Did Kaitlyn Bristowe and Tayshia Adams save The Bachelorette after Chris Harrison’s abrupt departure from the franchise and subsequent firing?
The former series stars stepped in to fill the hole left by Harrison after he removed himself from any further involvement with The Bachelor franchise on the heels of defending former contestant Rachael Kirkconnell regarding her participation in racist imagery while in college.
In a new interview, the women discussed what they believe they can bring to the show and their reaction to news of Harrison being given a final rose by ABC.
“I know that we are a huge step for the franchise,” Adams said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “There are so many steps that are being taken to change the franchise right now, but this was something that I wanted to definitely be a part of. If I can help change the franchise in any way or change peoples’ perspectives on the show, then I wanted a part of that.”
Bristowe appeared to agree with her co-host.
“Tayshia and I both came into it saying, ‘We want to be a part of the change.’ We wanted to see it in every way possible and I think we were both really pleased in what we saw,” she remarked.
‘We are not Chris Harrison’
Bristowe and Adams noted that if longtime fans of the show are looking for them to act in the same way as Harrison, they will be in for a surprise.
“We are not Chris Harrison. We are Tayshia and Kaitlyn who have been in the position of a Bachelorette; we’ve been a contestant, we can relate to everybody who is living through this journey,” said Bristowe.
Adams concurred, “We’ve been in her shoes. Not many women or people in the world can actually say that, and us providing that perspective for her is something you are definitely going to see in the conversations throughout the season. It made sense for two women to help navigate another woman going through this journey.”
Will they return for the second installment of The Bachelorette this fall?
It has not yet been announced if the women will return to the franchise for the second installment of The Bachelorette this fall which will star Michelle Young, who, like Thurston, was a contestant on Season 25 of The Bachelor.
They played coy on whether or not they will help Young through her journey for love.
“I think people really enjoyed this refreshing season and what women can bring to the table when it comes to empowering one another, and I think people at home really like to see that. We’d love to be a part of it. And even if it’s not us, we would love to see women involved,” said Bristowe.
Adams agreed: “If it’s not us, we would love to see women involved. I think Katie has even spoken to the fact that it really helped her and encouraged her. It’s a very different experience.”
The Bachelorette airs Mondays at 8/7c on ABC.