A Season 15 Bachelorette Contestant Is Already Causing Controversy
Published on March 19, 2019. Updated May 21, 2019ABC/John Fleenor
Following the conclusion of Colton Underwood’s dramatic season of The Bachelor, Hannah Brown was named the next Bachelorette for season 15, and there is already drama.
After Brown was named the new Bachelorette, ABC wasted no time in releasing her 33 potential suitors in a Facebook post giving all the men’s names and ages and encouraging fans to pick out their early favorites. Unfortunately, it seems one guy is already sounded by controversy however after a Twitter user came forward claiming that the contestant had been harassing her via direct messaging on Instagram for two years.
Sam Smithburger took to her Twitter to write, “This guy used to dm me on insta consistently for like 2 years and he’s a contestant on the new Bachelorette lmao.”
According to the time stamps the messages went from January 2017 to November 2018 and although Sam was not responding, there were continuous messages from the contestant named Matt Dione, saying things like, “Rude AF sam I expect better from you,” and “Sam not sure what happened to us but can we at least meet.”
Viewers are already upset because there have been issues around whether or not ABC is vetting contestants properly after it was revealed that one of Becca Kufrin’s contestants Lincoln Adim was able to compete on the show despite the fact he was convicted of indecent assault days before the season’s premiere.
After the news came to light, Warner Bros. released a statement saying that the studio was lied to about the conviction. “No one on The Bachelorette production had any knowledge about the incident or charges when Lincoln Adim was cast, and he himself denied ever having engaged in or having been charged with any sexual misconduct,” the statement read.
“We employ a well-respected and highly experienced third party who has done thousands of background checks consistent with industry standards to do a nationwide background check in this case,” the statement continues.
“The report we received did not reference any incident or charge relating to the recent conviction – or any other charges relating to sexual misconduct,” the network added.
It concludes, “We are currently investigating why the report did not contain this information, which we will share when we have it.”
Since ABC announced that the contestants they posted “may be” on the show, there is still a chance Matt Dione is gone before the season begins to air on Monday, May 13.
