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'The Bachelorette' Replaces Clare Crawley With Tayshia Adams: Everything We Know

'The Bachelorette' Replaces Clare Crawley With Tayshia Adams: Everything We Know

The Bachelorette is getting an unprecedented shakeup. The ABC reality show has cast a new lead for season 16, roughly two weeks into filming.

Clare Crawley, who was announced as the Bachelorette in early March (before production was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic), has been replaced with Tayshia Adams, ET has learned. As ET previously reported, Crawley's journey will "still be a part of" this season of the show. 

With still months before The Bachelorette is set to premiere this fall, ET is breaking down everything we know about what went down, and what fans can expect to see play out on screen. 

Why Clare Exited the Show 

Fans will have to tune in to watch what happens with Crawley and the contestants, but ET has learned that the 39-year-old did fall for one of her men, which is why her time with the show came to an end.

A source says, as fans have seen in recent seasons, "anything can happen" on a Bachelor franchise show. The source says Crawley did leave on good terms with producers, but how exactly the season will play out in its entirety is unclear, as filming is still underway. 

The news comes after Crawley appeared to return to social media on Sunday night, and liked a tweet about fan-favorite Adams becoming the Bachelorette. Crawley's account unliked the tweet shortly after 8 a.m. PT on Monday morning, but that -- combined with rumors over the weekend that Crawley had fallen in love with a contestant and Adams was currently quarantining at the show's base in Palm Springs, California -- was enough to catch fans' attention. Adams has not posted on social media since July 30. 

What's Going on With Filming and the Cast 

ET learned on July 14 that The Bachelorette was gearing up to start filming in Palm Springs, California, and that the cast and crew will be staying on the property for the duration of the season, to assure coronavirus precautions are being followed. The season -- which is filming at La Quinta Resort & Club -- went through another shakeup, as some of Crawley's contestants were recast. On July 15, ABC announced the 42 men who could have a chance at Crawley's heart.  

Of that list, 25 were new names and 17 stayed from the original contestant pool. There were 15 men that were cut from the original list, including, of course, Matt James, who was announced in June to be the next Bachelor. Crawley's new group of suitors range in age from 25 to 40 with the majority of the men in their 30s -- following calls from fans to see more age-appropriate men for Crawley, which host Chris Harrison supported. 

According to ET's source, filming on The Bachelorette is still underway amid the lead switch-up. "Filming did not stop, but Tayshia got a fresh start as the Bachelorette," the source shares. It is unclear if a new crop of contestants have been brought in to date Adams.

What Tayshia Said About Being the Bachelorette 

Adams, who was reportedly in the running to be the Bachelorette this cycle alongside Crawley and Tia Booth, told ET just days before Crawley's announcement that she'd love to get the gig.  

"I don't know if I can say yes or no!" Adams said with a laugh, when asked in late February if she'd had official conversations about being the Bachelorette. "I plead the fifth!"

"I have to say, anything that comes my way, I am ready for," she shared. "I am ready for love!"

Adams, a 29-year-old former phlebotomist from California's Orange County, entered Bachelor Nation on Colton Underwood's season of The Bachelor, and went on to appear on Bachelor in Paradise last summer. She connected with John Paul Jones on the show, and they pursued a relationship after filming, but announced their split last October. 

"Honestly, I don't know much about John at this moment, but I wish him the very best," Adams said. 

About four months after her breakup, Adams said she was ready to reenter the dating pool. "I am officially ready to date. I can't say I have been in the last couple of months because I've just been so busy working on myself, but just recently, I've started embracing the fact that there are guys out there that I'm kind of into," she told ET. "So, I think it's opened some doors for me."

"Now that I am a single woman and I am available to date really whomever I please, there are some attractive men in Bachelor Nation, but also outside of Bachelor Nation," she continued. "I'm honestly open to anything."

Adams added that she would be "honored" to be the Bachelorette, but was also open to trying to find love again on TV if it didn't work out this cycle. 

"No matter where life takes me, I am open to all opportunities, and I don't think that this is where my TV presence will end," she shared. "I would love to still interact with a lot of people in a beautiful way." 

See more on The Bachelorette in the video below. 

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