ABC Casts First Non-White 'Bachelor'

Host Chris Harrison made the official announcement during the "After the Final Rose" special, following the season finale of "The Bachelorette" on Monday night.

Galavis, 32, was a season 17 contestant, who wooed female audiences during his brief run on the show. The Spanish-speaking Miami resident retired from professional football — ahem, soccer — in 2009 to spend more time with his daughter, Camila.

"It's very hard to date when you have a daughter, that's why I took the chance to come here," Galavis told the cameras after he was booted from the show. "Hopefully I'll find a stepmom for Camila pretty soon."

While "The Bachelor" has had a handful of minorities as suitors before, never before has a non-Caucasian been cast in the titular role.

In 2012, two men who auditioned and failed to make the cut brought a class-action lawsuit against the show, arguing racial discrimination. A U.S. District Court ruled that ABC is protected by the First Amendment right to control the show's creative content — like casting white people to appeal to a primarily white audience.

It'll be interesting to see if ABC casts more Latina contestants than usual, and how over-the-top the network will be at reminding audiences of its Latin lover's heritage.

Host Chris Harrison did greet Galavis on the show last night, "Hello, señor."