Zach Shallcross gave his first impression rose to contestant, Greer Blitzer, during the premiere of The Bachelor season 27, and less than 24 hours following the premiere, she has apologized for a racist controversy that involved blackface and online comments made in 2016. Greer is a medical sales rep from Houston, Texas, and she quickly impressed Zach on night one. For her limo exit, Greer brought Zach a cup of bodega coffee that she brought with her from New York. Later on in the night, Greer and Zach bonded further and Greer earned Zach's First Impression Rose.
Bachelor Nation watched Zach meet the other 25 ladies rounding out his cast of potential suitors on the evening of January 23rd. Ahead of the premiere, Reddit s shared screenshots of The Bachelor's Greer Blitzer defending another student who wore blackface as a part of a Tupac Shakur Halloween costume. In the morning hours following the premiere, Greer took to Instagram to release an apology statement and to retract her former of the situation involving blackface.
Greer wrote, “In my past, I have made some uneducated, ignorant and frankly, wrong comments on my social media s. In particular, in 2016, I used misguided arguments on Twitter to defend a student who dressed in Blackface [sic] as Tupac for Halloween.”
The Bachelor's Greer Blitzer Says 'She Is Deeply Sorry' Amid Controversy
Greer’s original stance in the argument, as evidenced by the Reddit screenshots, claimed the students did not know what blackface was, therefore, they did not intentionally commit a racist act. The Bachelor contestant's logic and position has evidently evolved since then, as she wrote “I am deeply sorry to those I have hurt, especially those within the Black community, not because these screenshots have resurfaced, but because I ever shared those harmful opinions at all. Time and age do not excuse my actions, but this is not a reflection of who I am today.” Greer concluded her Instagram apology by reiterating the condemnation of her former actions, “I do not stand by or condone the damaging opinions and behaviors I shared during that stage of my life and will forever regret making those offensive remarks.”
The Bachelorette season 19, had photos of him wearing blackface resurface in 2022. In 2021, the franchise's former host, Chris Harrison, was fired from his longtime role after he defended contestant, Rachael Kirkconnell, during her scandal. During college, Rachael attended a plantation-themed formal that embraced the Antebellum era of the South.
Bachelor Nation has voiced its frustration over casting’s lapse of judgment and due diligence when selecting the cast. Those making the final decisions either decide to look the other way once they realize a potential contestant has a problematic past, or the show does not have the necessary safeguards in place to detect such things. Moreover, The Bachelor showrunners and ABC executives’ failure to properly denounce each of these controversies has angered the franchise's fanbase. How Zach and the network decide to handle the situation with Greer remains to be seen. However, it should not come as a surprise if they callously gloss over the situation to minimize the backlash, especially if Greer ends up being Zach’s, final lady on The Bachelor.
Source: Greer Blitzer/Instagram