Chase McNary is opening up about the possibility of Rachel Lindsay or Corinne Olympios becoming Season 13's The Bachelorette star and how diversity may play a role in producers' decision.
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It's no secret many fans have argued there should be a woman of color cast as the female lead since there has never been one before -- nor has there been a black Bachelor in 21 seasons of the ABC reality dating competition.
So does McNary, who competed on JoJo Fletcher's recent season of The Bachelorette, believe Lindsay might have the edge as a result?
"[Producers] want everyone to think, 'Oh, this black girl is finishing pretty late on' and they've never had a black Bachelorette -- that might be the direction they're going to go," McNary, a Colorado-based medical sales representative said on Vinny Ventiera's Wrong Reasons podcast.
Lindsay is a frontrunner for Nick Viall's heart on The Bachelor's currently-airing 21st season. She received the First Impression Rose and had a romantic date with Viall in New Orleans, during which he told the Dallas attorney he was "crazy" about her.
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"It's the direction they have to go. But then, 'Holy sh-t, Donald Trump's the president, and Corinne's the Bachelorette? What's the world going to do?'" McNary continued.
McNary pointed out producers may pull another last-minute switcheroo, citing the time Bachelor Ben Higgins' ex Caila Quinn -- who is part Filipino -- was initially selected to star as Season 12's The Bachelorette star until the rug was unexpectedly pulled out from beneath her and producers went with Fletcher instead.
Producers might try to "trick us again with, 'It's going to be Rachel,'" predicted McNary, who was also ditched last minute when Viall was cast as this season's Bachelor.
"And then have somebody lead on that it's going to be [Vanessa Grimaldi] -- I don't know -- and then surprise, it's actually crazy-ass Corinne."
Olympios would be a polarizing choice for the Bachelorette since she's funny and outgoing yet leads with her sexuality and doesn't care if she offends others with her actions. However, producers cast Viall as the male lead when he was a very controversial choice.
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ABC has expressed on numerous occasions how the network would like to cast more diverse leads and changes will likely be made soon.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski