Matty Johnson has blamed the producers for The Bachelor's mostly white cast.
Fans have criticised the show's casting ever since it revealed the 22 women vying for Matty J's attention.
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Promo: The Bachelor 2017
After not being chosen by Bachelorette Georgia Love, Matty J is back for a second round of reality romance.
While one of this year's contestants - 27-year-old personal trainer Elora - is Tahitian, the overwhelming majority of contestants are white.
During Wednesday night's premiere, social media users were quick to joke about the women being "clones".
Nice to see diversity on #TheBachelorAU this year. They have blondes AND brunettes! #BachelorSoWhite
— Michael Spezza (@Spezzman) July 26, 2017
I have to wear sunglasses watching #thebachelorau tonight. So white, I mean bright.
— Jaynee (@xxjayzorz) July 26, 2017
OMG THE INTRUDER IS A POC TOUCHING DOWN ON WHITE ISLAND AND EVERYONE HATES HER THIS IS SYMBOLIC AF #TheBachelorAU
— Michelle Law (@ms_michellelaw) July 26, 2017
Speaking to Fairfax Media, Johnson said he did have some input into the kind of woman he wanted on the show. However, he said he never intended for nearly every contestant to be white.
"I definitely don't have any preference when it comes to hair colour, skin colour or race," he said.
"The characteristics I put forward were intelligent, positive, kind, ambitious and a love of the outdoors. I don't know exactly how the casting works [exactly], but my understanding is that was the information they used to collect the shortlist of the 22 women."
A Channel Ten spokeswoman said race was not a factor when it came to selecting each of the contestants on The Bachelor Australia.
"Eligible contestants on all Network Ten shows are considered regardless of race or background," she said.
The season premiere pulled in an average national audience of around 1 million viewers, making it the seventh most watched program on Wednesday evening.