The Bachelorette may have bombed but that steamy kiss was groundbreaking

It was a moment that has been a long time coming and the “steamiest, most romantic” kiss didn’t fail to disappoint.

OPINION

On Wednesday night, the Bachelorette launched to its lowest viewership numbers ever – just 397,000 viewers (5-city metro). That’s down 36.4 per cent on last year’s Bachelorette which wasn’t exactly a runaway success.

It’s a shame, as this year’s Bachelorette is unlike any other that Australia – or even the world – has ever seen.

As host Osher Gunsberg kept saying, “history was being made” with Brooke Blurton, 26, being the first ever bisexual Bachelorette. Add to this that the proud Noongar-Yamatji woman is the first ever Indigenous lead in the Bachelor-Bachelorette and it’s a groundbreaking move by the tired and struggling franchise.

The Bachelorette contestants are both men and women.

Watching it, I thought it was heartwarming and quite lovely. Yes, there are still too many fake flowers. Yes, the dramatic music is ridiculous. And, yes, the women have still been forced to wear tacky dresses. But overall it was a joy to watch.

From the moment Brooke entered to an emotional Welcome to Country, it was obvious that the Bachelorette had decided to embrace the differences Brooke has to offer and this was going to be unlike any other season.

Welcome to Country seen for the first time on the Bachelorette.

Then, as eight women and eight men exited limos to greet Brooke, it was clear the mix of genders was going to make for a fascinating watch.

I’m not sure if the men were just mediocre or if the women were all 10 out of 10s but the females vying for Brooke’s attention knocked it out of the park.

“It’s not about sexuality, it’s not about gender, it’s not about genitalia, it’s about connection,” said Brooke, and the women had connection after connection with her.

Carissa made an incredible first impression on Brooke.

For me, the mix of men and women made it the most entertaining first Bachie episode I’ve seen in a while.

As the contestants gathered to suss each other out, many of the men seemed to feel uncomfortable with the dynamic and sheepishly watched from the firepit as the women asked to have one-on-ones with Brooke.

Apart from ‘Persian Prince’ Darvid who’s got the face of an angel and tradie Konrad who makes a cracking bench, the rest of the men seemed to be accepting their fate – it’s hard to stand out when your competitors can wear thigh split dresses and know how to start a proper conversation.

Some of the men appeared to give up before they started.

Aside from the fact it’s entertaining to watch both men and women vie for Brooke’s attention, the power of representation in having a bisexual First Nations Bachelorette on prime-time cannot be underestimated.

“The barriers that will be broken by doing this will be huge,” Brooke said. “All my life, people have tried to put me in boxes, and labels.”

The very first kiss of the season was between two women and it was one of the steamiest, most romantic first kisses seen on Bachie. For young, LGBTQI+ people to see that on TV (or not, as the ratings suggest) is both powerful and progressive.

The casting also carries huge weight for Brooke who admitted she felt “a bit of responsibility not only to my community but also the queer community”.

Jamie-Lee and Brooke kiss on the Bachelorette.

Whether this season of the Bachelorette is a slow-burn or it will suffer the same fate as the last season of the Bachelor, which appeared to be fast-tracked to get it over with, it’s a testament to Australia that it made the move to have the world’s first bisexual Bachelorette.

Let’s just hope the men up their game and give the women some healthy competition.

Riah Matthews is the commissioning editor for news.com.au.