The premiere was FINALLY here -- and it was full of Dale, drama and a big Tayshia tease.
Clare Crawley's season of The Bachelorette is finally here! Host Chris Harrison promised the hairstylist's season of the ABC dating show is "worth the wait" -- and fans finally got to judge for themselves on Tuesday night.
Filming on Clare's season was postponed in March amid the coronavirus outbreak, and picked back up again four months later, in July. It was a long time for the Sacramento native to wait to find her husband -- and it seems she didn't waste any time when the cast and crew got the go-ahead.
Clare declared "I definitely just met my husband" after coming face to face with one of her contestants, Dale Moss, on Night One. The Bachelorette shared a few kisses with other men during the premiere, but the FIRE promo at the end of the episode teased it'll likely be the Clare-and-Dale show... with a potentially bumpy ending.
Men questioned Dale's intentions, but Clare gushed over her feelings for him -- and then the promo ended by teasing the Bachelorette switch-up we've been waiting for since August.
ET learned on Aug. 3 that Clare exited her role as Bachelorette roughly two weeks into filming, after falling for one of her men. Tayshia Adams was brought in as a new lead.
How does it all play out? We'll find out together. ET was live blogging Tuesday's season premiere, and we'll be doing so every episode after that. Scroll down for minute-by-minute updates.
Ready for Next Week
Clare and Chris try to clean up the knight's armor as the credits roll, but we are too distracted thinking about Tayshia popping out of that limo. WE ARE READY FOR NEXT WEEK!
The Greatest Promo There Ever Was
We've made it to the end of the episode -- and the beginning of the real DRAMA.
Chris teased a juicy promo and he was not kidding. Coming up, Clare looking FIRE in a red dress, doing what she wants to do when she wants to do it, and speaking her truth.
She wants a man with balls (and sees them on a group date), gives herself a rose and has lots and lots of makeout sessions.
Some men are falling in love, and... so is Clare. "I have feelings for Dale... I like him. It's happening!" she boasts.
She thinks about Dale all day errday... and that does not fly with the guys.
The guys are calling out Dale as fake, and our opera/ Harvard man says it's only a matter of time before she finds out the truth about him.
Then, Clare crying, laying down the law about why she's still single at 39.
Crying, crying and more CRYING follows, before Clare declares she'll never apologize for love.
"The path we're on right now, it doesn't end well, for anybody. You've just blown up The Bachelorette," Chris tells her.
A guy asks for a new Bachelorette, another asks what the f**k just happened... AND WE GET A SHOT OF A LIMO!
TAYSHIA, IS THAT U, GURL?
To Love!!!!
The guys celebrate making it, and Clare raises a glass to love.
Next up, the juicy promo we've all been waiting for.
Foreshadowing?
It is FULL ON DAYTIME when the guys emerge from the rose ceremony. It seriously looks like it's 3 p.m. and we are HURTING for them.
"I felt there was potential there, and in that conversation with me, her and Yosef, apparently there was a wrong step in there," Tyler C. says on his way home. "I'm devastated, but who knows. Maybe it will play out that it all comes to light, and I just called it out before anybody else."
Foreshadowing?
A Little Stress
Tyler C. says he could see Clare being his fiancee in "two months," and we think this is the first time a contestant has ever verbalized how fast this whole process is. Jeez, man!
Clare keeps calling names, and Yosef is upset over the unnecessary drama. He is SWEATING IT OUT as she keeps him waiting.
Yosef gets the final rose. "Nothing like a little stress, right?" Clare jokes, as Yosef looks like he's going to have a heart attack.
He returns to his spot, and Chris emerges to send off the men who didn't make it.
The Blakes
Demar says he knows he has a lot to offer Clare, but didn't get to spend any time with her. "The odds are not in my favor," he confesses. "I just want to hear my name called to at least validate I didn't come all this way just to come this way."
Demar gets a rose! So does Chasen, Tyler and Jordan C.
Kenny is hanging onto the dog shirt to get him through but we can't focus on him because we're confused as to why the Blakes get to be called by their last names, but the Tylers and Jordans do not. How did they work that out? (Remember when Victoria Fuller didn't want to be Victoria F.?)
Rose Ceremony Time
Opera man Bennett is nervous, Eazy wants Clare to send home trouble makers Tyler and Yosef and our Bachelorette finally gets down to business.
It is already the next morning and Clare apologizes for not getting to talk to everyone. She thanks them for showing up, and then picks up her first rose.
"Blake Moynes," she calls out, before choosing the rest of her crew. Eazy and Ben are next as Garin comments on how the "stakes are higher than every other season." "If I don't get a rose tonight, that would be awful."
