Disability Narratives in Bachelor Nation

There is an exception to every rule. When it comes to the portrayal of disability in The Bachelor franchise and its spin-offs, only exceptions, as in, people with disabilities who are not too disabled, are considered acceptable. These are individuals who are not necessarily visibly disabled and if they are, then they are exceptional in terms of their beauty, intelligence, or career. That is greatly representative of our ableist culture. Think about it: how often do you see visibly disabled people represented in the media? In what contexts? And what are disabled people usually perceived or portrayed as? Inspirations? Problems? We might consider these questions when talking about disability and dating. When looking at the representation of people with disabilities within Bachelor Nation, what we really see is representations of widespread cultural values. This is significant because on social media, online forums, and other platforms, fans have long been clamoring for more expansive representations of diversity. Sometimes production has acquiesced to these viewer requests, but in many ways they have failed. Nevertheless, The Bachelor remains a franchise with household name recognition. Taking into account the different ways that disability has been portrayed and handled within the franchise, it is worth exploring the implications of these narratives and how the show's assumptions reflect the U.S.'s current cultural landscape.

Representations of disability have been scarce in the franchise's twenty-year run, and its portrayals have been complicated. During Season 17 of The Bachelor (2013), Sarah Herron, who was born with one arm due to amniotic band syndrome, became the first disabled contestant on the show. In the lead-up to having a conversation with Bachelor Sean Lowe, Sarah shares the following:

Sarah's insecurities stem from societal factors, as people with disabilities often face discrimination in many ways, including in dating. Because of these societal factors, people may downplay their disabilities in order to assuage the concerns of the abled. We see this following the interview, as Sarah is shown having a conversation with Sean where she indicates she "doesn't want to make [him] uncomfortable" and is open to talking about her disability but does not "want to be perceived as disabled." Sean allays her fears and even gives her a rose in that moment, which she later characterizes as "being a huge symbol of empowerment."1 Sarah is given an edit in which her disability is presented as a challenge to be overcome in order to receive and give love. This narrative reflects cultural attitudes and assumptions of disability: if you're perceived as broken, what is your worth? Sean's acceptance and support challenges that stereotype, but the very act of providing the rose as an affirmation in that moment also reinforces the idea that in relationships between abled and disabled people, those who are abled hold the power. Nonetheless, Sarah's experience is clearly positive for the franchise and for disabled people who got to see themselves represented on the show for the first time. In fact, Sarah went on to participate twice in Bachelor in Paradise. While she was in Mexico in 2016, however, there was a conflict when Chad Johnson called Sarah  a "one-armed bitch." To label Sarah as Chad did reflects the sudden dismissal that people with disabilities sometimes face. Their identity is condensed and then dismissed through their disability and therefore deemed unworthy. Critically, production and contestants rallied around Sarah, and Chad was asked to leave the show. While that season's contestants and production did right by Sarah, other seasons have propagated ableism.

In fact, sometimes the disabilities of contestants have been weaponized against them. While the bullying Sarah faced had consequences, other disabled contestants have had entirely different journeys. Consider Cam Ayala's experience in Season 15 of The Bachelorette (2019). Cam has the chronic disease lymphedema and has gone through multiple surgeries since he was diagnosed at age eleven to manage his condition. During the show, other contestants accused him of trying to obtain a "pity rose" when he revealed to Hannah Brown the difficulties and complications of living with the disease. As he told Us Weekly in 2022 — "I just never thought that my lymphedema would be something that was used against me and that whole environment because I was very transparent and clear with Hannah." This conflict is compelling because it brings to light how disability can be turned into consumable value within the reality TV industrial complex, which prioritizes ratings over people. Cam had never really spoken about living with the disease prior to being on the show, so the way his disability was framed was jarring, as he explained:

Cam  was disenchanted with his portrayal on the show as he hoped  to make a difference with his participation by raising awareness of lymphedema. Nonetheless, he returned for Season 6 of Bachelor in Paradise (2019), although he was eliminated early on. For the reunion of the show, he told producers in advance that he would be wearing a t-shirt that said "I have lymphedema, Google it." Surprisingly, production blurred the writing on his shirt. Perhaps ABC wanted to avoid giving Google free advertising, or production did not want the shirt to detract from the conversations at hand. One cannot be too sure as to why this happened, but the idea that production essentially silenced awareness of a disability does not reflect well on them. Ironically, precisely because the slogan on the shirt was censored, Cam was able to raise awareness on the issue, speaking to Us Weekly's Here for the Right Reasons podcast about the shirt and his experience on the franchise. Ultimately, what happened with Cam's edit becomes thought-provoking because although his disability was reduced to simply another part of the conflict and drama within the show, his negotiation of The Bachleror's production process reveals  a more complicated approach to disability's representation than might initially be assumed.

