The Bachelorette Season 16: A new take on hometown dates

The Bachelorette Season 16 is going to do hometown dates a bit differently this year.

The Bachelorette Season 16 is supposedly bringing hometown dates to the resort, in yet another twist to this very unique and unexpected season. Bachelor Nation guru Reality Steve has been keeping fans updated on the ins and outs of what is going on with this season, and one of his latest updates is regarding hometown dates.

We all know the way hometown dates usually work is the final four get to take the lead to their hometowns to meet their families and friends. It’s always the highlight of the season because it usually involves a disgruntled parent or sibling unwilling to give their blessing to the lead.

But for The Bachelorette Season 16, there is reportedly going to be a drastic shift in how they handle this part of the season. With all the COVID-19 safety concerns and precautions in place, production is apparently going to bring the hometown to our Bachelorette #2 for the season, Tayshia Adams.

Now, this isn’t officially reported by ABC or The Bachelorette Season 16 production, but when it comes to Reality Steve, we’re never really steered in the wrong direction. Of course, we’ll just have to wait until the season premieres and gets to this part of the journey to truly find out what will go down.

But let’s say hypothetically, this was confirmed news and is indeed how hometown dates are going down. It’s likely that anyone flying into Palm Springs will have to quarantine for a certain number of days and be tested for COVID-19. As for how long they would quarantine, I would assume two weeks, but given that Chris Harrison was supposed to do that amount of time after dropping his son off at college but has been seen around set recently–I’m not sure.

With family and/or friends coming in from different places, I think the safest bet would be to actually quarantine for two weeks, especially with how strict they’ve been up until now (well apart from Chris Harrison apparently).

How exactly hometown dates would work in this situation is unknown but I think it won’t differ all that much from what we usually see. The only thing that really changes is the location, but the drama, the tension, and the cringeworthy awkward conversations will still very much be a part of it.

I don’t know about all of you, but is it possible The Bachelorette Season 16 might wind up being our favorite? Between the Bachelorette switch from Clare Crawley to Tayshia Adams, the number of Bachelor Nation alums seen on set, and now these supposed “hometown” dates, it’s gearing up to be one heck of a wild ride.

Hometown dates will never be the same again.

What do you think of this approach to “hometown” dates? Yay or nay? Share your comments below!