Kaitlyn Bristowe is letting Mike Fleiss have it and claiming The Bachelor and The Bachelorette creator has treated the franchise's male and female stars differently.
ADVERTISEMENT
Shortly after Fleiss confirmed on Monday that Nick Viall had joined the Season 24 cast of Dancing with the Stars, Bristowe gave Fleiss a piece of her mind on Twitter.
When replying to a fan asking why more The Bachelorette stars don't compete on Dancing with the Stars, Bristowe claimed, "Actually I was offered it, had the contract & Mike Fleiss told me I wasn't allowed. He said he didn't want people wanting fame after his show."
The Season 11 The Bachelorette star later explained to Entertainment Tonight in a statement, "I believe men and women should be afforded the same opportunities. That has not been the case with the Bachelorettes and the Bachelors.
"I had an offer to do Dancing With the Stars and was told by [Mike Fleiss] I could not. I was told by Mike that it is bad for his brand, and that he is sick of people wanting fame from his show."
ADVERTISEMENT
Bristowe argued, however, that she wanted to accept her 2015 offer to appear Dancing with the Stars for an entirely different reason.
"I am a dancer and wanted to do it. [My fiance Shawn Booth] wanted me to as well. He even wrote Mike emails. I told Mike it was my passion. I was told Shawn should be my only passion," Bristowe alleged to ET.
"My hope in speaking out is that future Bachelorettes are given the same opportunity as Bachelors," she continued. "Whether it be a wedding, to dance, or another show. ([Ben Higgins] had the decision to do dancing or his own show.) Just to be treated the same, to choose whatever will make them happy."
But when Bristowe first tweeted at Fleiss about her frustrations on Monday, The Bachelor creator made it clear he never had a problem with the former dance instructor's desire to go Dancing with the Stars.
"@kaitlynbristowe has my total support if she wants to appear on DWTS!!!" Fleiss wrote in reply to Bristowe's accusations.
ADVERTISEMENT
But his support was apparently too little too late for Bristowe, who then tweeted, "Thanks I'll get right [on] that opportunity 2 yrs ago. I wonder what changed your mind?"
PHOTO GALLERY: The Bachelor couples -- Whom did The Bachelor stars and their final picks ultimately end up with?!
A woman from The Bachelor franchise has not appeared on Dancing with the Stars since Melissa Rycroft, who competed on Season 8 of Dancing and then returned to win the show's All-Stars edition in 2015.
Before her, The Bachelorette star Trista Sutter competed on Season 1 of the ABC reality dancing competition but was eliminated first.
In addition to Viall, the other former The Bachelor stars who have competed on Dancing with the Stars are Sean Lowe, Jake Pavelka, and Chris Soules, who most recently danced on Season 20 with pro partner Witney Carson.
ADVERTISEMENT
Dancing with the Stars' next season premieres Monday, March 20 at 8PM ET/PT on ABC. To view a slideshow of the Season 24 cast of celebrities and pro partners in costume, click here.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski