The Bachelorette star Clare Crawley will apparently be dating younger -- much younger, in many cases -- when she's introduced to her bachelors on Night 1 of Season 16.
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ABC has announced 32 potential suitors who will be vying for Clare's heart when The Bachelorette premieres Monday, May 18 at 8PM ET/PT on ABC, and most of the men are still in their twenties.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)
Clare, a 38-year-old hairstylist who has appeared on The Bachelor franchise four times, is the oldest The Bachelorette star in the franchise's history -- by far.
Prior to Clare, who turns 39 later this month, Rachel Lindsay had been The Bachelorette's oldest lead ever (Rachel was 32 at the time), and Hannah was only 24 years old when she starred on The Bachelorette's fifteenth season last year.
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However, despite earlier reports that Clare's The Bachelorette group of bachelors would be older than typical given Clare's age, a whopping 23 of the 32 possible suitors announced by ABC are under 30 years old -- with the youngest only being 23!
Earlier this month, E! News reported Clare's bachelors would all be at least 30 years old, citing a source close to production.
In addition, Us Weekly also reported The Bachelorette producers had rejected numerous guys in their early twenties for the new season solely because they'd be considered too young.
However, Clare shared on Good Morning America when her Bachelorette participation was announced she doesn't really care about the ages of men who are cast on her season.
"I have been known to date younger guys. So, that's not a problem for me," Clare revealed on GMA.
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"The thing is, I'm wondering if they're ready for me -- for my age. So I feel like that would be more of an issue than me being okay with them. I feel so younger at heart than my actual age."
Clare added she is "proud" of her age but simply feels "younger."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER? (PHOTOS)
When asked what she's looking for in her future husband, Clare said she wants a man who is not afraid to express himself.
"I want a man who is strong, who is willing to take off the body armor, open himself up and be vulnerable. I think that is some serious strength right there... to let someone in," Clare explained.
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"It's all what's on the inside for me. If you line up the guys that I have dated in the past, there's no one thing I'm looking for physically. It's more, if they go out of their way for me and they make me feel special, because this is about me now, and I'm ready for it!"
One bachelor among Clare's lineup of contestants is former The Bachelor bachelorette Tyler Cameron's best friend and new roommate, Matt James, who frequently appears on Tyler's Instagram account, according to Us.
Considering 32 men is a slightly larger group of suitors than the show typically starts with, not all of the bachelors ABC has announced are likely to be part of the show when it begins production later this week.
As seen in recent seasons, at least a couple of the potential bachelors will probably get cut.
Clare was a 32-year-old hairstylist from Sacramento, CA, when she was first introduced to Bachelor Nation on Juan Pablo Galavis' season of The Bachelor in 2014. She finished as his runner-up.
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RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR WINNERS ULTIMATELY END UP MARRYING?! (PHOTOS)
Clare then unsuccessfully continued to search for love on Seasons 1 and 2 of Bachelor in Paradise, which aired on ABC in 2014 and 2015.
Clare got engaged to French Canadian bachelor Benoit Beausejour-Savard on the reunion special for The Bachelor Winter Games, which aired in early 2018, but they broke up in April of that year.
Below is the list of 32 bachelors who may be appearing on The Bachelorette's upcoming sixteenth season:
- Aaron G., a 33 year old from Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Alex B., a 28 year old from Dallas, TX
- Anthony W., a 27 year old from Huntington Beach, CA
- Austin B., a 28 year old from Cut Off, LA
- Bennett M., a 27 year old from Orlando, FL
- Blake Monar, a 30 year old from Phoenix, AZ
- Blake Moynes, a 29 year old from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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- Bret E., a 42 year old from Provo, UT
- Cameron D., a 28 year old from Newport Beach, CA
- Chris C., a 27 year old from Salt Lake City, UT
- Dale M., a 31 year old from New York City, NY
- Demar J., a 26 year old from Scottsdale, AZ
- Ed W., a 36 year old from Miami, FL
- Ellis M., a 26 year old from Dallas, TX
- Grant L., a 25 year old from Boston, MA
- Greg G., a 26 year old from Edison, NJ
- Ivan H., a 28 year old from Dallas, TX
- Jake M., a 25 year old from Lafayette, CO
- James C., a 23 year old from Chicago, IL
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- Jay S., a 29 year old from Oakland Park, FL
- Jordan C., a 26 year old from New York City, NY
- Josh E., a 31 year old from Minneapolis, MN
- JP C., a 25 year old from Jacksonville Beach, FL
- Karl S., a 33 year old from Miami, FL
- Matt G., a 26 year old from Jupiter, FL
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- Matt J., a 28 year old from New York City, NY
- Mike T., a 38 year old from Calgary, Canada
- Miles G., a 27 year old from Shreveport, LA
- Nick E., a 25 year old from Nashville, TN
- Noah E., a 25 year old from Long Beach, CA
- Tyler C., a 27 year old from Morgantown, WV
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- Yosef A., a 30 year old from Daphne, AL
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR WINNERS ULTIMATELY END UP MARRYING?! (PHOTOS)
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