The Bachelorette Season 16: Clare Crawley’s season could change the franchise forever

The Bachelorette Season 16 may be the change this franchise needs.

The Bachelorette Season 16 is gearing up to begin production within the next few weeks after shutting down production amidst the coronavirus pandemic. The world has been waiting to see Clare Crawley take the world by storm, especially after we saw her fiery nature during Juan Pablo Galavis’ season.

Clare Crawley becoming the Bachelorette was a big game-changer for the franchise, and it’s likely sparked an era of big change. Change is something all the Bachelor Nation shows desperately need, and there is a lot of room for improvement–but we’re getting there!

Why is Clare Crawley’s season so important?

Well, the reason many folks were excited when she was announced to be the next Bachelorette was due to the fact that she’s 39 years old. It makes her the oldest lead that The Bachelorette has ever had. Besides former Bachelor lead, Byron Velvick, who was 40, there hasn’t ever been anyone in their late 30s.

Let’s look at some of the former Bachelor and Bachelorettes and how old they were when they became the lead–just to get perspective.

• Rachel Lindsay: 32, Season 13
• Hannah Brown: 24, Season 15
• Nick Viall: 36, Season 21
• Jesse Palmer: 25, Season 5

Starting to see why The Bachelorette Season 16 might be a bigger deal than we realize?

But what about the age of the contestants?

Now, this is an area that the franchise really, really needs to improve on, and Clare’s season could be their chance. By now, we would have seen her season already but since everything has been on hold, naturally, schedules shifted.

As a result, contestants were released from their contracts, free to go or come back when filming resumed. In the original batch of contestants from The Bachelorette Season 16, the ages ranged from 23 to 42.

While it would totally be acceptable if Clare hit it off with someone younger than her, it doesn’t make sense that a majority of them are at least 10+ years younger. In fact, according to E!, of the 32 men, five are 25, and seven are older than 30–out of the 21 announced.

With all the pressure to be diverse, the franchise can really use (or rather, I hope they have) this unexpected break to balance out contestants’ ages a little bit. I’m going to assume that not every original contestant is returning, so there should have definitely been some open spots, and also, Chris Harrison alluded to as much.

"The chances are, for everybody to be able to put their life on hold and come back again is very slim. So yeah, we are still casting, so if you have somebody you think is great for this beautiful woman right here."

It’s only fair that Clare gets a solid chance of finding the love of her life with a well-rounded group of guys to pick from. Look at Rachel Lindsay for example who was 32 when she became the lead. None of her contestants were younger than 26, so the widest age gap was 6 years, in terms of those that were younger than her.

Clare should definitely have the same privilege and age range to pick from, it’s the least she deserves!

There’s less of an ulterior motive

Usually, the lead for the next Bachelor is selected from the group of men from the current season of The Bachelorette. But things are different this time around considering the Bachelor franchise has already cast the next lead with Matt James–the franchise’s first Black Bachelor.

So, what I’m hoping is that the franchise, in general, realizes that this change may mean the guys coming onto Clare’s season will actually want to get to know her. They’re not vying for the spot to be the next lead. Sure., it could happen down the road, but presently, their sole focus and reason would be Clare.

I think that the franchise could take this as an opportunity to change things up when it comes to selecting the lead. Sure, we will love our drama, but wouldn’t it be nice if they could at least attempt to weed out the fame-hungry contestants?

Clare is older and wiser

Again, not saying the younger leads are not, but there is something to be said about Clare’s age and the wisdom and experience that comes with it. While most contestants and leads are a few years out of college, or even in college, Clare has some years under the belt.

She’s been in messy relationships, she’s worked, and she’s been through the wringer in more ways than one. I think that definitely brings a different vibe to a show like this and I think it’ll be fun to see how it changes The Bachelorette Season 16.

Also, Clare knows what she wants. She’s lived enough of her life to know what makes her content and allows her to be confident about what she’s looking for. While on Rachel Lindsay and Becca Kufrin’s podcast, “Bachelor Happy Hour”, Clare explained it very poetically–and I was so here for it.

"My best piece of advice I could say is I personally would rather be spending 20 years with the man of my dreams, being wholly loved for who I am, rather than 50, 60 years with the wrong man. And if it takes that much extra time, or if it takes an extra month or an extra year, no matter what age, let yourself be loved by the right person. Find that right person for you and don’t settle. A lot of people have said ‘you’re so picky.’ I’ve been told so many times to settle by my friends, and by other people too, and I would rather love myself enough by myself than be with the wrong person. Because trust me, I have been with the wrong person. I have been in those relationships, and they are exhausting, and they are draining, and they deplete and kind of take away from who you are, and I would rather spend a shorter amount of time with the right man who lifts me up and matches me in my energy, rather than a longer time with the wrong person."

Wow, talk about goals. She makes an incredible point here, and I love that this is the vibe she’s bringing to the series. Has anyone ever thought about it this way before? Especially on a show like this?

It will definitely be a season for the books because the conversations will look so different. The attitude will be different, the expectations will be different–basically, everything will be different. And I love that!

The Bachelorette Season 16 could change the franchise forever because it could transform from a show that often attracts the hopeful influencers to a show that is based solely on finding love. Of course, the age doesn’t have to be a factor here, but I do like the idea of slightly older contestants and leads coming in so we have a more realistic vibe to it.

Stay tuned to see how it all comes together this fall (we hope!).

A lot is riding on The Bachelorette Season 16, and I’m excited to see how it all comes together.

Are you feeling more excited about Clare Crawley’s season? I know I am!

What are your thoughts on The Bachelorette Season 16 being the driving force for change in this franchise? Tell us what you’re thinking below!