'The Bachelor's' crisis over race runs deeper than its creator

LOS ANGELES — Michelle Young's love story on her season of "The Bachelorette" did not end in happily-ever-after. Like most couples who have ended up engaged from their stint on ABC's popular reality franchise, she and sales executive Nayte Olukoya split just months after she presented him with her final rose.

But instead of nursing a broken heart, Young channeled her celebrity as the series' third Black female lead into other endeavors, using her platform to support nonprofits, spread her philosophy about the importance of positivity, raise awareness about mental health and more.

The former Minnesota schoolteacher also continued to hold up the "Bachelor" banner, hopeful that the long-running dating franchise was poised to institute dramatic changes after facing years of criticism for its lack of racial diversity, cultural insensitivity, bullying of contestants of color and a host of other shortcomings.

Young was familiar with such turbulence from her own experience. She was ushered into "The Bachelor" during the chaotic 2021 tenure