The Bachelor franchise wants Bachelor Nation to "play dumb" when it comes to Clare Crawley and Colton Underwood

BuzzFeed News

"The Bachelor franchise has always had an absurd premise: that a person can find their future spouse by dating more than two dozen people at the same time on TV," says Stephanie McNeal. "For nearly 20 years, fans of the show, known as 'Bachelor Nation,' have been able to suspend logic for a few hours every week to enjoy a harmless and frothy reality soap, despite allegations of racism and sexism that have dogged the franchise for years. However, with the Crawley situation, the show is asking viewers to play dumb to such an extent that it is growing ridiculous. And it’s not the only thing the Bachelor franchise is sweeping under the rug. Last month, former Bachelor Colton Underwood got hit with a restraining order from the woman he chose on the show, Cassie Randolph, who accused him of stalking and harassing her after their breakup....The shocking allegations led many fans to reexamine how the couple’s relationship was portrayed during filming and to accuse the show of playing a part in creating a toxic dynamic. But instead of addressing these allegations seriously and assuring its mostly women fanbase that the show has zero tolerance for abuse, Harrison spoke to an incredibly sympathetic journalist, his girlfriend, Entertainment Tonight reporter Lauren Zima. In it, he wished them both well, calling it a 'very unfortunate situation for sure, and I think a surprising one.' And the show has completely ignored the allegations. It has no plans to address what is going on with Underwood and Randolph during the course of the current season. Here lies the show’s main problem, which is becoming harder to ignore: The producers of The Bachelor seem to think they can gloss over anything that happens offscreen, and Bachelor Nation will continue to lap up the same show they have always loved. But while fans may love the show for its silly drama, travel porn, and escapist nature, they aren’t stupid. If The Bachelor continues to treat them as such and refuses to acknowledge very real issues with the franchise or suspend belief to an absurd degree, it may lose them for good. After all, it’s not fun to watch a reality show where no one is being even the tiniest bit real." ALSO: Here are the winners and losers of The Bachelorette season premiere.