Chris Harrison Says There's a 'Double Standard' Between Men and Women on The Bachelor Franchise
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John Fleenor via Getty Images Chris Harrison
Chris Harrison is acknowledging the "double standard" between men and women in Bachelor Nation.
Speaking with Maria Menounos on this week's episode of Better Together, Harrison, 49, admitted that the controversial game of strip dodgeball played by the men earlier in this season of The Bachelorette would not have happened with women contestants on The Bachelor.
"Would we have played strip dodgeball with the women?" Harrison said. "No. Is that a double standard? Yes."
"Should there be double standards in the world? Maybe," he added.
In one of the early group dates, Clare Crawley — who has since been replaced as the Bachelorette by Tayshia Adams — hosted a group date that involved a game of "Strip Dodgeball."
Craig Sjodin/ABC The Bachelorette strip dodgeball group date
Craig Sjodin/ABC The Bachelorette strip dodgeball group date
Yosef was angered by the activity and told Clare as much.
"I expected a lot more from the oldest Bachelorette that's ever been," he told her during the cocktail party, calling the game a "distasteful and classless display" and saying that he was "appalled" it took place.
In last week's episode, Clare broke up with her remaining 16 suitors and got engaged to Dale Moss — whose comfort after the face-off with Yosef was an early sign of her love. "Literally, all I've ever wanted is a man like Dale," she said in a confessional after the encounter.
Harrison said in the interview with Menounos, 42, that the shakeup, which brought on Tayshia as the new Bachelorette, was "unprecedented" — and even a little "scary."
Craig Sjodin/ABC Clare Crawley and Dale Moss
"Hitting the pause button on the show was something unbelievably difficult to do and unprecedented and kind of scary, because we were putting these guys on ice for 18 to 24 hours," said Harrison of the whirlwind of Clare and Dale's engagement. "We didn't really tell them anything."
While the men were kept in the dark, energy was restored with the arrival of Tayshia — and four new men to the Bachelorette bubble in Palm Springs, where this season was filmed. The new recruits are Spencer, a 30-year-old water treatment engineer; gym owner Montel, 30; real estate agent Peter, 32; and Noah, a 25-year-old travel nurse.
Harrison said on a recent episode of The Ben and Ashley I. Almost Famous Podcast that he "fought for" Tayshia to be the new Bachelorette.
Craig Sjodin/ABC via Getty Tayshia Adams, Chris Harrison
RELATED: Chris Harrison 'Fought' for Tayshia Adams to Be the Bachelorette: 'She's a Fantastic Woman'
"Tayshia is just someone who I wanted to be the Bachelorette," he told hosts Ben Higgins and Ashley Iaconetti. "I fought for her, I wanted her to be on our list, and she was. As soon as we had a chance to have another one, I was so excited when we all decided that she was it."
Harrison added: "We really wanted it to be Tayshia and I'm glad that she came in."
The Bachelorette airs Tuesdays (8 p.m. ET) on ABC.
