Clare Crawley was announced as The Bachelorette Monday on Good Morning America. Having first appeared on The Bachelor six years ago, her selection for the role is unconventional.
Clare first appeared on Juan Pablo Galavis’ season of The Bachelor, finishing as the runner-up and famously telling the soccer player on her way out, “I thought I knew what kind of man you were. What you just made me go through, I would never want my children having a father like you.” She returned for Bachelor in Paradise, season one and two, failing to find lasting love each time. Clare starred on Bachelor Winter Games and was engaged to Benoît Beauséjour-Savard, but they eventually broke up. On this season of The Bachelor, none of the women have stood out as likely choices to be The Bachelorette, leading some to posit that the franchise might reach into their deep rolodex of candidates from past seasons. Clare brings a much different vibe to what we have been seeing in the past few seasons of The Bachelor and Bachelorette.
It will be talked about ad nauseam from now until the premiere of The Bachelorette - and likely plenty during the airing of the show: Clare’s age. At 38, she is the oldest Bachelorette by quite a bit, shifting away from the recent trend of casting leads in their mid-20s. Fairly or unfairly, her age will be a constant talking point, like Colton Underwood’s virginity or Hannah Brown’s affinity for saying “Roll tide.”
It is, of course, nothing unusual for a woman in her upper 30s to be dating, even if The Bachelorette casts a ton of younger guys so that she seems like the outlier. To be sure, Clare did mention on GMA that she does prefer to date younger, even if she doesn’t have a specific type.
Clare should bring a level of maturity that has been lacking in past seasons, with the kind of no-nonsense attitude that Rachel Lindsay brought in her season. The show should respect her and leave the ill-intentioned men at home in lieu of guys who are ready for marriage. But then, there wouldn’t be a show. It will be delightful to watch Clare send guys home as soon as she figures out their heart isn’t in the right place. Likewise, it will be nice to see Clare finally find a partner that is worthy of her love.
Next: Peter Weber the Worst Bachelor… Or A Bad Group of Girls?
