ABC insists it's "insane" for people to think producers planned for Tayshia Adams to replace Clare Crawley as The Bachelorette star before filming began.
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Reality Steve spoiler blogger Steve Carbone reported in September producers had planned all along for Tayshia to replace Clare at some point in the season and the women's storyline was pre-meditated; however, ABC executive Robert Mills has denied that's the case.
When asked whether the Clare and Tayshia switch-up was made-for-TV, Robert told Variety in a lengthy interview, "It is insane. You just think, 'Oh my gosh, I swear we didn't plan this.'"
Robert explained, "There really wasn't the luxury of time, so it was really instinctual. We had gotten to know the guys. The guys felt a little spurned that they're going all in for Clare."
As Clare zoned in on Dale during her first two weeks of filming and seemed to focus all of her attention on him, Robert said "the guys had checked out" and they "were just sort of done."
"They've left their jobs to be there, they've quarantined there, it's insanely hot in Palm Springs, and they never really had a chance because Clare only had eyes for one guy," he said. "You just go with instinct at that point."
Production therefore thought of Tayshia, who was apparently considered to star on the franchise after appearing on Colton Underwood's season of The Bachelor.
Robert confirmed producers began to worry about the longevity and future of Clare's The Bachelorette season after filming Episode 2, when Clare already seemed completely smitten with Dale.
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"The worry, at that point, was, 'Oh my goodness. How do we make this a horse race? We have to keep people invested for 10 weeks, and they're just going to see her wanting to be with Dale,'" Robert recalled.
"She made other connections with other guys -- she was okay kissing them and there was definitely a lot of great drama and all of the typical things that you like on The Bachelor."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOWBut Robert went on to detail the production team's "big worry."
"We wanted to make sure that she really wanted to be with Dale and wouldn't make another connection with someone else," he said. "But by Week 3, she was really emotional over it and she was crying and there were real feelings there."
The show's third episode is therefore when producers started thinking they may need a Clare replacement.
"At that point, the producers started discussing like, 'What would happen if she wants to leave with Dale?' And that's when the producers thought that maybe we should reach out to Tayshia," Robert shared.
Robert said production just wanted to make sure Clare wouldn't change her mind before prematurely ending her journey to find love on The Bachelorette.
"At that point, Clare started to feel like Dale is the one, so she needed a one-on-one quickly to spell this out and that's why they had an overnight," Robert said.
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He added, "We had to proceed as if this is ending soon after these three-and-a-half weeks, and then we’re going to bring in Tayshia and roll the dice."
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"She stayed," the ABC executive revealed. "We kept her in quarantine so that she could have some happy couple time with Dale, and we also didn't want her home because it would confirm that she was home and not filming Bachelorette anymore."
Robert gushed about how production was "so lucky" to have two great Bachelorettes this season and that Tayshia was able to arrive at The Bachelorette resort at La Quinta Resort & Club in Palm Springs, CA, on short notice.
"One advantage of being in the bubble is that we only had to bring one person in because everyone was already there. A lot of the dates were tailored to Clare, so the producers had to re-work those dates and that was the hardest part," Robert said of Tayshia stepping in.
"It's a testament to how great these producers are. But once she was in the bubble, it was so easy. And we were blessed that these guys were so great because even though it felt like we were starting all over with a new Bachelorette, you don't have to meet 25 new guys. You already care about them."
And Robert said he thought Tayshia would be a great fit for the 16 guys who were left after Clare and Dale got engaged.
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"I don't think [Tayshia and Clare] are as different as you might think on the surface. Tayshia had been through a divorce, so I think there is a lot of maturity that comes with that, and she is super serious about settling down, just like Clare was, so it actually did not seem like a huge stretch for these guys," Robert explained to Variety.
"It all ended up working out incredibly well," he continued, "even though it provided some hurdles at first... She was open to all the guys and she was so excited."
And in turn, Robert said the cast of guys was "overjoyed" to see Tayshia come in and the men were "so excited" to meet and get to know her.
While Carbone previously reported producers essentially "forced" Clare off the show and Clare also "liked" tweets suggesting she never up and quit, The Bachelorette host Chris Harrison insisted to Entertainment Tonight in late October that Clare had "complete control" of her season.
The Bachelorette's next episode, which will feature Tayshia meeting her cast of men for the first time, is set to air Tuesday night at 8PM ET/PT on ABC.
To read spoilers on Tayshia's part of The Bachelorette season -- including her alleged winner -- click here.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
