'The Bachelorette' Season 16 Star Reportedly Revealed as 'Bachelor' Alum Clare Crawley

A new rumor suggests that the titular bachelorette of The Bachelorette Season 16 will be Clare Crawley. The news is still not officially confirmed, yet it is making waves in the Bachelor nation fandom. The official casting announcement is expected on Monday.

Fans have been wondering who ABC will cast as The Bachelorette this year, and now they may have an answer. On Thursday, reality TV commentator Reality Steve shared a popular rumor from Facebook, indicating that Crawley had been selected. It suggested that even Crawley herself did not know for sure yet.

"TEA! CLARE CRAWLEY IS OFFICIALLY GOING TO BE THE BACHELORETTE!" the post read. "They're going to surprise her with the news on [The] Ellen Show next week and they start filming in 2 weeks. Production is freaking out about Coronavirus and changing a lot of the international destinations last minute because of the risk."

For those that didn’t see, this was the rumor that was posted on a FB Fan Page last night. I have no idea who this person is, why they’re reporting it, or if it’s even true. This was the first I’d heard of it. Guess we’ll see. pic.twitter.com/EJyteyN2JZ

— RealitySteve (@RealitySteve) February 27, 2020

The post ended with a note that Crawley is bringing her dog along to the production, so the show is currently looking for someone to help care for the pet on set.

Crawley first entered the Bachelor franchise in 2014, when she was one of the women vying for Juan Pablo Galavis. She did not make it to the end of that season, but she did earn a spot on the first season of Bachelor in Paradise, which aired not long after. She then returned to Bachelor in Paradise again, followed by an appearance on The Bachelor Winter Games.

Crawley has a relatively lower profile than some other players in the Bachelor sphere, yet some are saying she is a good choice. The franchise has dealt with an ever-heightening level of drama that many viewers relate directly to the young age and "immaturity" of the contestants. Refinery 29 reporter Ineye Komonibo argues that Clare Crawley is the cure for that curse.

At 38 years old, Crawley has more maturity and experience with her love life than many of the competitors in recent seasons. Add to that her history on the show, which appears to indicate a genuine interest in romantic connection and a healthy monogamous relationship.

Crawley was even engaged once before, getting serious with Benoit Beauséjour-Savard on Bachelor Winter Games. The couple broke up after the season ended, but that does not mean that Crawley is not interested in serious relationships.

Reality Steve made a Twitter thread taking this view as well. He compared Crawley to the infamous Season 17 Bachelor Arie Luyendyk Jr.

Arie came out of nowhere. He hadn’t even been on Bachelor programming for 5 years. It’s only been 2 for Clare since Winter Games. And Clare has had chances, just like Nick did multiple times, that for whatever reason didn’t work. Would it still surprise me? Absolutely.

— RealitySteve (@RealitySteve) February 27, 2020

"Arie came out of nowhere. He hadn't even been on Bachelor programming for 5 years. It's only been 2 for Clare since Winter Games. And Clare has had chances, just like Nick did multiple times, that for whatever reason didn't work. Would it still surprise me? Absolutely," he wrote.

The official casting announcement for The Bachelorette Season 16 is expected on Monday.