Hurray for fans of The Bachelor, whoever they are, because now there’s going to be a South African version.

Just what this country needs, more bang average, lower-budget spin-offs of more successful overseas shows.

You can debate the merits of the show all you like, but the real drama around the show coming to these shores has to do with who the show’s producers have chosen.

Friends, Romans, countrymen, I give you Lee Thompson:

 

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It’s true! I’ve just been announced as #TheBachelorSA on @mnettv. Couldn’t be more excited to share this journey with you.

A post shared by ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Ｌｅｅ Ｔｈｏｍｐｓｏｎ (@leethompson52) on Oct 7, 2018 at 11:49am PDT

You may have seen his name these past few days, but in case you missed out, you can read more about the former Sharks rugby player and international model over on Channel24.

Have a good snoop around his Instagram in your own time, if that’s your vibe, but here’s a snapshot of some recent posts:

Looks like a boet, hey?

Then again, this was one of the adverts M-Net used to promote the show, so what did they expect:

Enter social media, and the inevitable backlash to the white elephant in the room. Lee is white, and Twitter wasn’t about to let him forget it.

Below from the Sowetan:

Lee was recently unveiled as the first contestant to look for love on the show‚ where women competing each week for his affection and the chance to marry him. But the announcement was overshadowed by an outcry on social media by those who thought he did not represent the ideal South African man.

One of the biggest concerns was that M-Net’s choice would make for “cringe-worthy” television and women of colour may be overlooked.

I find most reality TV cringe-worthy, but this being South Africa…

It wasn’t long before someone went for the jugular:

Then again, that Twitter user has a picture of Hlaudi Motsoeneng as their profile picture, so I’m not sure how serious they should be taken.

I suppose there are two ways of looking at it:

In response to the criticism (there’s plenty, that’s just a taste above), M-Net are sticking to their guns:

“In line with the international format of the show‚ The Bachelor‚ our local version had to be a prince charming – a highly attractive‚ adventurous‚ charismatic and financially independent single man who are willing to put his heart on the line to find true love on television‚” M-Net spokesperson Lani Lombard said.

Lani said M-Net and the show’s production company‚ Rapid Blue‚ cast the net wide to find the ideal candidate based on the criteria above and while it was a challenge to find a man who fit the criteria‚ it was even more difficult to find someone who was ready to go through the very public process.

She reassured fans of the show that their chosen bachelor was an “open minded individual who is willing to put a ring on the finger of a girl from any culture or background.”

“He also had to be a match for each of the 25 ladies from different cultures and backgrounds who he will woo – and be wooed by – in the Bachelor mansion. We based our final decision based on what the diverse group of shortlisted ladies described as their prince charming‚” Lani said.

Who’s thinking what I’m thinking – Lee takes a woman of colour to the final three, talks about how hard the choice is, and then eliminates her, leaving a lily-white final two?

I don’t care, that’s just my guess. Somebody else’s, too:

I guess M-Net feel like they were caught between a rock and a hard place, and they were never going to please everyone.

Maybe they should have gone with someone whose racial make-up leaves viewers baffled. Maybe someone with the tan of Adam Catzavelos after countless summers spent alone, exiled on a beach in Greece, not a friend in sight.

That’s an attempt at a joke, by the way.

Ultimately, there are only two ways to solve this. Firstly, South Africans must demand that kykNET’s Boer Soek ‘n Vrou features a black boer on an upcoming season. If they want cringe-worthy, they must show that boer rocking up to a farm in the Free State to take the daughter on a date.

Secondly, nobody should watch The Bachelor SA – the only reason being that this country then wouldn’t be subjected to a second season.

[source:sowetan]