Posted on Wed, Jul. 28, 2004
UPN about to alter 'very white' face of romance reality shows

The UPN show "The Player," premiering next week, is groundbreaking in its ethnic array of eligible lovers.


Philadelphia Inquirer

When it comes to "romance reality" television, you may think you've seen everything.


But there's one thing America still hasn't witnessed -- an interracial couple locked in a happily-ever-after embrace.

Until now.


While the UPN show is groundbreaking in its ethnic array of eligible lovers, it is following what has become a whites-only tradition in the casting of its star. So far, no bachelor or bachelorette starring in a network dating program has been African-American, Asian or Latino. And, until "The Player" came along, their would-be wives and husbands were, for the most part, also white.


Minority women vying for love tend to fare better than men, Hall said, noting that on TBS's current "Outback Jack," the dark-skinned beauty named Adrienne made it to the fifth episode before being booted. "And 'The Bachelor' show with Bob Guiney had a Cuban-American woman, her name was Mary, who made it to the final three," she said. "But overall the shows have a very white look to them."


It's not because minorities aren't auditioning for the shows, said Rosslynn Taylor Jordan, vice president of casting for Bruce Nash Entertainment, the creators of "Meet My Folks," "For Love or Money" and "Who Wants to Marry My Dad?"

"I personally make sure I get as much diversity into the pool of possible contestants as I can," said Taylor Jordan, who also worked on "Survivor," "Average Joe" and "Fear Factor." She explained that her job was to provide a wide field of possible participants. But in the end, network executives determine who will get on the air.

"The American public is accustomed to seeing African-Americans be successful in sports or entertainment, so on 'American Idol' you aren't doing anything out of the ordinary," said Todd Boyd, a professor at the University of Southern California's School of Cinema and Television.

"But when there is some connection to love or sexual attraction, the assumption is that mainstream America might not feel comfortable," Boyd said. "If there was a potential of a black male being linked up with a white woman, you're going up against a long history of America being uncomfortable with race mingling. I'm not saying that's the truth, I'm saying that's the assumption. The networks are very old-school in their thinking, very conservative."




According to statistics from Nielsen Media Research, that audience is overwhelmingly white. For example, while an average 8.9 million white viewers tuned in to "The Bachelorette" last season, only 969,000 African-Americans watched the program. "Who Wants to Marry My Dad?" has drawn 879,000 African-American viewers, compared with 7.1 million whites.

"I think it's mostly about advertising to a preferred segment of society," said Dennis Broe, a professor of media arts at Long Island University's Brooklyn campus. "They're playing to middle America. But if somebody were to take the chance, the ratings might go sky high."

Here is the official website: http://www.upn.com/shows/player/