'The Bachelor''s Controversial NASCAR Date
Isaac Brekken/ ABC |
Monday night on "The Bachelor" when Brad Womack feels the need for speed, he takes eight of the bachelorettes to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, not realizing that Emily's dead fiancé was Rick Hendrick of NASCAR's Hendricks Motor Sports.
When Emily told Brad the story of how she lost her fiancé in a plane crash just shortly before she discovered she was pregnant, she failed to mention his involvement with NASCAR. So Brad is clueless when they hit the racetrack and he tries to get some romance going.
When a tearful Emily explains what she is feeling, Brad puts everything on hold to comfort her, creating jealousy among the other bachelorettes.
"I completely understand that on face value if you just look at this date, I get why people are immediately jumping to conclusions and saying it is cruel and unusual punishment, as you put it," "The Bachelor" host Chris Harrison says. "If you go back a little bit, this date and this season was set up before Emily was cast. Then you get to this week with Brad, who still does not know this story. He knew that Ricky, her fiancé, died in a plane crash. He did not know Ricky was involved with NASCAR and who the Hendrick family is. Obviously, that will come out this week."
Chris points out that there are only three dates on Monday's "The Bachelor." There is a one-on-one date, which Emily had already had; a two-on-one date, which he felt she wouldn't be eligible for because viewers already knew Brad's fondness for her and would suspect she would be the woman getting the red rose at the end, so that just left the group date, which she ended up on by happenstance.
"With that said, we are not stupid and naïve," Chris says. "We, as producers, knew this story. We knew Emily. We had a choice to make. Do we tell Brad [Emily's story], which we have never done before? Or do we warn Emily? Our choice is what we have always done: Let real life and everything play out. This happens a lot on our show and I love it that people will jump to conclusions by the teases and promotions that we do. Wait until you see how it plays out and reserve your final judgment until Tuesday morning."
Tune in on Monday night at 8 p.m. on ABC when Emily's NASCAR date airs on "The Bachelor."
