By Tim Ghianni
NASHVILLE, Tenn., April 18 (Reuters) – Two black men who
said they were “lookin’ for love” and auditioned last summer for
the popular ABC reality television show “The Bachelor” sued the
network on Wednesday, saying they were rejected because of their
race.
“They were tossed aside because of their race,” said Byron
Perkins, one of a trio of prominent civil rights attorneys
representing Nathaniel Claybrooks, 39, and Christopher Johnson,
26, in the suit filed in U.S. District Court in Nashville.
The suit says ABC has never put a single person of color –
whether African American, Hispanic or Asian – in the central
role of “The Bachelor” or “The Bachelorette.”
The popular shows chronicle the search for a mate as the man
or woman dates more than a dozen contenders. Each season ends
with a final choice of a partner.
The two men said at a press conference they tried to
audition for “The Bachelor” last summer in Nashville.
“I heard about a casting call,” said Claybrooks. “I said to
myself ‘I’m single … (I can try) to look for someone I could
be compatible to in life … lookin’ for love.'”
He said when he arrived at the auditions, the interviewers
spent 45 to 60 minutes with “the white men in front of me” while
they gave him only 15 to 20 minutes.
“They rushed me through. I was very upset about the
situation and wanted an equal opportunity like anyone else.”
Johnson said his attempt at being interviewed for the role
of “The Bachelor” lasted 30 seconds.
He said people of color “never get a show that shows we have
love and affection for each other.”
Claybrooks, a former college and minor league football
player, is an entrepreneur in Nashville. He owns a barber shop,
a sports bar and a car detail business while also working as a
meter reader for Nashville Electric Service.
Johnson is also a former college football player and now is
a teacher and football coach in Nashville. He said he plans to
try out for National Football League teams as a wide receiver
soon and also has plans to enlist in the Air Force.
The lawsuit was filed against ABC, Warner Horizon Television
Inc., Next Entertainment Inc., NZK Productions Inc. and Michael
Fleiss, executive producer of the two shows.
ABC and Warner Horizon Television both said they had no
comment on the lawsuit.
Asked last year if the show would feature non-whites, Fleiss
was quoted as telling Entertainment Weekly: “I think Ashley (the
2011 Bachelorette) is 1/16th Cherokee Indian, but I cannot
confirm. But that is my suspicion!
“We really tried, but sometimes we feel guilty of tokenism.
Oh, we have to wedge African-American chicks in there! We always
want to cast for ethnic diversity, it’s just that for whatever
reason, they don’t come forward. I wish they would.”
“The Bachelor” made its debut on ABC in 2002 and “The
Bachelorette” began to air the following year
