Precap of Charity Lawson's Bachelorette Season
One week until this delightful mess is back on our screens, so let's get into these men!
Hello good people! There are a fair amount of new subscribers joining me (us?) for Charity’s upcoming season of The Bachelorette so I want to take a moment to reintroduce myself.
My name is Brittany, I’m a 30-something journalist/writer and marcomm professional based in Chicago, Illinois. I’ve been recapping Bachelor Nation shows since 2021 and watching on and off since the beginning (Rachel Lindsay’s season got me hooked as an adult). Outside of Bachelor Nation, there really isn’t a reality show I won’t at least give a chance. But, my favorites are Housewives (RHOA, RHOSLC, and RHOP), Vanderpump Rules (#TeamArianna), and Big Brother.
As for this newsletter, I focus on Bachelor Nation, namely The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. My recaps are spoiler free. Even when/if I accidentally read a spoiler, I do not share it in my recaps. Try my best to watch spoiler free as well, but sometimes the algorithms get me. I ask that my readers do the same and keep spoiler content out of the comments. In addition to this newsletter—which comes out each week, the morning after the latest episode—I also live-tweet the show on my pop culture Twitter account, BK’s Bach Takes.
Finally, I watch the show for fun, but also dole out a good deal of critique. I am a Black woman and move through the world as such. My recaps are very much written how I’d speak to a friend about the show. They encapsulate my lived experiences and what we’re seeing on the show. If you skim through my Twitter, you’ll get a feel for what I mean, and if that’s your vibe, great, welcome! If it’s not, that’s cool too. All this to say, I welcome feedback, and even a healthy, respectful debate, but hate of any kind will not fly.
Thanks for being here and enjoying my snark enough to subscribe. If you’d like, you can tell me a bit about yourself in the comment section of this post.
Now, let’s get on to the men!
I’ve read through the ABC bios, and watched all the video vignettes of the different men and I am ready to make some judgments and predictions, and issue some green and red flags! I’ll come back to this list at the end of the season to see which predictions came true and which fell flat.
Charity’s Final Four
Based on looks, bios, and interesting facts, this is who I’ve got my eye on for Charity’s final four hometown spots.
Aaron B.
Listen, I write witty copy for a living, I know when the writer is trying to hype someone up and Aaron B. seems to be getting big upped by production. He’s a “great catch” and “his smile lights up a room,” ok Aaron, we see you. Beyond being sold by these compliments, I love that he’s a reader and didn’t identify Drake as his favorite rapper.
James
I’ll say it, James is a nepo baby. Sorta. Casually using his family’s apple farm as a romantic backdrop for getting women is…a choice. A calculated one, but I don’t hate it. Beyond his slight nepo ways, James is very cute, has a good job, and purports to be a bit of a romantic. Maybe the bar is in hell, but that’s good enough for me!
John
I went back and forth about who would round out Charity’s top four. Admittedly, I’m not confident in this choice as I am in the others. John seems like a good guy. Ultimately, I put him in Charity’s top because it looks like they share a steamy kiss in one of the previews and the chemistry is there.
Xavier
His bio gives me pause, but for some reason, I just see Xavier and Charity together. They’re both from North Carolina, they’re in similar fields of work (science and psychology), and honestly, they’d look cute together.
Green Flags
Chris
Chris is my kind of guy. Delightfully basic, ambitious, and a little athletic. He enjoys apple picking and appreciates a good cuddle on the couch while watching a comfort show. However, he does have one of those fake job titles, so I’m not confident he’ll come off well to the audience or the other men.
Dotun
I have a feeling Dotun is going to be gone too soon. While his bio reads like he strikes the right balance of spontaneity and seriousness, I could see him fading into the background with all these men. We’ll see!
Spencer
Spencer’s face and bio just read easy life to me. I don’t mean easy as in nothing bad will ever happen, but easy as in, the day-to-day won’t be too hard. That’s attractive. He’s a single dad, and I’m not sure how Charity feels about children (outside of working with them) but maybe it could work. His bio did have one yellow flag and it was the fact that he wants to run for office one day to help his community. Personally, I don’t understand how you’ve lived through the last three years in America without figuring out one way to serve your community other than running for office 😬.
Red Flags
Caleb A.
My personal bias is showing with this pick, but I cannot stand a workaholic. Yes, even one that’s a doctor! I understand how a doctor, especially one in emergency medicine, or in an ER could rack up 80 hours a week at work, but that doesn’t mean I have to love it, and neither does Charity! Caleb may want a wife, but does he have time for one? Even in this weird TV process, I think that’s a question contestants need to ask themselves. If you’re ready to prioritize finding a life partner, what are you willing to deprioritize in order to make that happen? Seems like Caleb chose to come on this show to find love because he couldn’t imagine doing it in his real life by working less.
Caleb B.
It’s just something about them Calebs that don’t sit right with me! Caleb B. is a wrestler for WWE, he plays a villain in the ring (my partner is a HUGE wrestling fan) and that doesn’t mean it translates into real life. However, Caleb is young (24), and newish to the wrestling world. It’s in his best interest to ride this Bachelor Nation train in tandem with his wrestling career to produce optimum results (IG followers, sponsorship deals, better storyline on WWE).
When the Bella twins agreed to appear on E! Network’s Total Divas, it only made them more popular, so much so that they got several spinoff shows and specials where they’d constantly tease their upcoming wrestling storylines. I see Caleb giving his all to this process in order to stay on TV longer, not to see if Charity is the one. I’m cool with that, as long as he gives us a good show 😉.
John Henry
As a cinephile, someone who has allegedly only seen 20 movies in their 30 years on this earth is a red flag. That’s less than one movie a year! Y’all, pre-COVID, I’d go to the movie theatre twice in one day, regularly! Not to mention, John Henry is his name. I know he didn’t pick it, but he did make the intentional decision to still go by both first names at his big age. I’m curious about what someone named John Henry could potentially have in common with Charity.
Nic
This bio is all over the place, which leads me to believe Nic is chaotic as fuck. And as a foodie, I cannot accept that Nic’s favorite local eatery is Walmart when he lives an hour's train ride away from New York City.
Season Predictions
Similar to Michelle’s season, I’m expecting a good deal of petty drama and fighting among the men. While there were definitely plenty of bromances blooming during Michelle’s season, the first few episodes were definitely bogged down by drama, I expect we’ll get something similar to happen with Charity.
We’ll know the final choice early on. Many leads say they knew who their final choice was going to be early in the process, but that choice isn’t always clear to the viewer. I think the choice will be pretty clear early on, which doesn’t always make for an exciting season, but hopefully, that means we’ll actually get to know these guys more, or see more of their budding friendships.
Charity is engaged and her man will be moving to her. There is no way she leaves this season unengaged. Charity seems confident, settled in her career, and level-headed. I don’t think she entered this process not really caring if she walks away with someone. Not to mention, many of these men are a bit older, and have real jobs that don’t scream “I want to be a reality TV star,” and I hope for the most part that ends up being true. While I don’t watch this show for the love story, it’d be nice to see a Bachelorette couple stay together and walk down the aisle. Maybe Charity and her man will deliver!
What do y'all think? How are we feeling about this group of men and the social media teasers we’ve been getting? Let me know in the comments below! Otherwise, catch me on Twitter or in your inboxes Tuesday mornings for the rest of the summer 😎.