Is Bachelor Nation Ready For A Gay Lead?

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Fan reaction to Colton Underwood coming out has been a mixed bag. It has also sparked the idea of an LGBTQ version of The Bachelor or The Bachelorette. Some fans even suggest giving Underwood another shot at finding love on The Bachelor, but with male contestants this time. 

Is Bachelor Nation ready for a love story featuring a gay lead? 

Bachelor in Paradise Dipped Toe Into Diversity Pool 

Bachelor in Paradise is a tawdry version of the ABC dating competition. It takes former contestants and strands them on a private beach. With alcohol flowing freely, things get hot and heavy between the stars. 

Season 6 of BiP featured one of the first (openly) bisexual contestants. Demi Burnett first appeared on Colton Underwood season of The Bachelor. She didn’t find love with Underwood, but went on to try her luck in Paradise.

After a brief fling with Derek Puth, Burnett realized that she was still in love with her ex, Kristian Haggerty. The franchise brought Haggerty to Paradise to rekindle the couple’s romance. The two became the first same-sex couple in the history of the franchise. 

Sadly, their relationship didn’t last long after the show ended. 

On April 14, former Bachelor Colton Underwood publicly came out on Good Morning America. Demi Burnett was among the Bachelor Nation alum showing their support for Underwood. She sent out a simple tweet, welcoming him to the LGBTQ community. 

Is Bachelor Nation ready for a gay lead?

Many longtime viewers of the franchise were not entirely surprised by Colton Underwood’s announcement.

It had been rumored for years and he addressed it during his time on the show. He clearly wasn’t ready to come out at the time, and strongly denied the rumors. 

Fans of the franchise spoke out on social media, clamoring for a new season for Underwood or an entirely new spin-off with a gay lead. 

At least one fan made the suggestion on GMA’s Instagram post about the interview:

boonia229: They should bring him back as the bachelor and bring guys as contestants to compete for him.

Another fan took to Twitter to express the same idea. 

TMZ reports that producers in the franchise are talking about the same thing. As of now, it’s just informal chatter among the producers. 

Colton Underwood’s GMA interview came days after internet rumors that he was filming a reality show with Netflix. Those rumors are gaining traction after he was seen with a camera crew after his interview. 

Netflix has yet to confirm or deny the rumors. 

Do you think Bachelor Nation is ready for a season featuring a gay Bachelor or Bachelorette? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. 

Join us on Facebook for more Bachelor Nation news. Season 7 of Bachelor in Paradise is coming soon.

Jennifer Havener
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