The Bachelor SA's Lee Thompson knows that he is not everyone's cup of tea and is ready for whatever backlash he gets for his decisions on the reality show.
The Bachelor SA contestant will see 24 women from across the country compete for Lee's affection and the chance to marry him. After months of anticipation the first episode of the show aired on M-Net on Thursday night and caused a frenzy.
However, the show caused a stir in October last year when social media users claimed that Lee was not the ideal South African man. One of the biggest concerns was that M-Net's choice would make for "cringe-worthy" television and women of colour may be overlooked.
Even though M-Net defended its decision and said Lee is an "open minded individual who is willing to put a ring on the finger of a girl from any culture or background," questions around racial representation have lingered on.
Lee and the show's producers are well aware of this and told TshisaLIVE they were satisfied that people of all races and cultures would be able to relate to the show.
But if he does get backlash, Lee is ready.
"I am very active on social media and I do notice all the things that are being said. With a show like this there will always be a negative and positive side. Most of the time it is positive but there will always be people with negative comments. I just try to ignore it or push it aside."
He said he was all about the interaction, and if he was asked about certain decisions he may respond.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but I will be engaging as much as possible," he added.
Meanwhile the show has been a hit with audiences who made it one of the most talked about topics on social media during its premiere on Thursday.
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