We’re almost fifteen seasons deep into The Bachelorette. With all that history in mind, the former leading ladies look back on how the series shaped them.
Can you believe that we’ve had enough seasons of The Bachelorette to merit a full on reunion?! Time really does fly by. The special reunion episode will air on ABC this Monday, May 6 at 8 p.m. ET. Before it does, though, several of the former leading ladies have spoken with Us Weekly about how the series affected their lives and what such a celebration feels like.
For many of the women, a return to the mansion felt like a trip down memory lane. There were several comments about how the sights and sounds took them back to a very specific, very emotional part of their lives. Desiree Hartsock, the Bachelorette from season 9, seemed to feel that the return to mansion grounds was a fun way to get back into the groove of the series.
"It feels like a different world and you hop right back into it. It’s so different form your daily life! I love seeing the producers and go right back into that — the repeats and run on sentences! it was great to have the ‘lights, camera, action’ going!"
Many of the women also commented on how unexpectedly intense the experience was. For many of the former leads, it has been years since they have seen the mansion or The Bachelorette crew. Kaitlyn Bristowe, the star of season 11, commented on the unique nature of such a reunion.
"It was more emotional than I thought it would be. There are only 15 of us in the world who can say we know what its like to be the Bachelorette and that’s pretty special."
I think my favorite comment, though, goes out to Ali Fedotowsky, the Bachelorette from season 6. It’s always fun to think of the competitors on the series being fans themselves, and Ali described exactly what we’ve always wanted to hear.
"I half felt I belonged standing with all the past Bachelorettes and half felt I belonged on the super fan bus! That’s exactly what I am: a super fan of the show!"
Be still our hearts! While this reunion is sure to pack in some of the usual fluffy ABC promotional stuff, we’re actually really looking forward to seeing all the women together and these comments are getting us even more jazzed. Here’s hoping that we get a really meaningful look back on so many incredible years of our favorite series. Here’s to fifteen more seasons!!