When ABC predicted that Clare Crawley’s season of The Bachelorette would be unlike anything fans had ever seen on the show before, the network had no idea how much of an understatement that promise would be. We’re still quite some time before The Bachelorette's season 16 premiere, but major drama is already unfolding behind the scenes — including the lead's unprecedented decision to end her journey before it could really get started.
Things were already weird for Clare and her suitors; the coronavirus threw the show's usual globetrotting out the window, shuttering them inside the the La Quinta Resort & Club in La Quinta, CA. But even a global pandemic couldn't stop our Bachelorette from finding love. In fact, the abnormal circumstances of the experience might actually have sped that process up tenfold. Just weeks into filming, Clare has reportedly already found her match in a contestant named Dale Moss, and their bond is strong enough for her to leave The Bachelorette high and dry by making a swift exit from the show.
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Yesterday, official news broke that Clare had in fact bowed out of the lead role, passing the torch to Bachelor Nation's Tayshia Adams. Tayshia was a fan favorite from Colton Underwood's season, and she'll finally get her chance to find true love on the show that thrust her into the spotlight.
"CONGRATS TAYSHIA!" shared ET reporter (and Bachelor insider, courtesy of her boyfriend Chris Harrison) Lauren Zima on Instagram. "ET has learned Tayshia is the new #TheBachelorette. That doesn't mean we won't see Clare Crawley's journey, and I can't WAIT to watch them both. This will be a franchise first."
Wait...so we're really going to have two Bachelorettes in the same season?
#TheBachelorette 🌹. Coming soon to Tuesdays on ABC. pic.twitter.com/JbDRm5AgOv
— The Bachelorette (@BacheloretteABC) August 4, 2020
The first official Bachelorette teaser solidifies that theory, showing Clare dressed in typical formal wear while the show's production team looks on from behind the cameras. The teaser doesn't give much else away — Tayshia obviously doesn't make an appearance — but Bachelor Nation can rest assured that Clare's footage won't be scrapped. Plus, knowing what we know about how this season goes down, the dramatic editing of the short clip is no doubt foreshadowing the utter chaos that is to come.
Season 16 will be an interesting one for many reasons, and its unique filming restriction are the least among them. We're essentially getting three fully fleshed out storylines here: Clare finding love and leaving the show, the remaining contestants trying to reconcile with her unexpected departure, and Tayshia trying to find love amongst the disgruntled group.
Okay, Chris Harrison — you got me. This really will be one for the books.