The most recent season of The Bachelor starring Matt James shook up the franchise as a whole in a major way due to the chain of events that resulted in longtime host Chris Harrison being fired, and a big question in the aftermath was who Bachelor Nation would choose to replace him. Former Bachelorettes and fan-favorites Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe have been sharing the hosting duties in the current Season 17 of The Bachelorette, and the latest reveal about their time as hosts raises the question: should Bachelor Nation keep them for The Bachelor?
Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe will officially return as co-hosts for Season 18 of The Bachelorette, according to Variety. Season 18 will center on Michelle Young, who like current Bachelorette Katie Thurston was a contestant on Matt James' divisive season of The Bachelor. In a departure from the normal release schedule, however, the next season of Bachelor in Paradise will not be followed by the next season of The Bachelor, but rather Young's season of The Bachelorette. So, it seems that a decision has not yet been made about who will host The Bachelor when it returns in 2022.
The two former Bachelorettes have clearly done well enough (and been received well enough by the passionate fanbase) as hosts of Katie Thurston's season of The Bachelorette despite a drop in the ratings, but does that mean that they're shoo-ins for the next season of The Bachelor? It's worth noting that neither will be hosting Bachelor in Paradise Season 7, which premieres in just a couple of weeks, even though Adams herself was a memorable contestant before starring in the second half of The Bachelorette Season 16. Instead, Bachelor Nation elected to bring in a number of guest hosts to fill the spot held by Chris Harrison in every previous season.
Of course, the news of Bachelor in Paradise getting guest hosts broke before Katie Thurston's season of The Bachelorette premiered and introduced viewers to Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe as hosts, so Adams and Bristowe being contracted for Michelle Young's season indicates that they could have a long future as Bachelor Nation hosts. Their new contracts include multi-year options, and production on The Bachelorette's new season has reportedly just started production with Adams and Bristowe (as well as Young, the cast, and crew) quarantining for about a week.
Despite the seeming level of success that resulted in both women being signed for the next season of The Bachelorette, there's no guarantee that they'll be back for The Bachelor. Part of why I've appreciated them so much as Katie Thurston's hosts is the same reason why I have my doubts about them guiding the love journey of whichever of the ousted gents from Thurston or Michelle Young gets to distribute roses next. Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe made sense as former Bachelorettes guiding the current Bachelorette along, as well as relating their experiences as women in the franchise. I could see Bachelor Nation going for a former Bachelor as the next Bachelor host rather than Adams or Bristowe.
There are certainly some fan-favorite Bachelors, like Nick Viall and Ben Higgins, although I think it would be safe to rule out former leading men like Colton Underwood and Juan Pablo Galavis. It's also possible that Bachelor Nation simply isn't ready to hand over the reins of the franchise to permanent hosts just yet. Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe have proven that they can handle The Bachelorette, and a new format will be implemented for Bachelor in Paradise. At this point, I'm leaning toward expecting a former Bachelor to step up as host for the first season of The Bachelor without Chris Harrison in 2022 as a trial run.
For now, you can look forward to the final episodes of Katie Thurston's season of The Bachelorette on ABC Mondays starting at 8 p.m. ET. The recent "Men Tell All" special was as dramatic as could be expected, including some redemption for Connor Brennan after gaining a reputation for being a bad kisser courtesy of Thurston. As for who she picks at the end of the season... well, those who are not spoiled about who gets the final rose will just have to keep watching to find out.
