Desiree Hartsock Officially Named the Next Bachelorette

"I'm very hopeful in all of this and I do hope to meet the man of my dreams," the Bachelor castoff said during After the Final Rose

The rumors turned out to be true!

During After the Final Rose tonight, host Chris Harrison officially announced that the fan favorite from Sean Lowe's season, Desiree Hartsock, will be the one looking for love on the next season of The Bachelorette. 

"I just can't even believe I'm here and with the support of everyone, it's just such a blessing. I just feel so thankful and so grateful...I am, because I could never have imagined," Des said, trying to hold back the tears.

"I'm so happy for [Sean and Catherine] and I can only hope to find the love that they found and I'm very hopeful in all of this and I do hope to meet the man of my dreams," she added. "I'm ready and I'm open and I think I've seen it happen."

Hartsock also mentioned that going through the process herself only made her believe in it more. "I did realize that the feelings are real and the emotions that you go through," she said. "It is a real relationship and I'm gonna have many of them, so I know that it can happen and one of them could be, hopefully, my true love, as cliché as it sounds."

So, is she going to be able to take on 25 men vying for her love and affection? "Oh, I can handle ‘em. Oh yeah."

E! News exclusively reported earlier this month that Des was in final talks to take on the job, beating out AshLee, Sarah and Lesley M., who were also said to be in the running.

Shortly afterward, Hartsock was spotted with a camera crew in Santa Monica, Calif., making the casting rumors that much more of a reality.