'Bachelorette' Clare Crawley, producers slammed for pressuring male contestants to strip naked during date
Many fans pointed out that if a ‘Bachelor’ had the same request, the reaction would be outrage
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Bachelorette” viewers were left outraged after Tuesday night's episode showed Clare Crawley egging on male contestants to play strip dodgeball.
People criticized Crawley, calling her suggestion a “double standard” and argued that if a male “Bachelor” lead would have made the same request to female contestants, the show would be taken off the air.
During Tuesday night’s episode, the contestants were divided into a red team and blue team to compete for a group date.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}At the last minute Crawley, 39, told the men, “I feel like I wanna up the ante here. I think we should play strip dodgeball.”
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Things turned intense on Tuesday night's episode of "The Bachelorette" Clare Crawley encouraged contestants to strip down to next to nothing in a game of dodgeball. (ABC/Craig Sjodin)
Host Chris Harrison was taken aback and asked, “So this tournament is over when the losing team has nothing on?”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Yeah. This is my game, these are my rules,” Crawley responded.
By the end of the game, the blue team lost and were left completely naked.
Only one blue team member, Brendan Morais, refused to take off his jockstrap. “I love you, but I can’t,” he declared.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CLARE CRAWLEY 'BACHELORETTE' PROMO TEASES POSSIBLE NEW LEAD
"Bachelorette" viewers the strip dodgeball game a "double standard" and some even branded Clare Crawley and producers "sexist." (ABC/Craig Sjodin)
Crawley then hugged the naked men goodbye before heading on a date with the red team members.
Former “Bachelorette” contestant J.P. Rosenbaum weighed in on Twitter and said, “I realize this ‘date’ is gonna have a lot of critics, but can you imagine the flak the show would get if this was #Thebachelor and the girls were stripping down to their underwear? #sexist #TheBachelorette.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Can you imagine if The Bachelor made a bunch of women play strip dodgeball? He’d get canceled immediately #bachelorette #clare,” one fan wrote.
Another fan said, “If women on the bachelor were asked to play strip dodge ball it would be a riot. #Bachelorette.”
“I hate to be that person... but strip dodge ball?.... if the genders were reversed #thebachelorette #bachelorette,” a viewer wrote.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}One fan chimed in, “Imagine the outrage if Juan Pablo asked the girls to do strip dodgeball....and said ‘sorry girls, my game my rules’ Why does Claire [sic] get a pass? This is cringeworthy TV.... #bachelorette #TheBachelorette.”
“I’m honestly grossed out by this. This would NEVER happen the other way around with women playing ‘strip dodgeball,’ so they shouldn’t make the men do it either. Not a good look @BacheloretteABC #Bachelorette,” one person said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Another fan wrote, “So Clare on the #bachelorette, makes many of the men strip down.. Could you imagine the scrutiny a ‘bachelor’ would get if he wanted girls to strip down? Then continues to hug the naked guys.. super classy.”
“How is this honestly airing in 2020? Can you imagine if a bachelor asked 10 women to completely strip for dodgeball?” one person questioned. “You can’t? That’s because it’s messed up! #bachelorette #TheBacheloretteABC #TheBachelorette.”
“#bachelorette incredibly inappropriate. Strip dodge ball? She should be sued for sexual harrassment [sic],” one fan said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Others were quick to point out that former “Bachelor” Peter Weber made the women on his season play lingerie wrestling and “Bachelor” Chris Soules had his contestants ride on tractors in a bikini through Los Angeles.
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“Peter made the girls have a lingerie pillow fight so strip dodgeball for the guys I think is fine #TheBachelorette,” one fan said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Another person added: “I thought the strip dodgeball thing was creepy until I remembered that they made the women have a pillow fight in lingerie last season #TheBachelorette.”
“‘If this was ‘The Bachelor’ people would flip, what a double standard!’ Are we forgetting Chris had the girls strip down to their bikini’s, straddling tractors around LA to show him their ‘country side?’ Or the lingerie pillow fight during Pete’s season? #TheBachelorette,” one fan pointed out.
Another said the pillow fight in lingerie and strip dodgeball were both “atrocious.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}‘BACHELORETTE’ CLARE CRAWLEY GETS A NEW CAST AMID CORONAVIRUS PRODUCTION HALT
“This date is extremely inappropriate and ridiculous. I'm very offended for all the men who had to participate in it. Women in lingerie at a pillow fight is not ok, and neither is strip dodgeball #TheBachelorette #metoo @ABCNetwork @BachelorABC,” another fan wrote.
Blogger Reality Steve added: “Any1 who is b---hing about Clare & this date & choosing to ‘make’ them strip, I hope were also just as loud when Peter ‘made’ the women lingerie pillow fight each other. This date is ridiculous, they absolutely have a double standard, but it’s NOT on the lead. Blame the show.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fans are outraged that producers aired strip dodgeball date on "The Bachelorette." (ABC/Craig Sjodin)
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When the group of men returned nude to the “Bachelorette” mansion, Yosef Aborady, who wasn’t on the strip dodgeball date, called the request “classless.” He appears to confront Crawley about the game on next Tuesday’s episode.
Reps for "The Bachlorette" did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.