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The One Thing Former Bachelorette Ali Fedotowsky-Manno Would Change About The Bachelor Franchise

By Paige Strout Aug 23, 2022 10:10 PMTags

Former Bachelorette Ali Fedotowsky-Manno thinks it's time Bachelor Nation got an update.

Like many of the franchise's couples, her Bachelorette relationship didn't last, as she and her season six winner, Roberto Martinez, broke up a year after their engagement on the show. Luckily, she has a solution to fix the ABC dating franchise's flaw.

"I think the Bachelor or the Bachelorette should have a say in the casting process," she exclusively told E! News' Daily Pop on Aug. 23. "I feel like if they did, the chances of a successful relationship from the show would be so much more."

And after Daily Pop's Justin Sylvester suggested that the lead's friends should be allowed to help out, Ali added, "Maybe you and four of your friends should be part of the casting process. I feel like that would be perfect."

While the casting change probably won't be happening any time soon, The Bachelorette did shake things up for its current 19th season by splitting duties between leading ladies Rachel Recchia and Gabby Windey.

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And though Ali was open to the change at first, she, like many fans, found herself conflicted with the show's handling of the dual leads.

"It's not even that the guys are judging the two girls, it's that I'm judging the two girls as a viewer," the 37-year-old said. "You compare them. You can't help but be like, 'Oh, I like these dates more than these dates,' or, 'I enjoy watching this girl maybe more than the other girl.'"

The world of social media has grown so much since Ali's time on the show in 2010, something she believes has made the experience "so much harder" for the franchise's leads and contestants.

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"I felt so horrible about that," she stated. "And if I'm doing that, imagine what these girls—like all the threads online about them, comparing them, who likes who better. I feel bad from a viewer's standpoint of all the viewers comparing them."

Social media even changed Ali's mind about her 6-year-old daughter Molly's future, having once been open to the idea of her appearing on The Bachelor one day. She told Daily Pop, "Now when I get asked that question, my answer is 'no.' I would not want her to go on the show, and it's just 'cause of social media. It's so hard for these girls."

Hear how Ali—who also shares 4-year-old son Riley with husband Kevin Manno—tackles family mealtime with Old El Paso's new Tortilla Pockets in the full interview above.

The Bachelorette airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC.