This season of The Bachelorette may really be the most dramatic of all time. Clare Crawley‘s season was already making headlines when it became the first season filmed at a resort and not at the Bachelor mansion. However, things are changing even more, a source confirms to Us Weekly.
Tayshia Adams is joining Crawley, 39, and will be a second lead, a source confirms to Us. The hairstylist will exit the show early after finding love. Then Adams, 29, will begin her search for The One. Adams is currently on location at the La Quinta Resort.
As for the suitors, Us exclusively revealed on Friday, July 31, that contestants not chosen for The Bachelorette have been called back.
“Last weekend, producers reached out to backup Bachelorette contestants who had been vetted for Clare’s season but were ultimately not cast to film at La Quinta [Resort],” an insider said at the time. “When producers reached back out, out of the blue, it was very apparent that something had happened with production.”
Production asked them to come to the resort “within 24 hours,” raising eyebrows that something had gone awry.
Adams first made her Bachelor Nation debut on Colton Underwood‘s season 23 of The Bachelor in 2019. She went on to season 6 of Bachelor in Paradise and briefly dated contestant John Paul Jones. The pair split in September 2019.
Crawley, for her part, first appeared on Juan Pablo Galavis‘ season 18 of The Bachelor, coming in second place. She went on to compete on two seasons of Bachelor in Paradise and one season of The Bachelor Winter Games. She was briefly engaged to Benoit Beauséjour-Savard but the pair split in April 2018.
Season 16 was expected to begin filming in March but was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Crawley’s original cast was announced in March, which featured some men much younger than the reality star. However, a new group was revealed in May — a mixture of some of the original men and some new men — and 20 are aged 30 or older.
Warner Bros. and ABC have declined to comment.
The Bachelorette is set to air Tuesdays this fall on ABC.
