Devin Straderis making headlines again, but for all the wrong reasons. The formerBachelorettecontestant was revealed to havea restraining order placed on him in 2017after he broke into an ex-girlfriend’s apartment, which led to his arrest. Straderdenied the allegations, but what’s truly troubling is thestatement given to theHollywood Reporterby someone who works onThe Bachelorette: “We take the safety of our contestants very seriously and make every effort to conduct thorough diligence. As exhaustive as our vetting process is, this protective order did not surface in our searches.” It’s fairly clear thatThe Bachelorette’s producersare failing to do their due diligence,as evidenced by Strader’s legal troubles and other events surrounding contestants who’ve been on shows in the Bachelor franchise.
‘The Bachelor’ Franchise Has Been Hit With Controversy After Controversy in Recent Years
Strader isn’t the firstBachelorettecontestant to be mired in controversy, buthis legal troubles are among the latest in a series of shocking revelations surrounding Bachelor Nation contestants' pasts.The Golden Bachelor’sGerry Turnerflipped from hero to villain when his former dating life was revealed, throwing his status as a widower seeking love out the window. Season 25 ofThe Bachelorfeatured the series' first Black lead,Matt James; the revelation that winnerRachael Kirkconnellhad participated in a “plantation party” led toJames briefly splitting up with her, and the fallout saw longtime hostChris Harrsiondeparting (though he later said it was for the best.) Even the recently-launchedThe Golden Bacheloretteran into its own set of issues, where contestantGil Ramirezwas revealed to have a history of stalking, and like Straderhad a restraining order filed against him.
What makes these revelations even more ridiculous is the fact that Bachelor Nation contestants have to undergo a rigorous background check before appearing on any of the shows, according to Turner. “I had to send my fingerprints to the FBI, there were numerous background tests. There was a psychological evaluation that was like 360 questions and then another hour of interview,” he toldJustin Longon theLife is Shortpodcast, even mentioning that he had to take an STD test. “The vetting process is ridiculously thorough.” But the question remains,if the vetting process is so thorough, how does none of this information about the contestants come to light beforehand?This raises a pair of possibilities: either this process is not as thorough as Turner thinks it is, or the Bachelor Nation producers are ignoring crucial information. Neither of those are good because it means that the producers are more concerned with what makes good drama rather than keeping the cast safe.
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Though the restraining order against Devin Strader is now public knowledge, there’s another incident that hinted at his disregard for boundaries. After Season 21 ofThe Bacheloretteended, Strader was lambasted on social media for how he chose to break up withJenn Tran,andan Instagram video he postedin an attempt to defend himselffeatured screenshots of private texts between him and Tran. Though Strader would later take it down, saying that he “f***ed up,” this incident shows that he shouldn’t be in a relationship if he can’t respect his significant other’s boundaries. It’s yet another sign thathe wasn’t the right choice for Tran, and she made it clear that Strader had crossed a serious line. “I don’t have a problem with him going out there and saying what he needs to say, but I have a problem with him invading my privacy and releasing texts without telling me [and] without giving me notice,” she said on theViall Filespodcast.
Season 22 ofThe Bachelorettehas yet to choose its leading lady, but the producers should consider truly doing due diligence before reaching out to contestants. Devin Strader’s legal issues show thatBachelor Nation still has a lot of issues it needs to work out, and it needs to do so quickly before controversy becomes more constant than love for the Bachelor franchise.
The Bachelorette
A single bachelorette dates multiple men over several weeks, narrowing them down to hopefully find her true love.
The Bacheloretteis available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.
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