The Bachelorette: Why Fans Suspect Chris Sutton Was A Producer Plant

Chris Sutton from The Bachelorette is another example of a suitor who’s been accused of being a producer plant. During Chris’ two-episode arc, fans saw his relationship with Michelle Young go from bad to worse. Fans are wondering if his actions were based on his own motives or prompted by the show’s higher-ups.

Some The Bachelor franchise fans have recently accused a number of contestants of being producer plants. Examples include Victoria Larson from Matt James’ season. Brendan Morais and Pieper James from Bachelor in Paradise, and Ryan Fox from Michelle’s The Bachelorette season, who was memorably sent home before the first rose ceremony. Although there isn’t a specific description of what a producer plant is, viewers can all agree that cast members who face these accusations seem to fake their relationships and bring tons of drama to their respective shows.

While Ryan’s situation was different from Chris’, there may still have been a producer playbook involved in Chris’ villain transformation. Prior to week 4, Chris’s presence on The Bachelorette wasn’t very memorable. Having only participated in group dates, his time with Michelle was very limited. The 28-year-old seemingly reinvented himself between weeks three and four, emphasizing his views on chivalry by standing up for Michelle during a cocktail party following a disastrous The Bachelorette group date. However, his plan ultimately blew up in his face, and the following week, he faded into the background again, even though he was the butt of jokes.

Whether his efforts to reinvent himself centered around his lack of time with Michelle or not, there is no doubt that Chris put a target on his back in terms of the other men, including Nayte Olukoya. The frontrunner attempted to confront Chris about his claims, and though Chris’ actions weren’t uncommon for a contestant in the Bachelor franchise, there seemed to be an outside influence egging him on and influencing his decisions. Even though Chris didn’t have a Ryan-style binder of notes and strategies to win Michelle over with, his quick transformation into a rogue may have been a part of the producers’ plans all along.

Considering his lack of an explanation when Nayte questioned his motives, and his attempt at playing the race card, Chris, who received the final rose of week 4, may have been cast with the intention of being manipulated by producers. The chivalrous, yet seemingly insecure suitor didn’t seem to mind his ridiculous outfits on the group dates and calmly spoke with Martin about his and Michelle’s relationship before deciding to interrupt her one-on-one Bachelorette date with Nayte.

In his final conversation with teacher and basketball fan Michelle, it was evident that he already knew that their relationship had come to an end. He knew he would be heading home before he even left the hotel. His subdued reaction to being sent home further begs the question, “Did Chris and the producers make a deal before his The Bachelorette exit?” There’s no guarantee that his time in Bachelor Nation is over, as he may eventually get a redemption storyline on another Bachelor franchise show, just like former villains Nick Viall and Jordan Kimball did. Chances are good that fans haven’t seen the last of Chris S. just yet.

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