Similarly, on Season 26 of The Bachelor (2022) with Clayton Echard, contestant Elizabeth Corrigan revealed that she had ADHD. She revealed this after a conversation with Shanae Ankney, who felt that Elizabeth was "two-faced" after feeling ignored during a conversation. Elizabeth explained that "it's really hard for [her] to have multiple auditory inputs because [she] can't process the information." Regardless, Shanae questioned whether Elizabeth's  disability was legitimate, later saying "ADHD, my ass."3 In fact, her statement may have reflected cultural assumptions of disability, as there is a level of skepticism towards neurodivergent people, with neurotypicals sometimes rejecting the diagnoses of people with ADHD and neurodivergence in general. Accusations of malingering, the idea that one may be faking their disability, are a form of ableism. However, in the context of the show, the way in which Shanae questioned and then dismissed the authenticity of Elizabeth's ADHD was framed as part of the drama, and the lack of serious consideration to this problem is reminiscent to individuals who see people that have handicapped parking permits and question whether they need it if they are not using a cane or a wheelchair. But I digress. Clayton, who was unaware of the level of bullying that Elizabeth was facing in the house, ultimately sent her home.4 In the Women Tell All episode, the bullying Elizabeth endured because of her disability was overlooked during the discussion, something that the public noticed and that she addressed in her own Instagram stories. The fact that production swept under the rug such a significant issue demonstrates that they did not consider it important and that it did not need to be directly addressed, for much like Cam's edit, the conflict was merely part of the drama. Thus, Shanae was never held accountable for her actions, and even had a redemption arc of sorts when she joined Season 8 of Bachelor in Paradise (2022). For her part, Elizabeth revealed that she had been invited to take part in the show, but that she turned down the opportunity so she could focus on her career and preserve her own mental health "due to the presence of certain cast member(s)," implying that she was choosing not to participate in order to protect herself from Shanae.5 Unfortunately, the show's handling of these events reflects the problems that people with disabilities face in the real world for situations such as these, wherein people with disabilities are forced out of opportunities, whether directly or indirectly, and are often held personally responsible for the choices they are forced to make.

Perhaps the most positive portrayal of disability in the franchise took place in season 25 (2019) of The Bachelor with Matt James as the lead. In a highly acrimonious season, which heavily featured drama and conflicts between contestants, the public met Abigail Heringer, who is deaf and received the first impression rose. Here I must clarify that the Deaf community has two ways of signaling groups — Deaf typically stands for individuals who speak ASL and are immersed in Deaf culture, whereas deaf usually refers to individuals who are not fluent in ASL and are not necessarily members of Deaf culture. Abigail identifies as deaf because she uses oral language and a cochlear implant. Much like Sarah's interaction with Sean, one of Abigail's conversations with Matt highlights her concerns and insecurities dating as a disabled woman: 

As she elaborated on her disability and its implications, the conversation showed how Abigail knew her disability was a possible deal breaker within the show's ideological assumptions, especially since she considers children part of the equation. This revelation happened early on in the season and immediately made Abigail a fan favorite for her honesty and vulnerability. She was also beloved because many deaf and Deaf fans were seeing themselves represented on the show for the first time. Matt's own reaction to her comments was largely positive, highlighting that whatever she saw as an insecurity he considered a strength. Abigail later reflected on their conversation on the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast with former Bachelorettes Rachel Lindsay and Becca Kufrin. She noted revealing her disability was something she was deeply insecure about, as dating in the real world was difficult because she never knew how potential suitors might  react. As such, "to open up about it and to not only have [Matt] acknowledge it but to actually see it as a really attractive quality, it was just a really special moment for sure."7 This dynamic both reinforced and challenged cultural assumptions about disability, for Abigail was in a vulnerable position and Matt's acceptance and curiosity about it challenges the narrative that people with disabilities are undesirable. As such, Abigail's story has been largely positive on the show and beyond. Although she didn't find love with James, she did with Noah Erb on Bachelor in Paradise Season 7 (2021). To show the impact of her story, when it became public knowledge that they were in a relationship, Abigail's supporters called out Noah for sometimes posting stories on Instagram without closed captions. Moreover, Abigail has used her newfound platform to foster knowledge and consciousness about how to communicate with deaf and Deaf people and the accommodations they may need, especially in dating.8 Knowing that fans were interested in her story, she recently created a series on Instagram called "Hear Me Out" where she talks about topics related to deafness. Because of her willingness to talk about her own experiences beyond the show, Abigail has made a considerable impact on fans by generating intensive and sustained discussions that has led to greater knowledge and acceptance of deaf and Deaf people. I must also note that Abigail always emphasizes that she is only referring to her point of view, and she consistently highlights that not all deaf and Deaf people have the same experience that she does. As such, this has led to further conversations and understanding of the deaf and Deaf community.

