The Untold Truth Of The Bachelorette
After failing to find love during her time on Nick Viall's season of The Bachelor, Rachel Lindsay went on to capture the hearts of America during her run as the Bachelorette (you know you're a fan favorite when you have television royalty like Jennifer Aniston gushing about you). Lindsay had a particularly emotional and controversial season, but even though she opened up quite a bit to her suitors there was still a lot about her personal life that she kept under wraps. While it's easy to think you know pretty much all there is to know about a person after you've watched them cry their eyelashes off, we dug up some details about the future Mrs. Abasolo that will put the most dedicated members of Bachelor Nation to shame.
She didn't feel like she was the pretty sister growing up
Nearly every guy who hopped out of the limo in front of the Bachelor mansion on night one of Rachel's season couldn't help but comment on how devastatingly gorgeous she looked. From her discussion with Peter Kraus about how she came to embrace and love her gap to her self-confident attitude, Lindsay seemed like the poster child for owning and loving the skin you're in. However, during her very first one-on-one date with now fiancé Bryan Abasolo, Lindsay revealed that growing up she was considered the tomboy of the family, while her older sister Constance was the "pretty" one. Constance Lindsay made an appearance during her sister's hometown dates as both a Bachelor contestant and the Bachelorette, and while the two seemed to butt heads a bit over Abasolo, there didn't seem to be anything but love between the Lindsay girls.
She was raised in a predominantly white community
Being the first black Bachelorette in franchise history, it was kind of a no-brainer that race would be a topic lingering in the background of the season. Although Lee Garrett was the primary villain of the season who instigated race conversations among the contestants, it was actually one of Lindsay's conversations with one of her potential suitors, Will Gaskins, that offered up the most insight into the Bachelorette's thoughts on race, and more specifically interracial dating. During the conversation, Gaskins told Lindsay that he had primarily dated white women and cited the fact that he hadn't grown up around a lot of black women as the reason for his dating history. However, Lindsay countered his quasi-excuse with the fact that she too had been raised in a predominantly white community in Dallas, Texas but she had primarily dated black men. Due to the racial undertones of the season, it is particularly fascinating the Lindsay would choose to have an open conversation about the influence, or lack thereof, that her background had on her dating preferences.
Her dad is a federal judge
All season, Lindsay was all about keeping it 100 and quickly became a fan favorite because of her zero-tolerance policy for BS (here's looking at you DeMario). Apparently, her no-nonsense attitude runs in the family, seeing as her father, Sam A. Lindsay, is a federal judge for the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Texas. (
Fun fact: he was appointed to his position by President Bill Clinton. Even though Lindsay would call her dad "intimidating", a quick peek at the 31-year-old's Instagram account will show that they seem to be pretty close. Their relationship was questioned during both rounds of Rachel's hometowns (during her season and Viall's season) as her father was noticeably absent from both. While she explained to Viall that her father couldn't make the hometown date because of "work obligations", she didn't even bother explaining his absence to her own suitors. However, according to Viall the two did meet off-camera. There is also Instagram proof that Abasolo also met Mr. Lindsay when the cameras stopped rolling. Sounds like Lindsay's dad is a little bit camera shy.
She passed the bar exam on her first try
With all of the media attention the franchise gets, everyone and their grandma could probably tell you that Lindsay is a lawyer. And while her job alone already places her leaps and bounds ahead of former Bachelor/Bachelorette contestants who have held occupations such as aspiring dolphin trainer and "manscaper", Lindsay proves time and time again that she's not the average Bachelorette. The Dallas native, who graduated from Marquette University Law School, passed the bar exam on her first time around — talk about having beauty and brains!
She interned with the NBA
Despite the fact that Lindsay was definitely not playing games when it came to finding a husband, throughout her season she definitely let it be known that she was a big fan of sports — especially basketball. The Bachelorette alum was able to explore her passion from a different perspective when she landed an internship with the NBA in New York the summer after her senior year of college. Now here's a woman who knows how to work hard and play hard. Lindsay just might have the most impressive resume in the history of the franchise and, at this point, we're pretty much convinced that there's nothing Lindsay can't do.
