Between newly resurfaced photos of The Bachelor contestant Rachael Kirkconnell at an antebellum-themed Old South party and Chris Harrison’s disastrous interview with former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay working overtime to excuse it, racism is once again at the center of Bachelor Nation conversation. This was, after all, supposed to be The Bachelor‘s big chance to prove itself as progressive after casting first Black Bachelor lead Matt James, in a clear response to heightened outcry over the show’s lack of diversity during last summer’s BLM riots. While that was never a fair burden to place on James, his season so far and the controversy surrounding it both suggest one reason the series seems to take two steps back every time it tries to outrun its roots.