‘The Bachelorette’ Season 16: Everything We Know
Clare Crawley could have been engaged by now.
ABC named the 39-year-old hairdresser the 16th Bachelorette in March. Less than a month later, the network was forced to postpone production due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“With the rapidly changing events related to COVID-19, and out of an abundance of caution, Warner Bros. Television Group is halting production on some of our 70-plus series and pilots currently filming or about to begin,” Warner Bros. Television Group told Us Weekly in a statement on March 13. “There have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 on any of our productions, but the health and safety of our employees, casts and crews remains our top priority. During this time, we will continue to follow the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control as well as local officials and public health professionals in each city where our productions are based.”
The news came just hours before cameras were set to start rolling at the Los Angeles mansion.
“Well hello! Talk about most dramatic season ever!” Clare wrote via Instagram at the time. “In all seriousness, Everyone’s health is the most important priority at this time, and as I’m sure you’ve heard, we are pressing pause for now on filming The Bachelorette. 
We are taking it day by day and even hour by hour as this is so unpredictable.”
She added: “All I know for sure is that my heart is so full from all the love and support this far, and am still so excited for my journey to begin! I’ve waited 38 years for these moments, what’s a little bit longer, right! 
xoxo.”
Fans first met Clare on Juan Pablo Galavis’ The Bachelor. The season 18 runner-up went on to appear on Bachelor in Paradise seasons 1 and 2 and Bachelor Winter Games. While she got engaged to Benoit Beauséjour-Savard during the February 2018 finale of Bachelor Winter Games, they split two months later.
Scroll through for everything we know about Clare’s season, including a potential start date:
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"I found out maybe two hours ago actually when I’ll be going down and the final day that I’m leaving so it’s very, very soon," Crawley revealed on the "Bachelor Happy Hour" podcast on June 23.
Days later, Variety reported that the cast and crew will be sequestered ahead of time and the entire show will be filmed from one quarantined location.
Paula Lobo/ABC
Clare’s season will film at La Quinta Resort & Club in La Quinta, California. The resort features 41 pools, 53 hot spas, 23 tennis courts, five golf courses, seven restaurants and 796 guest rooms. The resort is set to reopen publicly in September.
She arrived at the resort in July.
ABC/Paula Lobo
ABC announced their fall schedule in June 2020, revealing that The Bachelorette will air at 8 p.m. on Tuesdays, rather than the usual Monday slot.
ABC/John Fleenor
ABC announced Clare’s contestants on March 11. While some fans assumed the cast would be made up of older men as Clare turned 39 in March, more than half of the original suitors are in their twenties.
“I feel like a lot of people put [age] out there as this negative thing, but for me, it just is more years under my belt, more learning and knowing what I want, what I don’t want and what I won’t settle for,” Clare said on Good Morning America in March.
RealitySteve reported in July 2020 that 13 of the original suitors, including Matt, would no longer compete for Clare’s heart.
ABC (3)
During commercial breaks of The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart, which ran for for six episodes in late April and May, ABC called for more applications for Clare’s season. The reality star also suggested men still apply.
“I feel like since we have a break in the show right now, I don’t think it’s too late to submit people,” she told her followers via Instagram Live. “So, submit them, why not? What’s the worst that could happen?”
Host Chris Harrison agreed.
“Obviously with this virus who knows when this thing is going to blow through. The idea that everybody is going to be able to take off work and do this again, probably very slim,” he said via his own Instagram Live.
Stewart Cook/ABC
Tyler Cameron’s best friend was part of ABC’s initial season 16 cast. He made headlines in April when Clare tweeted, “If you are doing interviews and creating Cameo accounts before you are even on my season… you are in it for the wrong reasons… #dontwasteyourtime.”
While Clare didn’t name names, Matt is part of a Cameo campaign to raise money for The Robin Hood Foundation, a nonprofit that fights poverty in New York City. ABC has yet to confirm that Matt is still set to compete for Clare’s heart, but according to Tyler, he’s all in.
“We’re in tough times right now. There are no rules to anything that we’re doing right now. So it’s kind of hard, but I totally hear her and we all kind of know who pointed at what,” Tyler told Us. “I think when this all comes to an end and everyone’s able to talk like adults and hash things out, I think there’s great things to come out of it. So it’s fine. It’s all water under the bridge now. … Matt’s an incredible person. His laugh and smile is super contagious. I just told him to be Matt. There’s no need to be anyone else. Be Matt and have fun. Focus on building that relationship and just enjoy the experience.”
In June, however, ABC announced Matt would be the next Bachelor instead of competing on Clare’s season. The season 25 star will be the first black man to be the lead in Bachelor history.
“Matt has been on our radar since February, when producers first approached him to join Bachelor Nation, as part of Clare’s season. When filming couldn’t move forward as planned, we were given the benefit of time to get to know Matt and all agreed he would make a perfect Bachelor,” ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke said in a statement. “We know we have a responsibility to make sure the love stories we’re seeing onscreen are representative of the world we live in and we are proudly in service to our audience. This is just the beginning and we will continue to take action with regard to diversity issues on this franchise.”
ABC/Paula Lobo; Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock
“They’re scoping out multiple different resorts to see if it’s possible to film the entire season in one location,” an insider told Us in April. “The show has discussed filming the season without the usual travel.”
According to Variety, hometown dates are still up in the air. The outlet also notes that contestants and crew members will be tested for COVID-19 before filming and quarantined on location.
ROGER WONG/INSTARimages.com
ABC exec Robert Mills told Variety in April that they are hoping to film Clare’s season during the summer and turn it around for a fall premiere date. “If I’m being realistic, it would probably be mid-summer that we start,” he explained, noting that Bachelor and Bachelorette production are top priority over season 7 of Bachelor in Paradise, which typically films in Mexico.
After announcing Matt was the new Bachelor, ABC confirmed Clare’s season is expected to air in the fall.
ABC/Kelsey McNeal
When ABC announced the group of Clare’s 42 potential suitors on July 16, 25 of them were new names, while 17 were from the original cast announcement earlier this year. Fans were quick to notice a big difference from the original group of men, however — of the 25 new men who were added, 20 of them are 30 years old or over.
ABC
Before filming began in mid-July, Clare penned an inspiring message to herself. “Dear self- I want to thank you,” the 39-year-old captioned a photo of herself in workout attire while looking outside on July 7. “You walked on so many difficult journeys these past few years. You fought battles- with those who love you, and with those whom you love. You were let down time and time again, but you didn’t let it shatter your faith in relationships, in love. You’ve had to prove your worth to those unworthy and you were broken – more than words can explain but you have been reborn.”
She continued, “You found your true self and changed the meaning of your life – turning it into something beautiful, into something worth living! So, I want to say that I’m proud of you. I know how hard it has been. I cannot thank you enough for taking care of me. I promise that I will continue to take care of you too. Just keeping strong. For me. Keep going. Keep on fighting. You know you can do this. – Ruby Dahl.”
Courtesy of Clare Crawley/Instagram
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