Reality Check: Former 'Bachelorette' star reveals rape

Katie Thurston, star of 2021’s "The Bachelorette" season 17, revealed on Saturday that months ago she was a rape victim — and that despite her best efforts, “[T]he justice system failed me.”

Thurston, 33, wrote on Instagram that a police officer in San Diego, where she lives, dutifully took her statement and drove her to a SART (Sexual Assault Response Team) exam. A nurse and an advocate there were “kind, nurturing, patient,” she said.

During the four months waiting for the rape kit to provide full results from the DNA evidence, “I did everything I should have done as a victim of rape. ‘Here are my texts, my calls, my photos, my videos, names, witnesses, locations, social media, time stamps, surveillance footage, DNA, my body.’ The warning ‘a guilty verdict is hard in criminal court’ echoed throughout the months. ... And as much as I heard it, I still wasn't ready to be stopped. And yet, without warning, I was.”

She gave no details. In a statement afterward, she said, “I've had ample support from my community which allowed me to stay strong over these past seven months. While the outcome is disappointing, I am at peace and turning any pain into purpose and hope to help other survivors of sexual assault.”

New ‘Housewives of New York City’ star

Bravo on Thursday announced art curator Racquel Chevremont has joined the in-production 15th season of “The Real Housewives of New York City,” joining the returning Sai De Silva, Ubah Hassan, Erin Lichy, Jenna Lyons, Jessel Taank and Brynn Whitfield.

The Brooklyn-born, Bronx-raised former model becomes the show’s second LGBTQ star, following Lyons.

“It’s exciting,” Chevremont, 53, told GLAAD in an interview the same day. “I honestly didn’t think they would be interested in me … I wasn’t sure if they were going to want two queer women on a franchise that has historically been about married heterosexual women. I think it was a bold decision and honestly a more authentic representation of NYC.”

She added, “My entire adult life has been about representation and using whatever platform I have to get the voices of queer folks of the [African] diaspora out there. What better way to do so if not as a member of this iconic franchise.”

Finales

With Dominick Miller out, the final three chefs competing Monday at 8 p.m. on Food Network’s “Summer Baking Championship” season 2 are Chris Jara, Rob Lough and Stephanie Tucci.

Premieres

Monday with a supersize premiere from 8 to 10:03 p.m., TLC's “90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way” season 6 finds a half-dozen couples engaged (or in the case of New Yorker Joanne, secretly married) internationally, with the Americans attempting to relocate abroad … Then from 10:03 to 11:03 p.m. on Lifetime it’s the first two episodes of the new half-hour series “Outrageous Love with NeNe Leakes,” in which the Queens-born former star of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” showcases clips of couples’ triumphs and tribulations … and early Thursday on the streaming service Netflix, what better way to celebrate the Fourth of July than with season 3 of “Barbecue Showdown,” with Michelle Buteau back as host and Kevin Bludso and Melissa Cookston returning as judges.

Recaps

Howie Mandel on “America’s Got Talent” gave the first of his two Golden Buzzers this season to the Australian dance crew Brent Street.