She was once sued for causing a car accident
Sometimes the Bachelor or Bachelorette is forced to face a scandal or minor controversy from their past during their season. However Lindsay's season was overshadowed by the Bachelor in Paradise scandal surrounding DeMario Jackson and Corrine Olympios, which might be the reason Lindsay's own scandal wasn't brought to light. According to Radar Online, in June 2013 Lindsay rear-ended a vehicle and was accused of "negligently failing to control her vehicle". The victim requested damages for pain and suffering and although Lindsay denied the accusations she ultimately ended up coughing up $12,500 to get the case against her dismissed.
Her last relationship before competing on The Bachelor lasted four years
From day one, there was never any question that Lindsay would be walking away from her season with a rock (and not just because she totally spilled the beans before her season even aired). During her season, she would tell any guy who would listen about how prior to signing on to be a contestant on The Bachelor, she was stuck in a long-term, long-distance relationship that ultimately ended because of the distance. Lindsay knew coming in that she was in it to win it and wasn't interested in getting into another dead-end relationship. With a $100,000 engagement ring and fiancé in tow, we're sure that her ex is kicking himself right now for letting Lindsay be the one who got away — meanwhile, she's off living her best life.
She wasn't a big fan of the franchise before appearing on Nick Viall's season
While some contestants come on to the show with a wealth of knowledge about the franchise (read: James S., The Bachelor Superfan) and already know when and where to insert key phrases like "I'm here for the right reasons," Lindsay had never really given the show a second thought before she found herself vying for Viall's heart. She had seen the show prior to appearing on it, but she revealed to People that she never really understood the point of it all. As it turns out, Lindsay didn't even sign herself up for the "journey" — her co-workers did! Flash forward a year and the Dallas native has simultaneously become the best thing Viall will never have and the best thing Bachelor Nation could have ever hoped for.
Her family was skeptical about being on the show
When it came time for hometown dates, it was abundantly clear to Bachelor Nation that Lindsay's family wasn't completely sold on the idea of her finding her future husband via a reality show with a relatively low success rate. Mama Lindsay and big sister Constance seemed particularly unimpressed with Abasolo and his smooth-talking ways, especially when Lindsay admitted she was falling in love with the Miami-based chiropractor. However, although the skepticism was frustrating for Lindsay, it wasn't really that much of a shock. Before her season even aired, Lindsay told Entertainment Tonight that she anticipated that her family would be skeptical, but still supportive because they trust her judgement and ultimately want her to find love. The lawyer went from dealing with skeptical family to skeptical fans who weren't completely convinced that Lindsay made the right choice picking Abasolo over runner-up Peter Kraus.
She didn't hook up with all three finalists in the Fantasy Suite
Usually, Bachelors and Bachelorettes are all very against kissing and telling when it comes to dishing about what goes down during the infamous Fantasy Suite date, but ever the game-changer, Lindsay was relatively open about her alone time with her top three. She told ET that she didn't sleep with everyone (for non-fans "everyone" is Kraus, Eric Bigger and Abasolo) — but that could also mean that she didn't sleep with anyone. Tricky, tricky. It looks like Lindsay is putting her lawyer skills to good use even outside of court.
She dated Kevin Durant in college
As the Bachelorette, Lindsay found that the ball was ultimately in her court when it came to her search for love, but apparently in college Kevin Durant had his chance at courting the Bachelorette star — and yes, we do mean NBA All-Star Kevin Durant. According to a US Weekly insider, the two dated while attending the University of Texas at Austin. And although Lindsay and Durant were pretty serious, their relationship ended when she headed off to law school. In a dramatic twist of events worthy of Bachelor Nation, the NBA Championship Game, which Durant played in, took the time slot for one of the episodes of Linday's season causing The Bachelorette airing schedule to be pushed back by a week. However, it seems that there's no bad blood between the two as Lindsay was spotted cheering from the stands at the game.