In a time where so many things have been cancelled, The Bachelorette’s 16th season has proven immune to COVID-19, but not to the egos and drama of bachelorette Clare Crawley and her 31 male co-stars. Only 2 episodes have premiered so far, so there’s still plenty of time to catch up and join Bachelor nation Tuesday nights at 8 P.M. Here’s what you’ve missed so far!
This season will look a little bit different…
If you’ve been watching for the exotic destinations and romantic European getaways, you might want to skip this season. All filming is taking place in an isolated “bubble” at a Palm Springs resort to allow the show to film while eliminating any risk of COVID-19 exposure to the cast or crew. All cast members were quarantined and tested thoroughly prior to the start of filming. 31 men acting like they’re the only ones experiencing the loneliness of quarantine and uncomfortable nasal testing is truly entertaining.
The senior bachelorette…
We first met 39-year-old Clare during Juan Pablo’s season of The Bachelor. She later appeared on seasons 1 and 2 of Bachelor in Paradise. When she’s not looking for love on national television, Clare works as a hairstylist in Sacramento, CA. She brought her 2 dogs with her to the Bachelorette bubble. She is the oldest bachelorette to appear on the show. In the first few episodes, Clare opened up about her father’s death in 2004 and the DVD he recorded for her and her future husband to watch together. She revealed that she has not yet seen the video. Clare also opened up about her mother’s struggle with Alzheimer’s and dementia.
The men…
Like in past seasons, there’s a LOT of men to keep track of. Here are the men who have captured Clare’s attention–and ours!
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Jason – This former pro football player scored the first one-on-one date with Clare during episode 2. The couple took to the woods for an intense, emotional night of opening up and supposedly letting go of the past. Jason first caught Clare’s attention with a big smile and even bigger presence, which is why a subdued night of vulnerability seemed sort of out of character. Jason called it “the scariest night of his life”. There was some therapeutic scream time, letters to their younger selves, and the symbolic burning of the dress Clare wore during Juan Pablo’s season. We also learned about some of Jason’s past family trauma, but he hasn’t revealed the details…yet.
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Riley –During their “quality time” Riley took Clare on a prom-style date, complete with cute and cringy high-school dancing. While they danced, she told him what she was looking for in a husband. He interrupted her with an adorable kiss and was later rewarded with the group date rose.
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Yosef – Not all the gentlemen are so taken with Clare. Yosef has been caught up in the drama since night one with Tyler C., then again on his group date when Clare addressed her disappointment with the men for not trying to talk to her or pull her aside. Yosef dismissed her demand for attention while the other men quickly apologized. He wasn’t on the dodgeball group date but said that her strip-dodgeball theme was “classless” and told the men he was going to address some of the “red flags” he had noticed. Trailers for next week hint that that conversation may not go very well.
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AJ – We have to give a shout-out to AJ, the contestant who apparently squeezed out his first date jitters on Clare’s hands. He told Clare that he is somewhat notorious for giving off “terrible first impressions”. After he left, Clare commented that it “looks like a Jack Russell took a bite out of it” as she modeled her reddened fingers for the camera. AJ was sent home later that night.
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Dale – “I definitely feel like I just met my husband. I’m shaking,” Clare said just seconds after meeting Dale. Their instant connection won him the first impression rose and a whole lot of camera time. During the 1st group date, where the cast explored the different love languages, Dale and Clare’s “physical touch” segment featured some pretty obvious chemistry. So far, Dale has steered clear of any drama with the other guys, but trailers for future episodes hint at some definite jealousy of Clare’s favoritism for Dale.
DM’s and drama…
Let’s talk about the real reason we tune in year after year. We love watching some good old-fashioned petty drama unfold on national TV. The first fight of the season was between Tyler C., the southern gentleman from West Virginia who made his grand entrance in a retro station wagon, and Yosef, the 30-year-old medical device salesman and father from Daphne, AL. Tyler accused Yosef of sending flirty DMs to girls during quarantine prior to coming on the show, his source being a mutual friend and the recipient of those messages. Yosef denied it in a private conversation with Tyler before bringing it to Clare’s attention. Clare immediately addressed the situation with both men and surprised everyone by keeping Yosef on the show and sending Tyler home on night one.
Dodgeballs and drama…
The second group date turned out to be pretty revealing, in more ways than one. After Clare changed the men’s dodgeball game into strip-dodgeball, the losing team was sent home, pants in hand, while the winning team moved on to a cocktail party and additional face time with Clare. This upset Blake Moynes, who had been on the losing team. Blake interrupted the afterparty to show Clare his commitment but was confronted by the winning team. Clare asked him to leave the party and rejected his goodnight kiss, but pulled him aside before the rose ceremony to give him a pre-ceremony rose, telling him “I don’t want you to worry.”
You can follow Clare’s journey to find love every Tuesday at 8 P.M. on ABC.