Just hours before Clare Crawley was set to meet her suitors at the Bachelor mansion in March, production was shut down due to coronavirus. In the ensuing months, there has been a reshuffle of cast members.
ABC has debuted their new crew of contenders as the film starts filming again, this time at a Palm Springs resort. ET reports that there are 42 men in contention, including 25 newbies and 17 OGs. Fifteen men were nixed, including Matt James, who is set to star as ABC‘s first Black Bachelor.
While ABC got blowback the first time around for casting younger men, most of the new cast still appears to be in their 30s, with the range being 25-40. Crawley is 39. Also worth noting, not all 42 men will necessarily end up on the show. Due to coronavirus, Reality Steve reported earlier this week that ABC cast extra men just in case.
“Are they going to be healthy enough? Are jobs going to be on the line if they leave? All of our lives are turned upside down, so it's naive to think that all of these guys are going to be able to come back and pick right back up where we left off,” host Chris Harrison said. “We are going to continue casting.”
Facebook fans are not thrilled. Wrote one critic: “Very disappointed with this group. Half of these men are toddlers and should not even be considered for a bachelorette who is 39. Way to screw up a great opportunity to recast.”
Another opined, “The franchise needs to recast …AGAIN! Clare is 39, what is she supposed to do with men in their 20’s. They only have a handful men who are in their late 30’s….no…no…and no!”
An official premiere date has not been announced, but The Bachelorette is expected to air on Tuesdays this fall.
