Double the Bachelorettes, double the drama.
On tonight’s After the Final Rose special, not one, but two women from Matt James‘ season of The Bachelor were named as the next franchise stars.
Katie Thurston will lead season 17 of the ABC dating competition, which is set to premiere summer 2021, while Michelle Young will resume the role for season 18, airing fall 2021.
So what inspired Katie to take this leap of faith? “I’m ready to find love, and not just, like, the temporary kind,” she shared. “I’m talking forever, my husband, and I’m in a place in my life where I feel like I’m the best version of me.”
When news that Katie was going to be announced as the next lead in the Bachelor franchise leaked on social media in February, the 29-year-old bank marketing manager responded with a shrug.
“News to me,” she wrote on her Instagram Story. Maybe it really was news to her when she posted that Instagram or maybe she was playing down the rumors to preserve the surprise, or maybe we’ll never know! Either way, it’s now official.
