This was the worst season of 'The Bachelor' in 18 years - and it had nothing to do with Matt James

• I've watched "The Bachelor" on and off for years, and this was the worst season in its history.
• Matt James' historic run as the first Black "Bachelor" star was ruined by Rachael Kirkconnell's controversy.
• The "After the Final Rose" special did little to correct the franchise's mistakes from the season.

"It doesn't get more real than this."

Those were the words Matt James happily declared to the camera after he gave Rachael Kirkconnell his final rose, thinking he had found his happily ever after.

But everyone watching Monday night's finale of "The Bachelor" knew what was coming next. James' historic season as the first Black "Bachelor" in the show's 18-year history had been completely overshadowed by controversy - and Kirkconnell was at the center of it.

It was an uncomfortable ending, made only more awkward during the "After the Final Rose" special where typically contestants face each other for the first time since filming.

It's clear that the long-running ABC franchise is still grappling with the fallout from Kirkconnell's 2018 plantation party photos, which emerged on social media mid-season, and the pain they've caused James. He revealed on Monday night that he broke up with the 24-year-old Georgia native after the pictures surfaced in February.

As a loyal "Bachelor" viewer who has watched the series on and off since it's second season in late 2002, it was painful to see how badly the franchise has failed James. This was the worst season of "The Bachelor" I can remember, and it had nothing to do with him.

'The Bachelor' has a bully problem

I almost laughed when Emmanuel Acho - who replaced host Chris Harrison on Monday's special after he stepped down for defending Kirkconnell's photos - declared: "Let's not forget what this show is about: love and romance."

That statement couldn't have been further from the truth when it came to James' season, which felt like a weekly competition for which of his contestants' could be the most vicious. There was name-calling, fake escort rumors and ripping crowns off people's heads. There was more yelling and tears than a "Maury" episode.

Contestants like Victoria Larson and Anna Redman got ample screen time because they were at the center of the drama, leaving us little chance to get to know many of James' actual finalists - such as Michelle Young and Bri Springs.

The same problem happened during Peter Weber's season of "The Bachelor" as well, which received so much criticism last year for its contestants that the franchise decided not to cast any of the women as the next "Bachelorette," which has been ABC's tradition for years.

And, to be honest, it worked.

Tayshia Adams' season felt like a breath of fresh air. The men generally got along with each other and the episodes were filled with vulnerable conversations between Adams and her contestants. The season touched on everything from suicide and drug addiction to eating disorders and Black Lives Matter. I genuinely felt like I knew all of the men, and wondered if the franchise had finally turned a corner.

But, sigh, it hadn't.

Aside from the drama between the contestants, I barely felt like I had a chance to know James this season, and I don't think that's his fault. Fans of the show, myself included, have complained over the last few seasons that it feels as if the leads' personalities and stories are being edited out to instead focus on the fights.

I felt robbed when I saw James' TikTok videos poking fun at his charcuterie board skills. Why didn't we get to see any of his sense of humor on the actual show aside from a few seconds-long bloopers at the end of the episode?

'The Bachelor' completely dropped the ball with its handling of Kirkconnell's controversy

Rumors had already been swirling around Kirkconnell for weeks before photos emerged of her at a plantation-themed fraternity party in 2018.

But it still took days for the franchise to respond, and for some reason the network chose Harrison to address the issue instead of Kirkconnell herself.

The details of Harrison's Extra interview with Rachel Lindsay - "The Bachelorette" franchise's first Black lead - are now well-known. The longtime "Bachelor" host and executive producer asked that people show Kirkconnell grace and compassion, claimed 2018 was a long time ago, and said the "woke police" was out to get her.

There was no recognition of how the photos would make James feel, not to mention Lindsay, Kirkconnell's fellow contestants, past contestants and even viewers.

"She's celebrating the Old South," Lindsay replied to Chris. "If I went to that party, what would I represent at that party?"

Harrison stepped down from the franchise days later, but his presence was felt throughout the finale. ABC producers chose not to cut either of Harrison's long sit-down chats with James, and his voiceover was even used during the "After the Final Rose" special.

Even the 'After the Final Rose' special was a total letdown

I'm glad that James was given the space to talk about both the pressure he felt as the franchise's first Black "Bachelor," and to directly tell Kirkconnell why it hurt so much that he had to explain to her why the plantation-party photos were problematic.

"When I questioned our relationship, it was in the context of you not fully understanding my Blackness, and what it means to be a Black man in America, and what it would mean for our kids," he told her. "It broke my heart."

But I also found it frustrating that Kirkconnell wasn't pushed to describe even one action she was actually taking to better educate herself following the controversy.

I also cringed when Acho asked James: "Don't you believe she's another person now?" The new host, a former NFL linebacker and the author of the bestselling book "Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man," even asked James if he's open to getting back to together with Kirkconnell.

As James told Kirkconnell in that moment, he's not emotionally responsible for her tears or her mistakes. As James uncomfortably sat next to her, oftentimes unable to even speak and hurriedly removing his hand from her grasp, it was abundantly clear that he's had to bear the weight of this anyway - and that's on the franchise.

James deserved a better love story. What will it take for "The Bachelor" to finally learn from its repeated mistakes?