Before the lead of The Bachelorette was given to Clare Crawley, Tayshia Adams was considered. Here's why she should have been cast from the start.
Due to the state of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Bachelorette was one of many shows that had to put a hold on production for a few months. Once it was safe, The Bachelorette started filming in July with Clare Crawley, but something would later happen that has never happened in the history of the show.
It is alleged that Crawley fell in love with one of her suitors two weeks into filming, a first for the show. According to People, the producers had to find a new lead, and fast, so they chose Tayshia Adams, the third place finisher on Colton Underwood's season of The Bachelor. This is not the first time that the show has had two bachelorettes, but this is the first time that a lead had to be replaced mid-season.
What some fans of the show may not know is that Tayshia was one of the women considered for the role of the bachelorette before Clare was announced as the lead of the 16th season. Tayshia was considered for the role along with Tia Booth and Kendall Long from The Bachelor (Season 22), Katie Morton from the 23rd season, previous Bachelorette Hannah Brown, and Season 24's Kelsey Weier. Ultimately, Clare was announced as the lead, but here are a few reasons why Tayshia would have been a better pick as the lead from the start.
When Tayshia was first introduced on the 23rd season of The Bachelor, she instantly grew a strong connection with Colton. During her time in the competition, she became a fan favorite due to her strong ability to make meaningful connections and her bubbly personality. Ultimately, although she made it to the finale episode, Colton said goodbye to Tayshia, along with fellow finalist Hannah Goodwin, to try and win back Cassie Randolph, who had previously quit the competition the night before.
After her time on the Bachelor, Tayshia went on to appear on the sixth season of Bachelor In Paradise. During her time on BIP, she began a relationship with John Paul Johns from Hannah Brown's season of The Bachelorette. The pair continued their relationship in paradise, but during week six of the competition, they decided to end their relationship and leave paradise single. Despite this, during the finale, Tayshia said that she regretted the decision that she made and that she flew out to Maryland to try and win JPJ back. It was then revealed that the pair decided to give their relationship another try and began dating. The pair continued dating for a few months after BIP but called it quits after a few months together.
Despite being a lead on this season of The Bachelorette, Tayshia was brought in as a replacement. Since Rachel Lindsay has been the only Black lead in the history of The Bachelorette, viewers have wanted to see another black woman handing out roses. For years, The Bachelor/Bachelorette has faced criticism due to viewers believing it has a lack of ethnic and cultural diversity. The show finally decided to do something about the criticism they have faced by casting Lindsay as The Bachelorette for its 13th season in 2017 and Matt James, the first black male in the lead, as The Bachelor for the upcoming season to premiere in 2021. However, casting Tayshia and Matt amidst the increasing popularity of the Black Lives Matter movement seems like a calculated move rather than a genuine one. It shouldn't have taken twisting the producers' arms to get a Black lead in the cast. Rather, Tayshia should have been chosen over Clare originally in a legitimate attempt to diversify, instead of being siphoned in as a second-choice token just to appease critical fans.
These are just a few of the many reasons that Tayshia should have been cast as the lead from the start. It is unclear when she will be replacing Clare as The Bachelorette when the show returns on Tuesday, October 13th, but one thing for certain is that this does seem to be the most dramatic season ever.
Source: People