Yes it would be, Garin.
First Impression
Clare may have given her first kiss to Blake, but let's get real -- there's only one man who could get her first impression rose, and it's DALE.
"I feel like as much as we talked, I want more of that," Clare tells Dale, but we can barely hear of this damn fountain again. She gives Dale her first impression rose, and they kiss.
"Don't be nervous," she whispers as they start full-on making out.
"Even though it was in one night, we connected in so many different levels," Dale gushes. "I would love to sit and talk with her for a couple more hours. We'd probably fall asleep to... yeah... Clare's on my mind."
Clare didn't get a chance to talk to everyone, but TIME'S UP. Rose ceremony time!
Breaking Rules!!!!
Clare pulls aside Blake, and brings up how he "broke the rule" by contacting her during quarantine.
"The fact that you risked not coming on here and putting that on the line, at a time where I was really struggling, it meant everything to me," she tells him.
Clare explains that Blake messaged her when she was struggling after her mom's fall. "He took that risk to let me know he was thinking about me," she tells the camera.
"I cannot even tell you how much that meant to me," she tells Blake, and THEY KISS.
"I kissed Clare tonight!" he boasts to the camera. "I just want more."
Speed Bump
Tyler explains what this woman told him. It was a video of what seemed to be a "mass message of, 'Hi, good morning, Beautiful. Have a good day.'" We are confused.
Yosef says this concerned him enough to bring it up to Clare and we are having trouble following this. "My intentions are true," he says. "That's it."
"Do I have a girlfriend? No," Yosef continues, assuring Clare he doesn't even have a women who THINKS she's his girlfriend.
She looks skeptical, but we think this drama is coming to an end. "I have nothing to hide," Yosef says.
"Can I interrupt you?" Clare says, making her exit and encouraging the men to "do what you gotta do."
Girl does not care to engage in this drama any further, and we respect it.
"This was a little speed bump," Clare says, as she gets on with it.
Sip Sip
Sip sip!
Tyler confronts Yosef about a woman who contacted him about "guys on the show." He has not heard great things about Yosef, and said he wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt and be as "man-to-man" about it as possible.
Yosef calls Tyler Mini McConaughey and we think it's kind of funny but we have no time to enjoy it because Yosef is already bringing the issue up to Clare. And now Clare is inviting Tyler over the CLARE it up. This is moving too fast! We never thought we'd be asking for drama to be dragged out more, but here we are!
Spill. That. Tea!
Clare asks Jason if he's going to be murdering people in his cabin in the woods and they're laughing about it but we are not. Maybe they are connecting?!?!
Chris introduces the first impression rose, and we have never been so excited to see a flower.
Yosef is certain he's going to get that rose, and assures Clare he's here for the "right reasons."
Tyler C., however, threatens to throw a wrench in those plans. He wastes no time in telling the guys what he allegedly knows about him being "reckless on Instagram."
YES SPILL THIS TEA. "I've got no issue calling you out on your sh*t, because if I don't, I just enable it," Tyler tells the camera.
More Crying!
"I could not be happier with this group of guys," Clare gushes. "They are really great guys!"
"I expected to be surrounded by a lot of amazing, handsome men, but these guys brought it," she continues.
The men are bringing out all the tricks to impress her. We love Joe and his origami, and the bubble dude whose name we forgot.
"These guys sacrificed so much to be here, to make sure that I find love," Clare cries. More tears! What an emotional night!!!
DOG!
Clare's dog Honey steals the show and all the guys LOSE IT over how cute she is. We do not blame them.
"Waiting so long, as hard as it is, it's been worth it, because it's led me to these men, and I feel so aligned and on the right path," Clare tells the camera.
Energy & Vibez
Clare cries to the camera, recalling the struggle of being alone. She's ready to introduce a man to her mom, and find a partner to do life with.
Enter Dale, who we can barely hear over this fountain. Clare tells him about how hard it's been to be separated from her mom amid the pandemic. Dale says his sister has underlying health issues, so he gets it. "When you were announced as Bachelorette, I was watching on TV," he tells Clare, who is hanging on his every word. Dale was awed by her confidence, and she is LOVING IT.
"There's those butterflies, the nervousness, but that's just because I like him. I know what I'm looking for, and I'm big on energy and vibes," she explains. It seems Dale has those in SPADES.
Eazy
A dude steals her away and tells Clare how excited he is that she's a real person. What a COVID conversation.
They connect about how all their friends are married with kids. "This morning, I was like, 'This is my time!'" Clare tells him.
The guys are gushing about how great Clare is and that one guy is still wearing his straight jacket.
Then, Clare catches up with Eazy, and they have an eazy conversation about family and dogs. They seem to be connecting and we are happy for them.
