Typically, at this point in a season of “The Bachelorette,” viewers have a fairly strong idea of who the leading lady will pick as her future fiancé. But with Tayshia Adams’ two-part finale beginning tonight, a winner isn’t quite as obvious as it has been in past seasons.
Adams stepped into “The Bachelorette” as a replacement original star Clare Crawley, who found love early with contestant Dale Moss, therefore departing the season just a few weeks in. This was an unprecedented turn of events for the dating show. But host Chris Harrison says that the switch-up isn’t necessarily the reason why a clear winner hasn’t emerged.
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“At the end of the day, she got pretty much the same exact amount of time that all the other Bachelorettes get,” Harrison says of Adams’ time dating on TV.
“I just think she doesn’t really have a type, which is what makes it so tough. It really runs the gamut,” Harrison says. “It took us a little longer to get to know these guys and I think it took Tayshia a little longer to get to know them on a deeper level, so I think you’re just now getting to the meat of these guys bearing their souls to her and really falling in love. But it has taken a bit longer.”
Heading into Monday night’s episode, Adams’ finalists were Zac Clark, Ivan Hall and Brendan Morais. Last week, Adams shockingly sent home fan-favorite Ben Smith, who opened up about his mental health during the season. In promos for the finale, Adams is seen crying hysterically at what looks to be the location of her potential proposal.
Teasing how the journey will end, Harrison says, “I can tell you that these men are falling in love with Tayshia, and that Tayshia is falling in love. The big question is, ‘Is this going to end how Tayshia wants it to?’”
Whether Tayshia’s search for love will end in a proposal is up in the air, and the host is staying mum.
“Tayshia, I can tell you, is ready for a proposal. She wants that. She wants to find that,” Harrison shares. “But are these men going to be ready to take that step? That’s the big question.”
Previous seasons have seen twists-and-turns occur after cameras stop rolling. For instance, former “Bachelor” Arie Luyendyk Jr. proposed to Becca Kufrin and became engaged on the TV finale; but over the next two months, had a change of heart, realized he was in love with another contestant, Lauren Burnham, and broke up with Kufrin, which was later edited into the season. (Kufrin went on to become the Bachelorette, while Luyendyk Jr. and Burnham went on to get married, have a child and are currently expecting twins.)
When asked if Adams’ season took any dramatic steps after production wrapped, Harrison says, “After we stop taping, you never know, because life takes over. We’ve seen it all from switches and going back to other people. Clare and Dale seem to be doing great right now, and I hope they continue to do so, and Bachelor Nation will see where Tayshia is from the end of production until now — that’s the million dollar question.”
Speaking of Crawley and Moss, will the happy couple appear on the finale for any sort of update?
“I think their updates are kind of done because you know where they are,” Harrison reveals. “There really isn’t anything to update. Now, you just see them on social media. They’re doing great.”
With the major casting shakeup and production being halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this season of “The Bachelorette” was quite literally the most dramatic the franchise had ever seen.
When production on “The Bachelorette” was delayed, the season was pushed from spring to fall. The next season of “The Bachelor” — starring Matt James — was able to get back on track, and per usual, will premiere the first week of January (though, like Crawley and Adams, James also filmed his season in a quarantined bubble at a resort.) However, summer series “Bachelor In Paradise” was a casualty of the pandemic, never able to film in 2020.
So, will Bachelor Nation get to see a season of “Bachelor In Paradise” in 2021?
“Knock on wood,” Harrison says. “If you have wood, knock on it!”
After James’ season of “The Bachelor” airs this winter, the next season of “Bachelorette” will go into production and air in the spring, per usual. Then, if travel restrictions are safe enough to send production to Mexico, “Bachelor In Paradise” would film for a summer season.
“Like the rest of the world, we are waiting on these vaccines and waiting to see if it’s going to change the world in the ways we all hope,” Harrison explains. “What we’re hearing from doctors and the CDC is that may happen by mid-spring, and that would be wonderful for us because we don’t shoot ‘Paradise’ until summer, so that would give us time for the vaccine to really change things.”
“My hope is that we’re back on the beaches in Mexico making ridiculous decisions this summer,” he says.
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