The Bachelorette: 5 Ways Tayshia Saved Season 16 (& 5 Ways We Love Clare Anyway)

Season 16 of The Bachelorette was a momentous one for many reasons. It was the first season to take place during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also featured not one but two Bachelorettes after Tayshia Adams took over for Clare Crawley. In many ways, Tayshia rescued season 16. If she hadn’t stepped in there wouldn’t have been a show at all.

Tayshia was also just the right person to give the remaining men hope that they could still find love. Clare received a lot of negativity after leaving The Bachelorette to pursue a relationship with Dale Moss. Despite this she achieved the ultimate goal of the series: she found love. Some of the backlash aimed at Clare seems pretty unfair. There are plenty of reasons to love both her and Tayshia.

10 Tayshia: She Gave The Guys A New Chance At Love

When Clare left The Bachelorette to be with Dale, it was a shocking twist that left the remaining contestants reeling. However, when Tayshia agreed to take Clare’s place, the day was saved.

Tayshia was exactly what season 16 needed. She was beautiful of course, but also intelligent, kind, fun-loving, and enthusiastic. She made all of the men feel comfortable and reassured after Clare left, and gave them a new chance at love.

9 Clare: She Knew What She Wanted

Clare received a lot of flak for her obvious infatuation with Dale so early in the season. And while it maybe didn’t make her the best Bachelorette, her determination to be with the person she loved is admirable.

Clare felt that Dale was the one for her and instead of putting on a show just to continue the season, she made the courageous decision to leave The Bachelorette and forge her own path.

8 Tayshia: She Didn’t Stand For Drama

Every season of The Bachelor/Bachelorette has a fair share of drama, and season 16 was no exception. However, the way Tayshia handled the drama stood out. She refused to reward toxic behavior and let immature squabbles between the guys continue.

For example, when there was obviously a continuing problem between Noah and Bennett, she sat the two men down to get to the bottom of it. Tayshia made it clear that she wasn’t interested in listening to their back and forth childish arguments and eventually decided to send Bennett home.

7 Clare: She Didn’t Allow Herself To Be Disrespected

Some questionable choices were made in the activities of season 16. For example, many of the guys were understandably upset and embarrassed when they had to play strip dodgeball on a date. Yosef addressed his concerns about this group date with Clare and she politely listened… to a point.

However, when he began to throw out phrases like “I’m ashamed to be associated with you” and “you’re not fit to be a mother to my child” Clare no longer sat idly by. She stood up to Yosef and kicked him off the show, and it’s hard not to love her for that.

6 Tayshia: She Was Truly Accepting Of The Guys’ Flaws And Struggles

Tayshia’s season of The Bachelorette was a landmark season in many ways. The guys delved deeply into personal issues, some of which have never been discussed on the show before. These issues included Ben’s struggles with eating disorders and Zac’s past with addiction.

Tayshia also found something in common with Brendan and Zac after learning that the two of them had also been divorced. Through all of this, Tayshia listened to the guys’ past struggles with poise, compassion, and understanding. She was the perfect Bachelorette to handle such an emotional season.

5 Clare: She Didn’t Want To Waste The Other Guys’ Time

Once Clare began to realize that Dale was the only person she wanted to be with, she made the decision to leave The Bachelorette.

While Clare has taken the heat for this, her decision was better for the show and the other men in the long run. Clare knew she couldn’t continue to date other guys, so instead of trying to pretend, she left so that Tayshia could take over and give the guys another chance at love.

4 Tayshia: She Was Extremely Decisive

In past seasons, the Bachelor/Bachelorette has struggled with the enormous decision of choosing a partner at the end of their journey. While it’s understandable that this decision is extremely difficult to make, some of the contestants really seemed to lack clarity, even in the final few episodes. For example, Bachelors Arie Luyendyk and Peter Weber both proposed, then broke off their engagements to pursue another contestant on the show.

Tayshia, however, was never so indecisive. On several occasions, she even called off cocktails parties because she already had the clarity she needed. She also made difficult decisions, like sending Ivan home after realizing that their religious differences might become a problem.  Tayshia’s decision to be with Zac, in the end, seemed certain and well-informed. There are high hopes that they will be another huge success story of the franchise.

3 Clare: She Didn’t Settle

A lot of fuss has been made about Clare being the “oldest Bachelorette,” but keep in mind something she said while being berated by Yosef: “I’m the oldest Bachelorette because I didn’t settle for men like that.”

If one thing can be said about Clare, it’s that she didn’t settle for less than exactly what she wanted. It’s no surprise she thankfully didn’t end up with Juan Pablo when she was a contestant on The Bachelor.

2 Tayshia: She Was In It For The Right Reasons

After already having gone through a divorce in her early 20s, Tayshia knew she did not want to get married again unless it was for forever. She was without a doubt looking for love and for a permanent relationship.

Tayshia was so focused on finding a man to create a lasting relationship with that she was willing to make extremely difficult decisions and send home men she truly cared about. She really was in it for the right reasons.

1 Clare: She Was In It For The Right Reasons

Say what you want about Clare, but as much as any Bachelor or Bachelorette who has ever been on the show, she was truly in it for love. Clare didn’t waste her time worrying about what other people thought of her.

Instead, she followed her gut and chose to be with Dale. Clare’s choice to leave the show speaks to the fact that she was in it for the right reasons.

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