The Nov. 5 episode of The Bachelorette was shaping up to be an exciting one: Clare Crawley prepared to all but ride off into the sunset with Dale Moss and, as last week’s preview promised, Tayshia Adams took over the leading role. Unfortunately, Tayshia’s reveal — which happened in the episode’s final three minutes — came so late, The Bachelorette producers may as well be Nevada’s election officials counting mail-in ballots. The episode ended with a “To be continued…” message, but we really only have one overarching thought: Tayshia deserves more.
Tayshia’s entry starts with Chris Harrison’s message to the pouty Bachelorette guys: now that Clare is out, he wants to make sure they still have a fair shot at finding love. He asks them to decide whether or not they’d like to stay before telling them who their new Bachelorette is, and all of them opt to stick around, even though some have hesitations.
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In a series of confessionals, the men express their thoughts on getting a new Bachelorette. Some of them, like Jason and Blake, are still hung up on Clare’s exit; others, like Bennett and Zac, are excited about the “fresh start” and “second chance” at finding love. But there’s an issue here, even with the men who are psyched to meet Tayshia. She shouldn’t just be a “second chance” — like every other Bachelorette, she should have a group of guys who are on the show for her. These men had months to prepare for meeting Clare or, in Blake’s case, do some actual research. (You’ll remember Clare even sent a contestant home for not adequately Googling her before heading to La Quinta.) At the least, Chris Harrison could have given them a day or two’s notice.
In the promo, Tayshia expresses legitimate concerns about the leftover men. She says that she doesn’t want to be the second choice “again,” hinting towards everything that went down on Colton Underwood’s season of The Bachelor. And as much as these men might be ready for love, the rest of the preview shows some cause for concern. “I don’t know how I feel about Tayshia,” Blake says in one voice-over.
Tayshia’s finally here, and it’s exciting — but she deserves more from the Bachelor franchise. This season has eight or nine episodes left to, hopefully, make it up to her.