Wink Wink
Clare tells Chris her husband IS in that room -- and then she walks into it.
The men applaud because they have not been this close to a woman in six months and Clare talks about how nervous she is. "I haven't even hugged anyone for months," she tells them.
Clare gets emotional, crying about how she woke up thinking it could be her last morning alone. Yosef gives a weird wink, and Clare raises her glass. Let the night begin!!
This Dude
The remaining men hop out of their limos, and Clare is excited to meet them -- but probably more excited to get inside and start chatting with Dale.
Girl is clearly all about this dude.
DALE
Hello, Dale.
The much-teased moment is here, and Clare looks full-on IN LOVE with this dude. Her smile is so wide and so adorable and then he leaves and she gets serious.
"I knew it," she says, taking deep breaths. "I definitely feel like I just met my husband. Oh my god. I'm shaking."
Chris reappears to check on her. "Every other guy I felt confident with, but with Dale, everything else went dark around me... did I sound OK? Did I say anything at all?" she asks him. "I felt everything I haven't felt ever."
Chris says this is the first time this has ever happened, and Clare doubles down on her feelings. "I just know. I'm 39!"
Still, she's ready to meet more men.
Snacks
The witty entrances continue, with a man and his parachute, a man and his bubble, and a man and his cookies.
"They're moon pies," Yosef says. OK, buddy.
"Damn, I didn't bring a snack to the date," Eazy observes. "I thought we were here for a cocktail party... it's turning into a potluck."
Hello, there is nothing wrong with bringing snacks.
It's Pink
Eazy jumps through a sign, and his jacket is pink, not salmon. We are digging the look and digging the guy.
Some guy says they're waiting for Mr. Hyde -- so naturally it's time for a crazy.
Jay shows up in a straight jacket, joking to Clare he's "gone crazy" waiting to meet her. Not sure how that landed, buddy.
Then, Clare's knight in shining armor. "Take it all off!" she says, and the knight obliges.
His name is Chasen, and he tells Clare he just shedded his armor for her. Clever.
The Friends Are Right
Chris does a quick vibe check with Clare, and she's "flattered" the guys actually showed up. What else were they doing in quarantine?
Next up is Blake Moynes -- why does he get a last name in his chyron? -- and he's been waiting MONTHS to talk to her. Yeah, you and everyone else!!
There are a few more guys, and then AJ who says his friends say he gives horrible first impressions. They are right.
"Ow!" Clare screams as he squeezes her hands. "Looks like a Jack Russell took a bite out of it," she says to the camera, showing off her hands.
The Opera
Bennett, the Harvard guy, shows up in a Rolls Royce and looks like he just came from the opera. Is that what people wear to the opera? Please advise.
The men are impressed/jealous and we think this man may be a guy to pay attention to.
Ty-lair
We get a few men with regular intro, and then Tyler arrives in a station wagon.
Ty-lair is from West Virginia and he has an accent and we're into it. He says he's real and genuine and ready for kids. "I don't want to jinx myself, but I feel really confident right now," he tells the camera. Uh oh, that must mean he gets sent home.
Snaps for Casting
The next guy, Jason, pays homage to Clare's limo exit from Juan Pablo's season, when she showed up with a fake pregnant belly. "I'm here to prove to you that I'm willing to hold the weight of this relationship," he tells her. OK, OK... solid effort.
Next up, Ivan, an AERONAUTICAL ENGINEER. What has casting been up to this season? His mom is from the Philippines so he speaks some Tagalog to Clare. She's a big fan and so are we. A+.
Kenny, a BOY BAND MANAGER (again, Casting, wut u been up 2, girl???) comes with Clare's dogs printed on his shirt. Winner.
Ankles
Riley, an attorney is next, and he tells Clare she's "guilty" for looking so good. This is the kind of line we've been waiting six months for!!!
We've already forgotten the name of the next guy, who has no witty line about his occupation. Clare thinks he's sweet, so good for him.
The next man is a TALL DRINK OF WATER and then he makes a joke about it! Could not be more pleased with this man and his lewk. We see those ankles and we like them!!
The First Limo
Clare says she never thought this moment would happen -- and now that it is, she's "so ready."
King of call backs Chris reminds Clare that she "showed up" and NOW IT'S TIME FOR THE FIRST LIMO.
It's Ben, a man with zero gimmicks. "Do you want to take a deep breath together?" he asks. They breathe together and he heads inside. That was... forgettable.
Shocking Secret
Up after commercial -- the men arrive, with one in a BUBBLE. Then, the DRAMA!!!
"Will a shocking secret bring down the house?" Chris dramatically asks. We hope so! We've been waiting MONTHS for this.
