As “The Secret Wives of Mormon Wives” star Taylor Frankie Paul gets ready to hand out red roses on the newest season of “The Bachelorette,” she’s also getting some help from former Bachelorette leads.
A week before her season 22 airs on ABC on March 22, the network will air the special, “The Bachelorette: Before the First Rose,” where Paul will get much-needed advice from 19 former “Bachelorette” stars, including Kaitlyn Bristowe and Charity Lawson, “The Golden Bachelorette” Joan Vassos, and the first-ever “Bachelorette,” Trista Sutter, to name a few.
However, six former leads were not present for the special, including Clare Crawley, best remembered for her controversial early exit from her season.
Clare Crawley Shares Why She Skipped Getting Together With Her ‘Bachelorette’ Alums
GettyClare Crawley was among six former “Bachelorette” stars not present for the taping of the ABC special “The Bachelorette: Before the First Rose,” which brought together 18 former leads to sit down and chat with the newest “Bachelorette,” Taylor Frankie Paul, before she begins her journey to find love.
According to Us Weekly, Crawley participated in a fan Q&A on Instagram where she was asked why she was not pictured amongst the other former “Bachelorette” stars starring in the special.
“I was super sick,” Crawley shared, adding, “The producers asked me to come, and I thought about it since it would be nice to see all the ladies. BUT then they started asking me to rehash things from 6 years ago. Hard pass.”
Crawley’s season 16 of “The Bachelorette” was highly controversial. Just two weeks into the show, she and contestant Dale Moss admitted they had fallen in love, with Moss proposing to her. Due to her early exit, she was replaced by Tayshia Adams. After an on-again, off-again relationship, Crawley and Moss ultimately called it quits in September 2021.
The Former ‘Bachelorette’ Leads Not Present For ‘The Bachelorette: Before the First Rose’
Besides Crawley being unable to attend the ABC special — as she wanted no part of rehashing her time on the show (which is completely understandable)— several other former “Bachelorettes” were also absent, including Jen Schefft (season 3), Jillian Harris (season 5), Michelle Young (season 18), Gabby Windey (season 19) and Jenn Tran (season 21).
However, those who did come to support Paul appeared to have quite a fun time meeting each other and sharing their “Bachelorette” stories.
Joan Vassos, the first ever “The Golden Bachelorette,” shared (via Us Weekly), “It was crazy. It was like, ‘Oh my God.’ I feel like I know them, like, I’ve watched all their seasons, but never met so many of them in person. I’m hopeful for Taylor. She is a genuinely nice human who is unapologetically herself.”
She added, “You have this group of people that have done this weird thing that you’ve done. It’s a unique group.”
Before “The Bachelorette” season 22 airs on March 22, fans should tune in to “The Bachelorette: Before the First Rose” on March 15 to not only get to see 18 former leads all together in one room, but also get a sneak peek of Taylor’s season.
