Attention–this is not a drill! The next Bachelorette is…

And the next Bachelorette is…

The Bachelorette has officially announced the next leading lady as of this morning. The big reveal came on Good Morning America and it’s a face that Bachelor Nation has seen many times before. Who is it, you ask?

CLARE CRAWLEY, that’s who!

For those of you who recently joined the Bachelor Nation family or perhaps forgot who Clare Crawley is, she’s been a part of the franchise for quite some time. Some will remember her from Juan Pablo’s season on The Bachelor back in season 18 (can’t forget that fake baby bump!).

She was also in seasons 1 and 2 of Bachelor in Paradise, and eventually got engaged during Bachelor’s Winter Games to Benoit, from Canada’s The Bachelorette. Obviously, things did not work out there–which brings us to the present.

Fans of Bachelor Nation are very excited about the fact that Crawley is 38 years old, and not the typical low to mid 20s contestant we’ve seen in recent years. I think this is going to be a great change for the series because as we’ve seen from Peter Weber’s season, dealing with immature leads and/or contestants is not always fun.

Having said that, Reality Steve has reported that the ages of the potential contestants for Crawley’s season range from 23 to 40, so we’ll have to see how that plays out. I wish they’d just keep it consistent and have the contestants be more age-appropriate. I have nothing against the age differences, but I think it would be nice to see a more mature version of the show. What do you guys think?

The 38-year old Crawley works as a hairstylist in Sacramento and is the owner of two dogs, and is one of six sisters in her family. Contestants meeting the family will definitely be interesting, to say the least. Six women bombarding the men vying for Crawley’s love–I can’t wait to see that!

This marks the fifth time Crawley will go looking for love on a Bachelor Nation show, so here’s to hoping all the wrongs Pablo put her through are negated by the men that will join this season’s Bachelorette.

"A lot of people have seen that side of me that stood up to Juan Pablo and is like, ‘Don’t mess with me,’ and I am that strong woman still. But what even more so is added to that is, like I said, taking off that armor and actually saying, I’m strong enough to let somebody in, to be vulnerable and open up and share that with them."

We’re ready to see where this season takes Crawley, and wish her well on the journey towards finding love!

What do you think about Clare Crawley as the new Bachelorette? Share your thoughts below!