Let me just CLAREify: Season 16 of “The Bachelorette” is like no other

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"Roses" by ECohen is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Bachelorette Clare Crawley was replaced by Tayshia Adams mid-season of “The Bachelorette.” With this replacement came ample amounts of drama as well as more entertainment.

Leah Boone, Co Editor-in-Chief

On Oct. 13, 2020, the newest season of “The Bachelorette” aired on ABC. This season was supposed to begin back in May, but due to COVID-19, it was postponed for safety precautions. But don’t fret; postponing the show did NOT take away from any of the drama.

Season 16 begins with Clare Crawley, a 39-year-old who was the runner-up in season 18 of “The Bachelor.” She tells the audience about how she embarked on a long journey throughout her life before the show, and how she was extremely ready to find love and settle down forever.

The show continued on to Crawley meeting 31 men campaigning for her heart, but one man very obviously stood out to Crawley from the very beginning. Dale Moss, a 32-year-old former football wide receiver, caught Crawley’s eye from the second he stepped out of the limousine. 

From that point on, it was very noticeable to all the viewers as well as the rest of the contestants that Crawley’s eye was on Moss and nobody else. She ditched other men for him, spent the most of her  time with him and overall showed the most interest in him.

As the show progressed, we saw Moss and Crawley falling more in love and saw the rest of the contestants getting more and more outdone with the situation. Multiple confrontations with Moss were made, yet the blatantly obvious favoritism remained.

Finally, the viewers saw Crawley realizing her true feelings and that actions needed to be taken because of them. In a very romantic dinner date with Moss, they both confessed they were falling in love with each other.

Crawley proceeded to gather the rest of the men, tell them her true feelings, and say she is leaving with Moss. When backlash arrived after this news, Crawley shut it down by telling the men they have no right to be angry with her for falling in love.

While she leaves the remaining contestants confused and angry, Crawley and Moss get their happily ever after, with Moss proposing and leaving the show with his new fiance. Now, this led to an extremely important question: who would be the new bachelorette?

This question was answered in a cliffhanger at the end of an episode, when 30-year-old Tayshia Adams stepped out of her limo and met Chris Harrison at the entrance of La Quinta Resort & Club, the setting of this season of “The Bachelorette.”

With the new bachelorette also came four new potential interests for Adams. Obviously, these additions were a good choice because one of them, Spencer, received Adams’ First Impression Rose. 

This is the first time in “The Bachelorette” history that a new bachelorette has been brought in, so obviously this automatically brought more drama as well. Adams came onto the show worried that the men who had come on the show for Crawley would be stuck on her, therefore showing no interest in Adams.

As the season progresses, more drama keeps coming, whether it is between Adams and one of the men or the contestants fighting with each other. Either way, it is sure to bring entertainment galore. 

This season of “The Bachelorette” is the first I have ever watched, and so far, it has not disappointed. Both “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” bring immense amounts of entertainment, each with their fair dose of drama as well. 

This season is extremely unprecedented to all of Bachelor Nation, and I highly recommend watching it and keeping up with all the happenings this season. While it may not be everybody’s cup of tea, for those who like dramatic reality television, season 16 of “The Bachelorette” is for you.