Photo by Harper Sunday on Unsplash

If there’s a franchise that knows how to reinvent itself time and time again, it’s The Bachelor. Somehow, they’ve managed to stay relevant for 2 decades. Sure – that means they had to dip their toes into adding contestants searching for more Instagram followers than love but hey, gotta do what ya gotta do. We respect the hustle plus would we have gotten #champagnegate otherwise?

The answer is no, mkay. We love thirsty Instagram models vying for love. It’s been entertaining the past couple of season but let’s be real the show has gotten away from its original premise. Bachelor nation feels it. The producers feel it. It’s a resounding theme felt across the nation.

How do I know this? Well, I ‘m glad you asked. As I talk to my friends about the show, I realized I’ve actually been consuming Bachelor content for a very long time. Like, most people started watching in 2017 during Rachel Lindsey’s season. But ya girl has been rocking with The Bachelor for a hot minute. Probably, like 2012,  when floppy-haired Ben Flajnik graced our screen and fell for this season’s villain, Courtney Robertson.

Anyways, I know a lot of new Bachelor converts have no idea what I’m talking about so I’ll move on. I’ve watched every season since. And I didn’t realize how uncommon that was for my generation but like, I guess I love the Bachelor. I rock with them through the ups and downs and I’m obsessed with rooting for love.

With that being said, I’ve watched as the show has turned into a competition for followers instead of finding your person. And I have to say I’ve enjoyed the extra drama but I have missed the Instagramless Bachelor. Where contestants had depth and actually knew what they wanted out of life instead of barely being old enough to remember Etch-Sketch. 

I think this is a resounding feeling and the producers understand how we feel and are making a change by naming Clare Crawley as the next Bachelorette!

*CRICKETS

Yeah, that’s what I heard in my group text when I announced the news to my friends. They had literally no idea who this chick was and did not care about watching her season. But I care and I’m gonna give you 4 reasons why you should too:

1. The Girl has been through it

So, Clare joined Bachelor Nation during Juan Pablo’s season. He put her through the wringer and while he tried to convince us all that “es ok” it most certainly not ok when she ended up as runner up back in 2014. If you don’t know anything about Juan Pablo, the guy was a jerk and made an offensive sexual comment to Clare during their one-on-one date, among other things.

But good for her because even though she was blindsided when he dumped her for Nikki Ferrell she said, “I would never want my children having a father like you.”

BOOM. MIC DROP!

The girl was on 2 seasons of Bachelor in Paradise and even went on Bachelor Winter Games to find love. And she did. Well, kind of. Clare got engaged to Benoit, a contestant from the Bachelorette in Canada during her stint on WInter Games. It was a big mess. Like, wishful thinking on his end and politeness on hers. It wasn’t a good fit.

2. She’s age-appropriate

I want to say Clare was 32 when she made her first appearance on the show. Now, she’s 38, and if we’re being honest, biological clocks are real and I know this girl is ready to settle down with her person and start a family.

3. It’s her time!

The girl has never been in this thing for fame. She’s always come across as a wholesome woman just looking for her person. I definitely think she will find love this time around. Plus anyone that’s been on The Bachelor going on 5 times deserves a happy ending, amiright?!

4. She Knows What She Wants

Aren’t you ready to get the complete opposite of Peter’s season? Yes, it was entertaining and I know we don’t know the ending but come on, he’s not ending up with any of these women long term. Clare knows exactly how this process works and she’s going to know all the right questions to ask in order to find her guy. I think we will actually she a journey of finding love instead of a journey of finding the next brand deal.

Give me your thoughts on Clare as The Bachelorette in the comments. Did I change your mind or are you still on the fence?