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'The Bachelor': Channy's off-color 'landing strip' comment not appreciated
"The Bachelor," known for its whitewashing of "reality" TV, unfortunately selected a minority contestant that didn't stand a chance on Monday's (Jan. 4) premiere with pilot Jake Pavelka.Channy Choch, 29, had only herself, not racism, to blame for missing out on a rose. Her rather poor choice of words shocked the audience and poor Jake himself.
Upon first meeting the dashing pilot, Channy said something coyly in Cambodian, which she later translated as, "You can land your plane on my landing strip anytime."
Check out the moment:
Uh, what?
Even the other bachelorettes were shocked at the Brazilian wax reference. Channy, here's a general rule of thumb: No sexual innuendos or references to "down there" on a first date. And the fact that you're Asian just makes it worse. Insert "Full Metal Jacket" reference here.
It's a shame, really. "The Bachelor" needs more color when it comes to ethnic diversity. As the LA Times points out, every single "Bachelor" or "Bachelorette" has been white (with a few minorities sprinkled among the lovelorn suitors), which bucks the trend for most reality TV.
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she was a victim of 'the bronco' http://www.crassanova.com/2010/01/the-bronco/
OK - let's be clear. ABC does not exclude minority Bachelors/Bachelorettes because they are racist. They are after the highest ratings possible. Ratings = dollars. Focus group studies show that viewership for minority Bachelor/Bachelorettes wouldn't get the ratings. Therefore the network goes with what will get ratings. The race card is getting very very old. Also, assuming that the chosen Bachelor/Bachelorette is given any imput as to their preference of partners, perhaps many are not interested in pursuing interracial relationships. Some might be. Does that make them racist? Perhaps, but perhaps many view skin color/ethnicity in the same way they prefer blonds, brunettes, redheads. Not for me to judge.
"Flavor of Love" was "The Bachelor" for minorities so it's all good.
That was pretty shameful !!!
Check out this new "the bachelor" blog I found online:
http://thebachelorblogger.blogspot.com/
I thought it was funny what she said!
Wasn't the "winner" of The Bachelor:An Officer and a Gentleman an Asian woman?
I'm pretty sure the star gets to choose what he/she likes for the show, which is why there are some seasons with a greater % of blondes than other seasons.
Another thing is that all the contestants are in great physical shape and attractive. This is to maximize viewers as well. I don't want to watch a show with a lot of people who look like me! That's not an attractive way to spend an evening.
@ Erin-
Why wouldn't a non-white bachelor get the same ratings as a white bachelor? The elephant in the room is that white people aren't interested in 'narratives of people of color', because that seems to be your (ahem, ABC's and advertisers') main assumption. However, do we really know this? Cable has done well with plenty of dating shows that don't prominently feature all white casts. Either way, ABC stands to lose viewers with their lily-white portrayal of reality-tv-love.
plain and simple, you don't have to be PC about who you date or what you want to watch on tv. that is in the realm of personal preference, (unlike employment or other areas of life where you should be or have to be more PC).
What she said was distasteful. Her comment does not reflect well among young internet Cambodian communities. Some thought she makes the Khmer women look bad. The Apsara at Angkor Wat of Cambodia would be ashame of her. Lucky she's not living among Khmer community like Long Beach, CA and Lowell, MA or her car will be egged.
Channy's comment was distasteful for ABC but not for cable. VH1 should pick up Channy for their next "date a hasbeen" show or their next "date a hasbeen's castoff" show.