Kaitlyn Bristowe and Tayshia Adams are returning as co-hosts of The Bachelorette for ABC’s hit show’s 18th season starring Michelle Young. Kaitlyn was first introduced to Bachelor Nation as a contestant on Chris Soules’ season of The Bachelor. She later became The Bachelorette for the show’s 11th season, and has since successfully hosted a podcast and appeared on another ABC show, competing and winning Season 29 of Dancing With the Stars. Tayshia on the other hand, recently stepped in as The Bachelorette after the original star, Clare Crawley, left her season due to finding love with contestant Dale Moss in just two weeks of filming. Tayshia is now engaged to her final rose winner Zac Clark and has since expressed interest in television hosting. The two fan-favorites chased their hosting dreams when they initially stepped in as co-hosts for the current 17th season of The Bachelorette starring Katie Thurston, after longtime host Chris Harrison stepped aside for perpetuating racism during an interview with Extra.
The Bachelor franchise scandal began last year when former Bachelor contestant Rachael Kirkconnell’s old photos showing her partying at an Old South plantation-themed fraternity party resurfaced. Eagle-eyed fans also noticed her Instagram handle liking posts containing the confederate flag. Rachael has since apologized, saying, “I was ignorant, but my ignorance was racist.” Chris went on to tell former Bachelorette and current Extra correspondent during an interview that the photos in question were not offensive when they were taken in 2018. In wake of the controversy, Chris apologized for his words to Michael Strahan in an interview on Good Morning America, but noted that he planned to return as host of the hit ABC show. Since then, he has fully departed the franchise.
Though neither Tayshia nor Kaitlyn were made official hosts of the franchise, Variety confirmed they were both given multi-year option contracts. According to the trade magazine, “the deal is typical for any network or studio, in order to give the production the upper hand and flexibility with contractual options for the future.” In wake of the changes, ABC and Warner Bros. Television have also promised to showcase more diversity in front of and behind the camera. In a widely sent out statement they said, “These are important steps in effecting fundamental change so that our franchise is a celebration of love that is reflective of our world.“
Michelle, who was introduced to reality TV on Matt James’ season of The Bachelor, has recently just started production. Michelle, Kaitlyn, Tayshia and the rest of the cast and crew have been on-site quarantining for about a week. The new season is expected to premiere this fall after the already filmed Bachelor in Paradise season airs.
Though viewership has been down since Chris’ departure, Bachelor Nation has praised Kaitlyn and Tayshia for taking on such a large role with professionalism and grace. Fans have only seen one season of The Bachelorette without Chris, but it seems like Katie finds comfort in confiding in two women who have been in her position before, rather than just another male host asking her questions that he might not be able to understand or empathize with. It will be interesting to learn if the two former leads will continue to host other parts of the franchise such as The Bachelor, or if they’ll bring on male fan-favorites such as Wells Adams to get the job done.
