There's No "Blachelor": Portrayals of Black Men in Reality TV

Pictured from left to right: (First Row) Dr. Alison Ligon, Dr. Manya Whitaker, Dr. Jervette R. Ward, (Back Row) Dr. Andre Thorn and Dr. John Tilghman

During the College Language Association (CLA) 2015 Convention in Dallas, Texas, Dr. Jervette R. Ward led two panels on Black Men in Reality TV. The panels were a continuation of the theme from last year's panels on Black Women in Reality TV. The panel title, "There's No 'Blachelor': Portrayals of Black Men in Reality TV," is a reference to Flavor Flav's infamous assertion that he is the Black Bachelor or Blachelor. In the nearly 20 seasons of the ABC TV show, The Bachelor, there has never been a Black Bachelor. The lack of a Black Bachelor leads some scholars to argue that this lack of representation of Black men on one of TV’s leading dating shows is another manifestation of the disbelief of Black men as relationship material. This topic and many others were discussed during the panel presentations.