Image source: ABC
I’m not a gamble type, but if I were, I would be putting money on Clare Crawley being among the best choices to have ever led The Bachelorette. Monday, the alum of the Bachelor franchise appeared on Hello america for the big announcement, which marks a fun change for the next show consecutively bachelorette prospects who came out directly from The single person. Unlike them, Clare is a veteran. She appeared on three different license shows – and for good reason. She is kind, passionate, open and not afraid of becoming emotional. In other words, she makes excellent television.
Oh, and she’s in her late thirties, but I’ll come back to that later.
Clare first appeared on our TV screens in 2014, when she was the “finalist”, so to speak, on Juan Pablo’s season of The single person. The way she told Juan Pablo when she was released was – how to say that? – iconic. I watched each season of this series from 2002, when I was 15, and it’s a moment that I would put in The single person Hall of fame. Please watch the scene and enjoy:
You know what I mean? Passionate.
It’s important to note that Juan Pablo’s breakup happened almost six years ago, and since then Clare has also appeared on Bachelor in paradise and License winter games, the latter having led to a commitment for her in 2018. Clare’s relationship with Benoit Beauséjour-Savard may not have lasted, but the fact is that she already found love on television. She knows exactly how this show works, she believes in the “process” and she is not afraid to become real in the hope of finding a relationship that could last in the world beyond the show.
In fact, Clare joined the franchise for the first time when the show (and “Bachelor Nation”) was very different. The influence of social media – and how off-screen drama impacted on-screen drama – was in its infancy, and bringing Clare back is a nod to the roots of the franchise in a way fun for longtime fans.
It is now that I will also mention the age factor, which dominated the headlines of its cast. Clare is 38 years old, which makes her the oldest Bachelorette in the history of the series. ABC heard our calls to the elderly Bachelor candidates, and while it is likely that most of the men for the Clare season have already been chosen, there is a good chance that we will see people with slightly more life experience who know what they are are looking for and how a relationship could fit into their lives.
For his part, Clare said GMA, “It’s more years under my belt; more to learn what I want, what I don’t want and what I won’t settle for. I wonder more if they’re ready for me, for my age.”
I think I speak for a lot of viewers when I say: Claire, we’re ready. I only have one last request from producers. Let’s not go too far on raccoon jokes, OK? I’ll give you one. But just one.