Getting Emotional
Clare gets emotional talking about her late father and the video he recorded for her future husband before he died.
"He wasn't thinking about himself dying, he was thinking about his daughter being taken care of, and my happiness and my future," she says, tearing up.
"My dad would say, 'I'm proud of you for just showing up,'" Clare adds. "I've done that, every single time. I try my best, and I'm here. And I haven't given up on love, and I never will."
"I still want it, and I still deserve it, regardless if I'm 39... I show up," she continues.
Chris asks Clare how this journey ends for her in a perfect world... hello WITH HER DREAM MAN, CHRIS!!!!
Let's Have a Kiki
Chris and Clare sit down for a little kiki before she meets the guys.
"I think if you throw everything that's happened in the last couple months... it's been quite a build up for me, and I'm just ready to do it," Clare says. Is that a euphemism?
Clare reflects on "that girl" who appeared on Juan Pablo's season and we're here for third person talk. She opens up about how she had just gotten out of an abusive relationship, and the growth she's experienced since has made all the difference. "Look where it's led me," she says of the therapy and work she's done since.
Welcome Back, Hugs!
"We've waited long enough," Chris says as we return from commercial break. Yes, yes we have.
Clare arrives via limo (guess she didn't walk over?) and she glittering and glowing and ready for this journey to begin.
"Welcome back, hugs!" Chris excitedly says. "And welcome back to you."
Kissing Clare
45 minutes later, the men are cleared to start filming. They are SO EXCITED to start kissing Clare, but we're going to have to wait until after commercial break.
Salmon Jacket?
It is WAY too early know everyone's names yet, but we're getting a sneak peek into the guys' personalities. There's Bennett, a Harvard dude; Yosef, who is sad about being away from his daughter; and Ben, who LOVES isolation.
Congrats to you, Ben!
Eazy is looking at the outfits he packed, and... is that a SALMON JACKET?
COVID Style
Chris is back at the new mansion and it's "time to get this show going." WAHOO.
Clare is on her way from two suites over. (We're guessing but it's probably true.) In the meantime, time to meet some men.
The guys are shooting selfie videos as they travel COVID style to meet our Bachelorette. Lots of masks, "crappy COVID tests" (Hello, it's for your safety -- please put some respeck on it's name.) and more are in store.
The men are complaining about how uncomfortable the coronavirus tests are, but let's be real -- it takes like, two seconds. Come on, dudes!!
All CLARE
We love a montage, and that's what we get when Clare finally gets herself down to Palm Springs to film her season. She's lifting weights and reading books in warp speed and then all of the sudden she tests negative COVID-19. All CLARE!
Chris tells her she's going to start TONIGHT. (Really?) Birds are chirping, squirrels are running around (side note -- remember Clare's raccoon moment on BIP) and it's time to get started.
"Bring on the men!" she yells.
'Rona
Nothing could stop Clare's journey but a GLOBAL PANDEMIC.
"If it's not loneliness... it's going crazy because you don't know what's going to happen," Clare reflects as we see footage of how she lived her four months in quarantine before finally filming the show.
Then -- a serious moment, as Clare reflects on not being able to see her mom, who lives in a care facility. Quarantine has been emotional, but she's even more ready for LOOOOOVE.
Nothing's Going to Stop Her
"My journey ended so horribly wrong," Clare says of her past times searching for love in the Bachelor franchise. This time, things will be different.
"I'm proud to be sitting here at 39, because I know for a fact this is my time," she declares. "Nothing is going to stop me from trying to find my husband."
Oh wait...
10 Years Ago...
We get flashback footage from what feels like 10 years ago, when Clare found out she was going to be the Bachelorette. She's sitting on a bed and crying while Chris delivers the news.
Then, her GMA appearance -- remember live audiences? -- and a quick recap of how exactly she won the Bachelorette gig.
Hi, Juan Pablo!
A Different Bachelor Mansion
Chris is in front of a DIFFERENT Bachelor mansion -- hello, La Quinta! -- but the vibes are very Bachelorette. Bravo, team!
The host with the most quickly tosses to a package showing exactly what producers have been dealing with to bring this unique season to life.
YASS Clare
We are LIVING for this teaser of what's to come. Yes, we've seen it before and yes, it's still exciting.
We love to see her defending herself, we love to see the men going nuts and we love to see Chris telling Clare things don't end well. "Congratulations, you've just blown up the Bachelorette," he tells Clare in the tease.
But first -- Night One!
Systems Are a GO!
It's finally here and we CANNOT believe it. Chris Harrison promises it's worth the wait and we hope he's right!
The Bachelorette premieres Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. See more in the video below.
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