The Bachelor finale glossed over Chris Harrison's absence — fill-in Emmanuel Acho walked a tightrope

Los Angeles Times

After the Final Rose stunned fans by not only inadequately explaining Harrison's absence, but also continuing to use him in voiceovers throughout Monday's special. Harrison even introduced his own After the Final Rose host replacement, Acho, which apparently means he taped his voiceovers after "stepping aside." "Though Acho opened the special with a reference to Harrison’s absence, he never detailed the reason why the longtime host wasn’t on set this time around," says Greg Braxton. "It was an omission made more glaring by the fact that Harrison was a constant presence during the season finale, demonstrating his value not only as the host and face of the franchise, but as a figure who serves as counselor and therapist to the leads. Rather than relying on his friends and family, James turned to Harrison for support and advice when doubts about his path forward cropped up. Harrison’s sympathetic demeanor and calm presence are likely to fuel the debate over whether he should permanently leave the show because of his controversial comments about (Rachael) Kirkconnell and concerns about alleged past episodes of racial insensitivity." Braxton adds that producers also didn't serve Acho well. "The producers of the series never publicly explained Acho’s selection as After The Final Rose host," says Braxton. "And while he was pleasant enough, Acho behaved more like he was auditioning for a more traditional emcee role than like a figure who could bring the probing seriousness and perspective that the discussion of this season’s hot-button issues required. Though he kept up the hype — 'This is the most shocking After the Final Rose ever!' — he also countered his allusions to the racism controversy with lines like, 'But first, let’s not forget what this show is about, which is love and romance.' Much of the time Acho seemed to walking a tightrope, asking mostly surface questions about the controversy while also placating fans more interested in the show’s fairy-tale formula."

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• ABC confirms there will be two Bachelorette seasons this year, starring Matt James' exes Katie Thurston and Michelle Young: Thurston will lead Season 17, while Young will star in Season 18. This will mark the first time two Bachelorette seasons will air in the same year. The Bachelor used to run two seasons a year after launching in 2002, with seven seasons airing between 2002 and 2005.
• The Bachelor finally had a direct conversation about race with After the Final Rose special: "This conversation was significant for The Bachelor, largely because of how much the franchise has long avoided confronting its problems with race," says Li Zhou. "Those problems include casting racist contestants, amplifying stereotypes and playing into harmful tropes in storylines about contestants of color, and staying quiet on issues of discrimination and inequality. Just two years ago, the show aired a segment about racism that never once used the word: Instead, it focused on contestants of color saying how the 'hate' they received was uncomfortable. Monday’s After the Final Rose conversation was the least The Bachelor could have done to demonstrate that it wants to have explicit and thoughtful conversations about racism within the franchise moving forward. As the show promises to take steps to reckon with its deeper issues around race — including expanding the BIPOC representation among its executive producers — this discussion marked a long overdue start."
• It’s important to emphasize that James, the person, is entitled to choose whomever he likes as his season’s winner: "But it’s also crucial to remember that James, the reality TV character, is not only produced, but socially constructed," says Kovie Biakolo. "And these dual versions of James may or may not be in conflict. While the producers of a show like The Bachelor are known for manipulating footage to construct a narrative, those behind the camera probably didn’t misappropriate James’s initial words on race, or make his most critical decisions for him. James has been a willing participant in the way he’s been portrayed onscreen—as during one particularly damning scene, when James’s estranged father comes to visit him. During the meeting, which is too voyeuristic to be satisfying—even for reality TV—James emphasizes his own respectability against his father’s improprieties. All the while, his dad—whom many believe the show has pegged as a stereotypically absent Black father—appears ambushed by the event. (Aware of the perception of this portrayal, James took to Twitter the night the episode aired to clarify his intentions.)" The After the Final Rose special, says Aiakolo was "a fitting cherry on top of the proverbial racist cake...Throughout the season, it became abundantly clear that placing a few Black faces and other faces of color on a historically white structure does not a revolution make. Perhaps if the show’s producers understood that the representation of love has its political consequences—and to a lesser extent, if James had demonstrated more nerve—we might have had a Black love story, a novelty in this franchise. Or at the very least, we might have had an interracial love story that didn’t include white(-passing) people—something still rarely depicted."
• Emmanuel Acho was "freaking great" filling in for Chris Harrison: "If we learned one thing tonight, rose lovers, it's that Emmanuel Acho is freaking great," says Kristen Baldwin. "Of course, there are probably plenty of you out there who already knew that — perhaps your fans of Acho's web series, bestselling book, or career in the sports ball. For those of us who just got to know him on tonight's After the Final Rose, well it was a delight. It wasn't an easy job, balancing thorny issues of race and bias with standard-issue reality TV heartbreak, but Acho managed to handle it with confidence, charm, and a firm but respectful interview style. And he did it all while wearing a snazzy suit that was so tight, I kept worrying he was going to bust through it, Bruce Banner style."
• Acho proved to be a much better interviewer than Chris Harrison: "Although a little stiff at first, Acho did an amazing job, digging in and asking the tough questions," says Gwen Ihnat. "These are not the queries Chris Harrison would have asked, and Acho was much more insightful than Harrison’s weak platitudes and greeting-card quips (even Neil Lane offered better relationship advice)."