If we learned one thing tonight, rose lovers, it’s thatEmmanuel Achois freaking great.
In strides Acho, who diplomatically says he’ll be “sitting in” forChris Harrisontonight.
But there will be no sweeping uncomfortable issues under the rug tonight.
Emmanuel Acho.ABC
So yeah, thisATFRis going to be different for many reasons.
Amen to that, sir.
Oh yeah, we’ll also be talking about romance, because, you know,The Bachelor.
Matt James.ABC
As Acho puts it, sometimes contestants fall in love, and… Gotta love it.
Part 1: Michelle, our belle
First thing’s first: She looks GORGEOUS.
“But I’m ready to face it.”
Rachael Kirkconnell and Matt James.ABC
She’s here for closure, which is something she didn’t get on the show.
But: “He refused to have that conversation with me,” reports Michelle.
You better get your bearded butt out here to fix this, Matt James!
Rachael Kirkconnell.ABC
“That was a prime example of not understanding the history behind it,” she says.
Okay, now it’s time for Michelle to get her much-needed closure.
kindly welcome Grizzly Sadams to the stage!
Rachael Kirkconnell.ABC
“It’s been a very rough past few months,” sighs Matt.
“I’m still processing everything.”
So is Michelle, buddy!
Rachael Kirkconnell and Matt James.ABC
“The moment you left, I completely crumbled,” she tells him, tearing up.
“I asked you for a conversation… and you said no.”
That’s some BS, Matt James!
Michelle Young and Katie Thurston.ABC
I’m sorry, what?
“My respect and admiration for you is just through the roof,” says the Bachelor.
“If I could do it over again, I would have had that conversation with you.”
So is there anything else you want to say?"
(Emphasis mine.)
Wait, never see him again?
Is one of them dying?
Deleting all social media apps from their phones?
And the casual way he asked this question rose lovers, I was howling with laughter.
Someone call 911 because shots were just fired!
Short answer: A lot.
Take a second to sit with that, rose lovers.
Life is exhausting enough on a good day imagine being saddled with all that extra emotional labor!
Just thinking about it makes me want to take a nap.
“It was the first time I wasn’t afraid to cry,” he says.
“I wasn’t afraid to show emotion.”
Exhibit A:
Then, of course, came the pictures, which first started bubbling up on Reddit.
“I dismissed them as rumors because that’s what they were to me,” he says.
“You just pray they’re not true.”
In an effort to play Devil’s advocate (a.k.a.
Couldn’t you teach her?
Couldn’t you grow with her?"
“When you look at that photo, what do you see?”
Rachael says she sees someone who was living in ignorance.
“I never once asked myself at any point, like, ‘What’s the tradition behind this?
What does this represent?
Why do we wear those dresses?'”
Nor is Rachael going to blame anyone or anything for her ignorance.
“In my eyes, there’s no excuse,” she says.
“I did get a lot of people saying, ‘This is normal where I grew up.’…
That doesn’t make it right.”
She’s handling herself well so far, but that doesn’t mean she’s not nervous.
The woman is definitely experiencing some kind of stress-blotch breakout.
At this point, Acho says something to Rachael that all but knocked me out of my chair.
But that doesn’t necessarily classify someone as racist.
You have to pull back the curtains and look at their intention.
Was their intention malicious?"
Once again, Acho crystalized something incredibly complex with impeccable clarity.
That he meant to shut her downbecauseshe was Black?
That he defended Rachael because he’sjust finewith the antebellum South?
I absolutely believe that he was racially ignorant and insensitive, and also very mansplainy.
Harrison clearly needs to educate himself in a variety of ways, and I hope he takes that seriously.
But back to Rachael.
I was half expecting her to answer with, “I’m reading your book, Emmanuel!”
For her, the more important part of the process begins after the learning is done.
“I’m really sorry that I hurt you.”
There’s a long, fraught pause.
Acho finally breaks the silence.
“Matt, how hard is this on you?”
Heartbreaking, devastating, disappointing Matt is feeling all of these things.
Perhaps that’s why he’s so quiet?
Almost 40 more seconds of silence pass and Matt just can’t bring himself to speak.
Maybe he’s worried he’s going to cry?
Maybe he’s just not sure that there’s anything more to say?
After a much-needed commercial break, Acho tries for a third time to get the Bachelor to Open UpTM.
“Matt, what’s on your mind?
It’s best to just be honest.”
There’s another long pause, and finally, Matt speaks.
Well, that was an answer worth waiting for.
“You were the only reason that I decided to do the show,” she says.
“And that includes every single part of you.
And that obviously includes you being a Black man.
I’ve never experienced a love like this,” she continues, her voice cracking.
Instead, he just repeats that Rachael has to do the work “on her own.”
Hearing this, Acho busts out his new signature question:You may never speak to this man again.
What are your final words before he disappears from your life forever?????
It’s a suggestion that Matt just flat-out ignores (or maybe didn’t hear?
Part 5: And our Bachelorettes are…
Michelle and Katie!
And no, they’re not going to have toshare a season, thank God.
you could read all about ithere.
Welp, it’s been a wild few months, rose lovers.
What did you think of Emmanuel Acho as host?
Are you pleased about the new Bachelorettes (and the back-to-back seasons)?
Post your thoughts below, and as always, thanks for taking this “journey” with me!
