Sorry Nikki Webster, but if the rumours are correct then you will not be looking for love on national television in 2021.
There is speculation the single lady taking on the role of The Bachelorette Australia 2021 will be Renee Barrett, previously seen on The Bachelor and Bachelor in Paradise. If this is, in fact, the case, it would mark the first-ever time an Indigenous woman has stepped into the coveted role.
The US franchise has already had their first-ever Black Bachelor in the form of Matt James and the first-ever Black Bachelorette after Tayshia Adams replaced Claire Crawley, however, this is an Australian first.
It’s a big step forward for the global franchise which has long been accused of lacking diversity in its leads.
Megan Pustetto, host of the So Dramatic! Podcast revealed the possible news, explaining that she had been told the information by Renne’s friends themselves.
“Renee is moving to Melbourne next year with her best friend, Sam Royce. And when I inquired more into this, I discovered that this was because she was in the final stages to be our Bachelorette,” Megan revealed, “One friend of Renee’s gave a very vague, but very telling response when I reached out saying: ‘Renee has lots on next year, so that’s why she is moving to Melbourne.”
One friend was apparently not so vague, telling Pustetto, “Yes she is in talks to be the Bachelorette, she’s in the final stages of contract negotiations. It’s all very exciting.’” Perhaps Channel Ten needs to re-examine the terms of their non-disclosure agreements!
Regardless, the news, if true, could represent a positive shift in diversity on Australian screens — a topic that has received widespread attention after an inquiry into media diversity brought commercial networks under fire.
On the flip side, the casting of Barrett will likely lead to further criticism of Ten’s habit of consistently casting past contestants from previous seasons of the franchise. In fact, the shockingly low ratings of Elly and Becky’s season of The Bachelorette appear to further speak to the audience’s appetite for fresh faces, but with liberal doses of the same old drama.