There’s something “UnREAL” about Rachel Lindsay becoming “The Bachelorette.”
When ABC announced this week it would finally feature a nonwhite woman in the lead of its successful and long-lived reality series, the only big surprise was that it had taken so long.
And, of course, the announcement was a major spoiler for fans of the current season, where Ms. Lindsay, who is African-American, is still in the running for “Bachelor” Nick Viall’s heart.
General consensus among reality sites is that someone was poised to leak the news ahead of ABC’s schedule and/or that given the somewhat dull nature of this current go-round, the network decided a little excitement was needed.
Ms. Lindsay, 31, is an attorney with a Dallas law firm. Fans of the scripted Lifetime “Bachelor” parody, “UnREAL,” noticed early on this season that life seemed to be imitating art. On “UnREAL,” Carnegie Mellon University grad Denee Benton played Ruby, an African-American woman who joined the reality program as a platform for her political opinions.
As a side note, the fake show on “UnREAL,” called “Everlasting,” had just cast an NFL star as its first African-American suitor.
“The Bachelor” (Mondays) had a nonwhite star in season 18, with Juan Pablo Galavis, a Latino.
Also on reality TV
• Life can be a drag, but that can be a good thing.
World of Wonder Productions has announced that two of “RuPaul’s Drag Race’s” splashiest ladies from all-star season two will be getting their own digital series.
“Haus of Edwards” stars Alyssa Edwards (Justin Johnson) in a “day-to-day” chronicling of her life. “Detox’s Life Rehab” features fashionista Matthew Sanderson hosting a life hack advice show with guests. Both eight-episode series are scheduled to begin in April on WOW’s YouTube channel.
Meanwhile season nine of “Drag Race” has Lady Gaga as its first guest. All the Little Monsters will be watching. There is no premiere date on LogoTV, but look for it in late April.
• Know what doesn’t work in a “Face Off” (Syfy, Tuesdays) challenge? Making a snow queen that looks like the Statue of Liberty.
In one of the most bizarre interpretations ever on this show, Niko Gonzalez and Cat Paschen sent out a mint green queen that looked like one of those entertainers who hangs around Times Square for tips.
“She lacks the geometric beauty of the snowflake,” noted judge Glenn Hetrick.
So, that was an easy choice for the judges. The winning look in this snow queen challenge was courtesy of Emily Serpico and Tyler Green (the latter a grad of the Tom Savini program in Monessen). Their creation was subtle, sophisticated, and the judges were wowed by the paint choices.
• As Fox’s “MasterChef” readies its eighth season this summer, there’s a new cook in the kitchen. James Beard award winner and previous “MasterChef” visitor Aaron Sanchez has been announced as a new member of the judging panel, joining mainstay Gordon Ramsay and Christina Tosi.
Maria Sciullo: msciullo@post-gazette.com or @MariaSciulloPG.
First Published: February 18, 2017, 5:00 a.m.