With the limited scope of representation of disability among contestants and the complicated edits that shape their stories, it must be noted that, of course, we remain without a lead with a visible disability. This is not surprising given that the franchise took so long to pick its first Black Bachelorette, and is still missing considerable representations from other minority groups among the leads and contestants alike. In a 2017 Vice article, comedian Maysoon Zayid quotes two friends who expressed concerns about having a lead with a disability, not because of the potential lead's disability, but because of the public's reaction to them. In her words, Mary Pettinato expressed that she'd "love to see it, and would hope that it would destigmatize disabled people but [she doubts] the average asshole American would appreciate it in a positive way. [She fears] it would be seen like a sideshow." Pettinato's husband echoed the sentiment, sharing that he doesn't "think it's a good idea because shallow people would just treat them like a joke."9 While it should be noted that the individuals who made these comments are abled, their concerns are valid, given the negativity that can pervade in online forums and other platforms. But where does the negativity stem from? People typically fear what they do not know or understand, and that can partly explain why portrayals of disability in the media have historically been problematic or reduced to inspiration porn. When the abled get to frame and tell the stories of the disabled, the narrative will nearly always be disjointed due to ableist preferences. Within the reality TV industrial complex, disability can easily be framed as drama. Thus, having more disability representation within the franchise, not just among the leads and contestants but with the people in power behind the scenes, can not only offer a better understanding of what it means to date while disabled to the general public, but to break ground and set new precedents on a subject that is still deeply stigmatized both in the media and in mainstream culture.

The Bachelor and its spin-offs have provided some positive representations of disability, but they have also played into cultural stereotypes, framing some contestants with disabilities as undesirable, as problems, or as jokes. But the issue is never their disability; rather, it is society's perception of it. Challenging society's perception of disability is more important than ever when we consider that 1 billion people across the world, which is 15% of the population, have some form of disability. This is a sizable amount, and as citizens of the world, we have a responsibility to break down the projected barriers on disability. Cultural changes, whether for better or worse, often happen through the media we consume. And while this is an American reality TV show produced by a private company, the leads and contestants are very real people with real lives and real feelings. By actively diversifying the show, there is a serious opportunity for cultural progress. But will production accept this rose? Host Jesse Palmer cryptically ended Season 26 (2022) of The Bachelorettes by stating on live TV that they "did learn a lot of valuable lessons. So Bachelor Nation, we hear you and we love you." The lessons that Jesse was referring to were not made clear, but online chatter surmised that it may have been an allusion to the show's shortcomings. Nevertheless, they have selected two straight, able-bodied, white men back-to-back for The Bachelor (Clayton Echard and Zach Shallcross), illuminating the franchise's lack of a concerted effort towards diversity, which is further addressed in other essays  in this cluster. But perhaps there is hope for the future. In March 2023, Variety published a piece alleging that creator and executive producer Mike Fleiss had departed from the franchise following an investigation by Warner Bros. TV regarding racist behavior, plus verbal and emotional abuse to staffers.10 Around the same time, Charity Lawson, a contestant from Zach's season, was cast as the fourth Black Bachelorette. Thus, while the franchise has long maintained its existing conditions despite the fandom's ardent calls for diversity, we may finally see meaningful progress and change with different people at the helm. Still, it is too early to tell. In the meantime, viewers must continue to raise serious questions about the cultural significance of the shows within The Bachelor franchise and whether it is worth continuing to participate in a complex that historically tends to maintain the status quo at all costs.

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Layla Colón Vale is an assistant professor of English literature and pedagogy at the University of Puerto Rico. She began watching The Bachelor in 2017 and quickly became invested in the particularities of Bachelor Nation.  

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