It’s official! Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe will return as hosts for Season 18 of The Bachelorette.
The former franchise leads have formally signed on the dotted line to helm the upcoming season of the series, which will star Michelle Young. Along with Katie Thurston, Michelle was revealed to be the next star of The Bachelorette in the spring of this year on the heels of their appearance as contestants on Matt James’ season of The Bachelor.
Variety reported the confirmation of the news.
Tayshia and Kaitlyn took over as hosts of the reality dating series after Chris Harrison bowed out as host earlier this year. This followed his comments in regards to the treatment of then-Bachelor contestant Rachael Kirkconnell after photos of her attending a controversial frat party surfaced.
At the time of their hiring, it was uncertain if Chris would return to the series in a hosting capacity. It was revealed soon after that Harrison would not be returning after nearly 20 years of hosting and instead, struck a settlement deal.
Kaitlyn Bristowe and Tayshia Adams could host for the long haul
Variety reported that the women both have signed multi-year options with production claimed a source to the publication with knowledge of the situation. Reportedly, their deal is a normal one for any production company.
This ensures that the show has both the upper hand and flexibility when it comes to future contractual negotiations.
This may also indicate that a permanent replacement for Chris Harrison has not yet been determined.
What does this mean moving forward for the series of shows?
Kaitlyn and Tayshia’s spot as the series current hosts means that Bachelor Nation must come to a realization that despite their fervent wishes, Chris will not return to the series at all.
The women are already in quarantine along with Michelle, the production crew, and her suitors as they film the upcoming season of the ABC dating series.
This year is the first in franchise history that there have been two stars of The Bachelorette in one year. The normal schedule of the competition included one season of The Bachelor, one of Bachelor in Paradise, and one Bachelorette competition.
The new season of The Bachelor will air in early 2022. A star has not been announced of that season but there are clearly favorites from Katie Thurston’s season whose names circulated among fans. These included Michael Allio and Greg Grippo, both of whom gained huge fan followings.
The Bachelorette airs Mondays at 8/7c on ABC.