After getting eliminated from The Bachelor last week, Shanae Ankney continues to get dragged on social media for her actions on the show. Shanae’s antics angered fellow contestants and a large sector of Bachelor Nation during her time on the show, even to the point where a group of fans started a petition to ban her from all future involvement in the franchise. Prior to her departure, the entire group of women vying for Clayton’s love had turned against Shanae after her insensitive comments to Elizabeth and becoming aware of her manipulative ways.
Prior to her own exit for shady behavior, Cassidy Timbrooks was Shanae’s only ally in the house, and the two seemed to be forming an alliance of villainesses whose only concern was receiving a rose. After Cassidy was booted, however, Shanae took on the role herself and did nothing to ingratiate herself to any of her housemates. After making fun of Elizabeth’s AHHD diagnosis, crashing a group date, and generally annoying all the other women, the veil was finally lifted on her true personality when Clayton took her and Genevieve on a double date to Niagara Falls. Somehow, after spending time with both of the women, he finally realized that Shanae wasn’t going to get the final rose and he sent her home.
Since her departure, Shanae has been active on social media and recently made an Instagram post to show off her new hair. While she did receive compliments, many of the comments were not so positive. One poster said, “new hair won’t fix your attitude,” while another chimed in with, “inside doesn’t match the outside.” Several people called for her to apologize for her hurtful comments to Elizabeth and one commenter summed up many viewers’s sentiment by saying, “I could care less about your new hair. If you don’t have a remorseful attitude and you hate people with mental disabilities, then the new hair means nothing to me.“
Shanae’s behavior was so polarizing that when producer Mike Fleiss tweeted about the prospect of her becoming The Bachelorette, fans were inspired to create a petition to shut down the possibility of her future appearance on any of the franchise’s shows. According to Monsters and Critics, the petition states in part that, “viewers do not want to see her on our screens ever again, for The Bachelor, Bachelorette, and Bachelor in Paradise.” Some have spoken up in her defense, blaming her poor reception on editing, but that seems to be a small fraction of the audience.
Every cycle of The Bachelor has its villain, which certainly adds interest to the show. Shanae stepped into the role with gusto, but her win-at-all-cost approach, achieved by lying, manipulating, and acting simply turned off a large portion of the audience. Many viewers continue to be incensed by her treatment of Elizabeth and her lousy behavior toward the other women in the house. Viewers can blame editors, which is a time-worn tactic, but it’s difficult for many fans of the show to climb on that bandwagon when the words coming out of Shanae’s own mouth are so distasteful.
The Bachelor airs Monday at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.
