Catherine Giudici has reflected on her time on Sean Lowe's The Bachelor season and revealed she believed that, as a Filipino woman, she was probably cast on the show to "check a box" for diversity.
ADVERTISEMENT
Catherine, who is still happily married to Sean with three children, took to Instagram on Sunday and expressed her thoughts on having "represented people of color" on Season 17 of The Bachelor.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
"[Monday night], our season of The Bachelor re-airs in a condensed three hour episode. When I was originally cast, I was very flattered but somewhat grounded by the fact that I would be one of the faces that represented people of color," Catherine, 34, wrote.
"I knew that one of the reasons I was probably chosen was because I was Filipino."
ADVERTISEMENT
Catherine's father is of Swiss-Italian and Scottish descent, while her mother is a Filipino-American, according to People.
Catherine was one of 26 women to step out of a limo at the famed Bachelor mansion on Night 1 and only one of a few ladies of color.
"I counted myself out to be his fiancee because of what I assumed Sean liked," Catherine admitted of her husband, a blonde and blue-eyed former college football player from Irving, TX, who currently lives in Dallas.
"I thought I was there just to check a box, but I ended up with so much more. I became present with the process and as he started noticing me for who I really was, I allowed this experience to open myself up to the possibility of being fully loved and appreciated for all that I was."
Catherine continued in her post, "I ended up getting to represent a mixed race community, I found Christ (I LOVE my testimony!) and marrying the most amazing man I've ever known. I'd say doing this show was one of the best things that ever happened to me."
ADVERTISEMENT
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)
The brunette beauty concluded, "(Don't count yourself out. You are destined to do bigger things than just check a box.)"
Sean and Catherine got engaged during the 2013 season finale of Season's The Bachelor edition and got married in January 2014 for a televised special on ABC.
Sean and Catherine are the only couple in The Bachelor's 24-season history to tie the knot after getting engaged at the show's final Rose Ceremony.
While Jason Mesnick and Arie Luyendyk Jr. are both happily married, each former Bachelor dumped his season's final-rose recipient for the runner-up. (Jason is married to Molly Malaney and Arie's wife is Lauren Burnham).
ADVERTISEMENT
Since tying the knot, Sean and Catherine have welcomed three children together: daughter Mia, 5 months, and sons Isaiah Hendrix, 2, and Samuel Thomas, 3 1/2.
Mia was born in December 2019 shortly before Christmas, and Isaiah and Samuel were welcomed into the world in May 2018 and July 2016, respectively.
Catherine shared with Us Weekly in January 2019 how she and Sean have managed to last all these years together when so many The Bachelor and The Bachelorette couples have split.
"Things get hard, but when you realize you don't ever want to say goodbye to the other person, you have to make it work!" Catherine reasoned.
"There are only two options: Don't or do. And we always wanted to do whatever it takes to stay together."
ADVERTISEMENT
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)
Sean and Catherine's season, including its most dramatic and romantic moments, will essentially be packed into the first episode of The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons -- Ever! airing on Monday, June 8 at 8PM ET/PT.
The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons -- Ever!, hosted by Chris Harrison, is a new retrospective spinoff that will revisit and recap an entire prior season of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette in a single three-hour broadcast.
Sean's "unforgettable proposal stands out as one of the greatest in the history of The Bachelor," according to ABC.
Among his group of women, the former Kansas State football player dated Lesley Murphy, with whom Sean broke the Guinness World Record for longest on-screen kiss; AshLee Frazier, who shared with the Bachelor how she was adopted; and Sarah Herron, who wowed Sean with her courage.
The Bachelor viewers will also take a trip down memory lane by watching Tierra LiCausi's explosive fight with AshLee, Desiree Hartsock's confrontational hometown visit, and Lindsay Yenter's devastating rejection at the Final Rose Ceremony.
Each Monday night, Harrison will kick things off from The Bachelor mansion in Malibu, CA, and reach into the Bachelor vault to provide viewers with a look back at a favorite prior season -- including crushing Rose Ceremonies, passionate marriage proposals, unexpected new arrivals, emotional meltdowns, big breakups, and romantic moments.
The episodes will also include virtual updates from The Bachelor franchise alums, who will reveal what's been happening in their lives ever since the final rose.
Given the next The Bachelorette season starring Clare Crawley has yet to begin production due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Harrison said in April this spinoff gives Bachelor Nation something to watch amid these uncertain and unpredictable times.
ABC initially announced the premiere of The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons -- Ever! in April under a different title, The Bachelor: The Most Unforgettable -- Ever!.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
ADVERTISEMENT
Interested in more The Bachelor news? Join our The Bachelor Facebook Group!