The Bachelorette Season 18: Release Date, Contestants And New Details
As we get ready to mourn the end of "Bachelor in Paradise" — there are just two episodes left — the good news is fans can look forward to "The Bachelorette" debuting its premiere episode of season 18 so, so soon.
Of course, "Bachelor" devotees are well aware that the lead for this season is 28-year-old Michelle Young, who made it to the final two women on Matt James' season of "The Bachelor" (via ET Online).
He would go on to controversially pick Rachael Kirkconnell, but not before Young declared her feelings for him, saying, "I'm sitting here and I am in love with you and I cannot imagine having anyone else as my teammate at this point. It's you. It's you that I want. It's hard to picture leaving here without you." James later dumped her, with the reality star admitting on the "After the Final Rose" special she didn't feel like she had closure from their relationship (via People).
But it seems the Minnesota native has had time to move on, and is ready to find love again, as she said when her season was announced, "I'm just excited. I'm ready to get started" (via Us Weekly). So are we!
Release date
Michelle Young's journey to hand out roses until there's just one left begins on Tuesday, October 19, 2021 (via Parade). The hopeful star took to Instagram this week to tease fans about her season, captioning a photo of herself holding a long-stemmed bloom, "Don't forget to stop and smell the roses...especially Tuesday nights @ 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT on ABC."
The season was reportedly filmed in July and August, per Cosmopolitan, with Women's Health reporting her season was timed to allow the teacher to complete the school year with her kids. The first half of filming took place in Indian Wells, California at the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa, according to Women's Health, which noted at least one romantic date also takes place in Mexico. As Cheat Sheet notes, this marks the first time production for the franchise has ventured to multiple locales since the Covid-19 pandemic began.
Incidentally, Palm Springs-based La Quinta Resort & Spa is where Clare Crawley's season was shot (via Glamour). Meanwhile, Katie Thurston's season of "The Bachelorette" was filmed in New Mexico, according to Yahoo!
Young filmed the second half of her season in her hometown of Minneapolis according to Reality Steve, who also reported the season had wrapped in mid-September. And now, the team over at ABC is likely putting the finishing touches on the show to get it ready for us to begin obsessing over in a few short weeks.
So, who did the teacher meet en route to finding "the one?"
Contestants
The most well-known contestant on Michelle Young's "Bachelorette" season is Clayton Echard, who has reportedly been confirmed as the next "Bachelor" (via Us Weekly). An insider said about the decision to cast one of Young's castoffs, "Clayton stood out right off the bat. Producers ended up going with him because they believed he was the best fit for the role. They wanted to switch things up and go with someone new and someone who hasn't been in the spotlight yet."
Meanwhile, Young has her pick of plenty of eligible men. Most of the guys are in their mid-to-late 20s, with some of the would-be soulmates for the midwesterner being in their 30s (via Marie Claire). The suitors are from all over the country, with 28-year-old Joe Coleman notably hailing from the same hometown as our "Bachelorette."
The show will give Young the chance to get to know guys from Texas, to Virginia, to Oregon. The men boast careers that range from fields like physical therapy, to music production, to firefighting. Notably, one thing many of the men have in common with Young, who was a college basketball player, is a love of sports, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Obviously, we'll get to know the guys better starting October 19.
New details
It was already confirmed that Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe are hosting season 18 of "The Bachelorette." But there are some new details emerging about the show, which also fall under the category of spoilers, so don't read ahead if you don't want to know any more.
According to Cosmopolitan, Minnesota native Coleman is a frontrunner this season. Nayte Olukoya from Texas is also said to be spotted on at least two dates with Young.
We don't know much more about who wins Young's heart, but Adams previously said, "I have met all of the men from Michelle's season and there are some amazing guys in her cast. I can't wait for you guys to watch her season. It's gonna be really good. There's some guys that you would never expect to surprise you the way they do" (via Us Weekly).
Even Reality Steve isn't sure who the final guy is, but he did recently spill the tea that the overnight dates and the final rose ceremony take place near the Iberostar Hotel in Punta de Mita, Mexico (via Cheat Sheet).