Some Twitter users were vocally opposed to Burnett and Haggerty on the show, which is a spinoff from The Bachelor, and The Bachelorette. On Paradise, singles from a handful of seasons meet on the beaches in Mexico to search for love, and some even get engaged at the end of each season. Burnett and Haggerty mark the first visual same-sex couple on any Bachelor franchise series, and host Chris Harrison even implied the show will “change the rules” for the couple.
While many are supportive of the change, some see a problem with airing a same-sex relationship on the dating show. A handful of fans shared notes that claim they’d rather dismiss the couple and focus on other relationships.
Others claimed they didn’t care about either woman’s sexuality, but thought it was unfair that Burnett had a girlfriend at home, who took a spot of someone else wanting to find love. This particularly related to Derek Peth, who Burnett was getting close to before Haggerty arrived. Burnett was honest with Peth about having a girlfriend back home, who she was not in an exclusive relationship with.
Many seemingly saw this as unfair to Peth, who was there to find love too and would likely lose his spot if Burnett gave her rose to Haggerty or vice versa. Much of this may come from the fact that Haggerty was never on a Bachelor franchise show in the first place, like everyone else on the beach.
Some even compared Burnett’s girlfriend at home to the reason former Bachelorette Hannah Brown broke her engagement to Jed Wyatt. Some commenters said there’s no difference if the person had a significant other at home. To Brown, though, there was a huge difference, which she noted on Twitter herself. In Burnett’s case, she was open about the relationship. On the flip side, Wyatt hid his former girlfriend until she went public in People magazine.
Others are thrilled to see Haggerty and Burnett on the series. The pair shared a kiss on screen Tuesday night and were defended by hundreds of fans who want to see their relationship unfold. Not only will the same-sex relationship be the first for the franchise, which has been celebrated, but it will add more screentime for Burnett, who has long been a fan favorite.
