For as long as Luke Parker was on The Bachelorette, fans have wondered why Hannah Brown kept him around for so long. Equally infuriating to Bachelor Nation is how producers could allow him to crash the rose ceremony, considering Brown was clearly over him by that point. Viewers responded by sounding off on social media to voice their displeasure.
The signs that Parker wasn’t right for The Bachelorette were served up for the audience on a silver platter, shown not only in his interactions with Brown, but in his frequent disagreements with the other men on the show. Parker had a strong shot at making it to the finale the second he secured the first impression rose; the last five men who had been given that rose ended the season with accepted proposals. After Parker sex-shamed Hannah, however, that streak, along with all of Brown’s feelings for Parker, evaporated. The Georgia native was unquestionably pegged as this season’s villain, but unlike villains from season’s past, he was under the false impression that he was the good guy.
Brown once confessed to host Chris Harrison, “I’m either falling in love with Luke or Luke is making me go crazy." It turned out to be the latter, and once Brown received the “clarity” she needed, there was no turning back - for Brown, at least. Parker had the nerve to plan his own surprise party at the rose ceremony, failing desperately as he tried unsuccessfully to change Brown’s mind. This elicited a tweet storm from Bachelor Nation, expressing disappointment in the producers for letting Parker back on the set. Check out some of the tweet below:
The outrage not only stemmed from Parker being allowed to return, but also from the length of the leash Harrison extended to the show’s antagonist. The host let Parker linger on set, ignoring repeated requests to leave, before stepping in himself. Parker initially joined the other three men - who, by the way, had no idea yet he’d been sent home - before a bewildered Brown entered. After Brown’s repeated attempts to show him she wanted him gone, Parker, oblivious, persisted to demand answers. At one point, Brown’s remaining suitors approached Parker, inviting the possibility of physical altercation. It wasn’t until moments later that Harrison stepped into the frame, and Parker returned to the limousine shortly afterwards.
While allowing Parker to insert himself back into contention was unfair to Brown, his return ultimately created one of the most compelling and iconic scenes in the history of The Bachelorette. Parker’s overstayed welcome on the show was an unhealthy burden to Brown. His mere existence in each episode and the swirl of controversy he carried with him caused Brown’s surrounding relationships to veer off course at times. But, even though a mass of Twitter users thought Parker’s swan song was unnecessary and excessive, the scene helped to further the conversation of the dangers that men like Parker present in the real world.
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The Bachelorette finale airs July 29 at 8pm on ABC.
Source: The Bachelorette/Twitter
