Bachelorette Rumor Mill: Clare Crawley Drops Out, Replaced by Tayshia Adams

After the disaster that was Peter Weber's season of "The Bachelor," we didn't think the franchise could get any crazier. But if the latest rumors to hit the delayed "Bachelorette" production are true, they've just upped their own ante.

According to several reports, including the usually-reliable Reality Steve, per Inquisitr, Clare Crawley has stepped down as the Bachelorette. What's less clear is the reason for her leaving.

The most prominent story circulating is that she quickly found love, falling so hard and so fast that she could not in good conscience continue dating all the other contestants. As for the lucky guy, it's reportedly her first impression rose recipient, Dale Moss.

Love at first sight might feel like a bit of a stretch to some, but there are also rumors circulating that perhaps Clare and Dale made a clandestine connection during the show's COVID-induced hiatus of four months. That would be sufficient time to make a connection. TooFab has reached out to the show's production team for comment.

According to various sources, Clare was so enamored with Dale that she refused to come out of her room and continue the process of filming the show with the other suitors. But as it happened less than two weeks into filming, producers may have found the solution.

Suddenly the name Tayshia Adams has begun circulating as the identity of the new "Bachelorette." Tayshia was a part of Colton Underwood's season, effectively landing as co-runner up with Hannah Godwin when Colton ended the show to go after Cassie Randolph, who'd quit.

Tayshia again appeared on Season 6 of "Bachelor in Paradise," where she kicked off an on-again, off-again relationship with fan-favorite John Paul Jones from Hannah Brown's season of "The Bachelorette." At last report, it was off-again.

At 29 years old, Tayshia is a full decade younger than Clare, which has led to further speculation that producers might be recalling some of the guys reportedly let go so they could age up the cast for Clare, as well as some of the guys Clare had already eliminated.

Talk about a whirlwind experience for any that should choose to return!

All of if sounds like an absolute quagmire and if true, we've no idea how much -- if any -- of this would make it to air.

Would producers bother to show any of Clare's journey, or would they just quietly cancel her season behind the scenes and start fresh with Tayshia? Due to the pandemic, the show is not targeting any set premiere date, though it wants to air this fall, so there is wiggle room to just start over if need be.

If Tayshia is the new Bachelorette, she becomes the second Black lead for that series after Rachel Lindsay, and third overall for the franchise ... though she could come to air before upcoming Bachelor Matt James.

The rumor about Clare balking and being replaced began with a Reddit thread. While Reality Steve said he wasn't able to confirm anything in it definitively, he tweeted, "If you ask my opinion, I think there is some serious validity to it based on what I’m hearing now."

Just a day before that, Steve seemed more hesitant about it, tweeting that Clare had signed a contract to appear on the show and if it were that easy to walk away, others probably would have done it. Perhaps the filming delays made a difference here?

During his Instagram Live on Friday night, Steve said he couldn't verify whether or not Clare was still at the La Quinta Resort, where the season is filming due to COVID-19, but he was confident that Tayshia was.

"There’s no reason for Tayshia to be in La Quinta unless she’s being asked to film something," he said, per CheatSheet. "Which means that she would be the Bachelorette. So if you ask me if Tayshia is going to be the Bachelorette from this point forward, my answer would be yes."

Adding fuel to the fire, "Bachelor" producer Julia LaPlaca commented on Tayshia's most recent Instagram post of herself in silhouette, sharing black hearts and fire emojis followed by Bachelor Nation with raised hand emojis.

They don't appear to have commented on her most recent posts prior to that one. Just supporting a franchise alum, or is it indicative of a more direct connection right now?

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