We here at E! News love a surprise, but we also like to know exactly what is going on, especially when it comes to our favorite reality franchises.
So you can imagine the confusion and stress we have been experiencing as we've monitored the situation over at The Bachelorette, which is currently filming within a quarantined bubble at the La Quinta resort in Palm Springs, Calif. Things started out fairly standard, as far as filming a TV show in a global pandemic is concerned.
Clare Crawley, Chris Harrison, the contestants and the crew of The Bachelorette began quarantining at the resort, with frequent temperature checks and coronavirus tests designed to make sure that absolutely no infected person was present when filming began. The first night of filming was July 18, and show creator Mike Fleiss tweeted that the first rose ceremony was "super emotional and—of course—dramatic!"
Then, all hell appeared to break loose.
That very weekend, previously announced contestants were openly posting on social media about how they hadn't made the cut, which is not typically allowed. After about two weeks of filming, rumors began circulating that previously eliminated men were being brought back. On Aug. 3, sources told E! News that that Clare's Bachelorette journey had ended prematurely after she fell in love with one of her contestants, and she was being replaced by Tayshia Adams.
That same day, The Bachelorette released a promo with its star's face in shadow.
A second, even less helpful promo was released on Aug. 4.
On August 5, Wells Adams, resident bartender for Bachelor in Paradise, was spotted at the resort. Last season's "winner" Hannah Ann Sluss and the recently single Becca Kufrin were also spotted, with sources telling E! News that Hannah Ann and Becca were there to lend support to Tayshia.
Wells was then back with fiancée Sarah Hyland by Aug. 8 to celebrate their would-be wedding day, so any post-Palm Springs quarantine period was very short.
On Tuesday, Aug. 11, The Bachelorette released two new promos. In the first one, an unseen woman drops a pair of high heels adorned with roses.
In the second, Clare, whose face is seen in a promo for the first time, throws a rose at the camera. Is she dropping her shoes and her roses and running away? Could the next promo feature Tayshia picking up the shoes and the rose and taking Clare's place?
That is yet to be seen, but in the meantime, there's yet another puzzle to solve.
On Tuesday afternoon, weeks into filming, Chris Harrison posted a photo alongside his teenage son at Texas Christian University.
"Just like that he's gone. Thought dropping the big man off at college @texaschristianuniversity today was going to crush me but all I could feel is pride and excitement. Especially now, so grateful that they have this opportunity. Now go take on the world and have the time of your life my boy," he wrote.
This post has nothing to do with the fact that any colleges have returned to in-person classes in the midst of the pandemic, but we do have questions about Chris Harrison leaving the Bachelorette bubble to take his son to school. Does this mean that filming is on a break that will be long enough for Chris to quarantine before he rejoins the bubble?
ABC and Warner Bros Television have not yet returned our request for comment and have not commented on any of the other developments so far this season, but so far this is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated premieres this franchise has ever had, whenever that premiere will actually air.
Keep up with everything we know below!
The Bachelorette will air Tuesdays this fall on ABC.