Fans anxiously wait for the "Women Tell All" episode at the end of every "Bachelor" season, as its the one night where former contestants are brought back together to dish on the most dramatic moments and come face-to-face with the man who once stole their hearts.
But on Monday, the series made an unprecedented move as it transitioned from the typical back-and-forth arguments among contestants to a more serious note of shedding light on the negative impacts of cyberbullying.
The series' host Chris Harrison brought out former "Bachelorette" Rachel Lindsay to begin a conversation on the issue, which she says has only gotten worse since she became the series' first black Bachelorette in 2017.
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"I'd like to talk about something that's been going on for the last several seasons, something that is not okay," Harrison informed the audience, according to Yahoo. "There is so much passion out there in Bachelor Nation, and it's not always positive. There's some negative criticism. I completely understand that, but unfortunately, there is a line that has been crossed, and so it is time to address that."
Lindsay said social media users have become "meaner than ever" and began reading explicit tweets that targeted contestants' race, sexual orientation, appearances and more.
Of the dozens of tweets Lindsay read aloud, women were dubbed "emotional, stupid, disgusting and jealous" in addition to being called out for their heritages and careers. Several were also encouraged to harm themselves. Harrison labeled the comments far worse than just "criticism."
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"This is hate," Harrison declared, before asking all 17 contestants at the "Women Tell All" if they had been victims of hate speech online. Each one raised her hand.
"I'm, like, shaking as I'm reading this, because it's shocking, it's uncomfortable. I know it's uncomfortable for you to see. Just imagine how uncomfortable it is to get this in your comments and your DMs every day, every week, every month," Lindsay said.
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Contestant Alexa Caves, 27, said she received "a lot" of comments addressing her hair and "my choice of being natural."
"It sucks and it hurts," Caves said.
New York house flipper Tammy Ly, 24, said direct messages she received online were so harsh she was afraid to pick up her cell phone. She added that she received death threats to her work email disguised as curious house buyers who ended up sending paragraphs of how she should take her own life.
Contestant Sydney Hightower said she draws the line when race becomes a topic of discussion.
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"When it comes to the point of attacking someone for who their mother and father is, and because of the color of their skin, that's where it has to stop," Hightower said.
Lindsay thanked the women for coming forward to share their stories.
"As someone who's been in your shoes, I know how much courage it takes to put yourself out there to tell your story. I just want to remind you guys that you're not alone in anything that you're going through," she said. "And I just want you to also know that these people who hide behind their phones, and their computers, and these smart devices, they don't even have a fraction of the guts that you have to stand up here today and face these people."
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Fans will see how Weber's season plays out in a two-episode finale next week.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiZWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmZveG5ld3MuY29tL2VudGVydGFpbm1lbnQvYmFjaGVsb3Itd29tZW4tdGVsbC1hbGwtY29udGVzdGFudHMtY3liZXJidWxseWluZy1yZWFkLW1lc3NhZ2Vz0gFpaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZm94bmV3cy5jb20vZW50ZXJ0YWlubWVudC9iYWNoZWxvci13b21lbi10ZWxsLWFsbC1jb250ZXN0YW50cy1jeWJlcmJ1bGx5aW5nLXJlYWQtbWVzc2FnZXMuYW1w?oc=5
2020-03-03 18:39:32Z
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