Bachelorette Season 16: A Sneak Peek Into What We Know About Clare Crawley’s Season
Bachelorette fans have been eagerly awaiting Clare Crawley‘s season, but things have gotten interesting. After events caused Crawley to end
Ivy Griffith
Bachelorette fans have been eagerly awaiting Clare Crawley‘s season, but things have gotten interesting. After events caused Crawley to end her time on the show early, another Bachelorette was brought in to finish the season: Tayshia Adams. Now we explore everything we know so far about the upcoming season and look into all the exciting news about Bachelorette season 16.
Clare Crawley Leaves Early
Fans anticipating Crawley’s time on the show were dismayed to hear that she left early. But it seems as though Crawley left for the very best reason; she fell in love! Before the season even got into swing, it seems that Crawley found the love of her life. Production spoke with her, and together they made the decision to end her time on the show and replace her.
According to UsWeekly, “Less than two weeks after Clare’s journey to find love began, an insider told Us that producers were searching for new options to join the group at the La Quinta Resort & Club in California. ‘Last weekend, producers reached out to backup Bachelorette contestants who had been vetted for Clare’s season but were ultimately not cast to film at La Quinta,’ the source said in July. ‘When producers reached back out, out of the blue, it was very apparent that something had happened with production. Something had obviously happened two weeks into filming and last weekend, producers were calling backup contestants and asking them to come to La Quinta within 24 hours.’”
Another insider told Us, “‘They were shocked by her choice,’ an insider tells Us Weekly exclusively, adding that she wouldn’t leave her room and told producers she wasn’t going on any more dates because she had already fallen in love. This occurred a little less than two weeks after filming began.”
Enter Tayshia Adams
With Crawley leaving to pursue life with her new love, what would happen to the rest of the season? It looks as though Crawley’s other contestants were sent home and replaced by a cast tailor-made for Tayshia Adams. Adams was brought to the filming location to finish the season with her own journey to find the One.
ABC has not confirmed that Adams has replaced Crawley, so little is known about her list of contestants. For now, the network continues to play it off as though the entire season belongs to Crawley, releasing contestant profiles and playing coy. All of the promos released so far have been ominous, vague, and left fans hungry for more information.
So Where Will Clare – or Tayshia – Be Looking for Love?
According to Us, filming occurred at a La Quinta, California, resort. La Quinta Resort and Club has 41 pools, 53 hot spas, 23 tennis courts, and 7 restaurants. Production wanted to find a place where everything could be handled on-site to avoid moving the cast around public places during the COVID-19 pandemic.
La Quinta certainly seems to fit the bill. With 1,400 acres and everything a Bachelorette looking for love could want to do, the resort is sure to give fans a lot of visual splendor to take in. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, all cast and crew will be living on-site to limit exposure to the outside world. Good thing the La Quinta Resort has nearly 800 guest rooms!
Clare Had Beef with Matt James
One of her contestants, Matt James, had Crawley hitting back on social media. According to Crawley, James was hosting Cameo videos for fans before he had even left filming for Crawley’s season.
Crawley said, “‘If you are doing interviews and creating Cameo accounts before you are even on my season… you are in it for the wrong reasons… #dontwasteyourtime.’
While Clare didn’t name names, Matt is part of a Cameo campaign to raise money for The Robin Hood Foundation, a nonprofit that fights poverty in New York City.”
Joke might be on Crawley, though. If it was James she was throwing shade at, it failed to connect. Soon after, James was announced as the next Bachelor. He will be the first Black Bachelorand is already a fan favorite as the best friend of Bachelor alum Tyler Cameron.
Us reports, “‘Matt has been on our radar since February, when producers first approached him to join Bachelor Nation, as part of Clare’s season. When filming couldn’t move forward as planned, we were given the benefit of time to get to know Matt and all agreed he would make a perfect Bachelor,’ ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke said in a statement. ‘We know we have a responsibility to make sure the love stories we’re seeing onscreen are representative of the world we live in and we are proudly in service to our audience. This is just the beginning and we will continue to take action with regard to diversity issues on this franchise.’”
What Clare Looked For in Love
According to Us, “‘For me the most important thing is that I want a man that will take off his armor, I want a man who is strong, willing to take off the body armor, open himself up and be vulnerable,’ Clare said on Good Morning America in March. ‘A lot of people [saw] that side of me and saw me stand up to Juan Pablo. … And I’m strong enough to let someone in and be vulnerable and open up and share that with them.’”
What Does Tayshia Want from Love?
While we wait for confirmation from ABC that Adams is the next Bachelorette, she has been seen at the La Quinta Resort, fueling rumors about her time on the show. Us reports on words from Adams to Vulture about her search for a potential love; “‘I might be more tough on the guys, in the sense I’d need them to stand up a little bit more than Hannah [Brown],’ she said in March 2019. ‘She’s pretty fun and doesn’t take herself too seriously all the time. The guys would definitely have to be much older, I’d tell you that much. I require a little bit more life experience, someone who really knows who they are and still aren’t trying to figure themselves out. Show up, or get out. No bulls—t, let’s go, I’m trying to find a husband!’”
When Will the Season Premiere Air?
The Bachelorette is moving to a new day. When ABC announced their fall line-up, Bachelorette was moved to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays instead of Mondays.
The exact date is still up in the air, but a fall air date was promised. So hopefully fans don’t have too much longer to wait!
It’s a Who’s Who of Bachelor Nation
We know something funky’s going on during Crawley’s season, because not only are we fairly certainly that she passes the throne to Adams, but Bachelor and Bachelorette alum flocked to the resort during filming.
It seems like an odd choice, during a pandemic of all times, to gather your big names from across the country, but season 16 is anything but conventional. Hannah Ann Sluss, Wells Adam, Sydney Lotauco, Ashley Iaconetti, and JoJo Fletcher were all on site during filming.
Although in Fletcher’s case, she was there to take over temporarily for host Harrison. Harrison broke quarantine to drop his son off at college, and had to restart a 14-day isolation period when he returned. Fletcher said the experience of hosting was, “crazy and dramatic.”
We Can’t Wait to See This Wild Season
Whatever season 16 is going to bring to fans, we can’t wait to be a part of it. Who did Crawley fall in love with? Who does Adams pick? Why are all the Bachelor and Bachelorette alum flocking to set? What on earth does Host JoJo Fletcher look like?
We’ll bring you information on the premiere date and more to expect as it happens. Keep an eye out for more wild updates from this season; it’s definitely going to be something special.