show and stop trying to force yourselves where you are not wanted
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Oct 17, 2012

Doculam

Yaaaaaaawwwnn. Boring! (does the one guy not look a bit like Tokyo?)
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Oct 17, 2012

Cl!ck-

They just want free sex..

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Oct 17, 2012

The-Rothschilds

race politics lost its mojo long ago in the US.

Obama rules a white country should be enough evidence.
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Oct 17, 2012

RobinH

The ROthschilds. The US is not a white country. There are green bits, reddish bits, even grey bits.
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Oct 18, 2012

Mame

Why will anyone want to be involved with this rubbish television anyway. This week only 2 couples from the Bachelor and Bachelorette broke up. In more than 10 seasons of this shows there has been only one marriage (Trista and Ryan). The rest of the relationships dont last.
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Oct 18, 2012

bytheway1

The-Rothschilds

And best of all - he has quite a large base of white support. So you are right and that means that it is possible.
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Oct 18, 2012

RobinH

Mame: I agree. I mean, seriously, what kind of ridiculous loser puts his inability to find a partner on public display, and then allows audiences to guide his decision? And what kind of relationship can contestants seriously expect from someone who is virtually a display dummy in a store window screaming "Buy me, Buy me"? Truly pathetic.
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