You Are Really Testing Viewership Loyalty
As Bachelor Nation’s go-to spoiler Reality Steve said while watching The Golden Bachelorette Episode 2, “So much for ABC limiting Gil’s screen time.”
Following The Bachelorette‘s devastating finale and the troubling revelation that Jenn Tran’s ex-fiancé Devin Strader had a temporary restraining order granted against him in 2017, the franchise’s casting controversies continued when fans recently learned that Golden Bachelorette contestant Gil Ramirez also had a restraining order filed against him on June 11, 2024, just days before production began.
Per People, a source close to The Golden Bachelorette confirmed the 60-year-old educator from Mission Viejo, California passed the franchise’s background check, but the restraining order was filed “in the brief period between completion of our thorough background investigation and exhaustive vetting process, and the beginning of production.”
After news of the restraining order against Ramirez — who has a history of stalking and harassment — came to light, Entertainment Weekly reported that a source close to the show alleged the Golden Bachelorette “further edited his already limited screen time and minimized him in promotional assets moving forward.”
Despite those claims, when members of Bachelor Nation tuned in to The Golden Bachelorette‘s second episode on September 25, they saw quite a bit of Ramirez — including a lighthearted look at his talent show performance and extended one-on-one time between him and Vassos.
In addition to brief reaction shots and cuts to Ramirez throughout the episode, The Golden Bachelorette showed Ramirez juggling during the talent show group date and tearfully opening up to Joan about his family and late wife in an emotional heart-to-heart.
“I met my wife in 1990, married her in 1999, and unfortunately she passed in 2019. When my son graduated from high school and again in college, she wasn’t there. I feel horrible that she wasn’t there. We thought about her during those ceremonies and hope that she’s watching down,” Ramirez told Vassos ahead of the rose ceremony. “I gotta tell you, she loved the Bachelor franchise from the beginning. She loved the show and would watch every episode with my daughter, so I’m thinking she’s pretty happy for me that I’m taking this journey.” The two bonded over their similar losses, and on top of that, Ramirez cried and reminisced on the love of his life in a solo confessional.
Under typical circumstances, Ramirez’s Episode 2 scenes would have successfully emphasized the power of a second shot at finding love and how moving the process can be. But in wake of the restraining order news, the inclusion of the footage felt both unnecessary and insulting. On the heels of The Bachelorette‘s disappointing finale, members of Bachelor Nation were further upset by The Golden Bachelorette‘s refusal to properly limit Ramirez’s screen time.
According to People, Ramirez’s ex-girlfriend was granted a restraining order in June after Ramirez’s alleged “harassment — emotional.”
“Despite telling him to not contact me, come to my house — he made repeated unwanted contact with me, family members and friends,” Ramirez’s ex claimed in her request for a domestic violence restraining order. Though she said she hadn’t been physically abused by him, she noted “25 attempts daily via phone, texts, video. Although lives an hour away — showed up at places I frequent to confront me on a daily basis.”
Following the request, a hearing was scheduled for July 2 and later delayed because Ramirez hadn’t been served. The hearing was reportedly pushed until July 24, then after Ramirez’s ex was “sworn and testifie[d],” the case was “dismissed without prejudice for lack of prosecution for lack of service” and the restraining order was dropped.
As noted in Decider’s Bachelorette finale piece, the Bachelor franchise has repeatedly come under fire for poor vetting of contestants and failure to properly protect its leads, which is why the latest controversy — followed by several scenes of Ramirez in Episode 2 — has baffled and frustrated viewers.
Vassos, contestants, and the Golden Bachelorette team were reportedly unaware of the restraining order when filming, so no one is faulting them for keeping Ramirez around during production. But in wake of the restraining order reveal, it seems like his screen time could have gone to some of Vassos’ other eligible bachelors. The pickings aren’t slim, which is why saving space for Ramirez in Episode 2 truly felt like a choice.
As for whether The Golden Bachelorette take greater action to limit Ramirez’s screen time as the season progresses, only time will tell.
New episodes of The Golden Bachelorette premiere Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC. Next-day streaming is available on Hulu.
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