‘The Bachelorette’ Season 16 Premiere: Clare Crawley Breaks Down Before Meeting the Men — Live Updates!

Clare Crawley’s season of The Bachelorette is finally here! Host Chris Harrison has promised the hairstylist’s season of the ABC dating show is “worth the wait” — and fans will finally get 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 — so it seems she didn’t waste any time when the cast and crew got the go-ahead. 

Promos of Clare’s season have shown her declaring she “met my husband” after coming face to face with one of her contestants on Night One. ET learned last month that Clare did exit 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 did it all play out? We’ll find out together. ET is live blogging Tuesday’s season premiere, and every episode after that. Scroll down for minute-by-minute updates. 

Ty-lair

5:44 PM:

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

5:42 PM:

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

5:40 PM:

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

5:38 PM:

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

5:33 PM:

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

5:30 PM:

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

5:29 PM:

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!

5:26 PM:

“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

5:22 PM:

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?

5:19 PM:

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

5:16 PM:

Chris is back at the new mansion 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

5:11 PM:

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

5:09 PM:

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

5:06 PM:

“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…

5:05 PM:

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

5:03 PM:

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

5:01 PM:

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!

5:00 PM:

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. 

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.