Last week ABC announced that next season’s bachelorette will feature the series’ first African American Bachelorette, the graceful Texas lawyer Rachel Lindsay! As someone that has never watched an episode of The Bachelor or The Bachelorette, after hearing this news I plan to watch the next season and see which lucky guy the fabulous Rachel ends up with. As excited as I am to see a black woman headline such a popular show such as The Bachelorette, I can’t help but think this is not the first black women I’ve seen as the bachelorette of a reality dating show.
Although many seem to think Rachel is the first black woman to be the bachelorette of any reality-dating-competition show, she is in fact not. Please allow me to introduce to Tiffany “New York” Pollard, self-proclaimed “HBIC (Head Bitch In Charge),” and she was GLORIOUS!
Many of you may be familiar with her from the various memes that include her circling social media.
But New York did not get her start from the wonderful world of memes. The world was first introduced to New York when she was a contestant, and finalist, on season 1 and 2 of VH1’s Flavor of Love, a reality-dating show that centered around 20 beautiful women trying to win the heart of the blast-from-the-past rapper Flavor Flav.
Isn’t he a heartbreaker?
After winning the hearts of most of America, and getting her’s broken by Flavor Flav, New York got her own chance of love. Thus I Love New York was born! A spin-off of Flavor of Love that was designed to give 20 hopeful men the chance to love New York. This was the first reality dating show featuring a black woman as the bachelorette! Not only did it last for 2 seasons, it also went on to create numerous spin-off shows about New York, her life, her love life, and quest for stardom.
New York was pioneer, introducing black women into mainstream media and dating shows! And although she was wild, loud, and never found the love she really wanted, in the world of television and entertainment New York paved the way for women like Rachel, so put some respek on her name! Although it’s great that ABC has finally stepped their game up and introduced a black Bachelorette, they are definitely not the first to do so. It’s important when celebrating the greatness of the first black Bachelorette on ABC to remember it’s because of Tiffany “New York” Pollard thats it’s happened.
I Love You, New York stay fabulous!!
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