While it feels like we were just yelling at Matt James from the comfort of our own homes, his season has wrapped up, bringing us closer to back-to-back installments of The Bachelorette with two women from his group of paramours. First up is Katie Thurston, whose run as the lead will mark the first season without Chris Harrison. And new details from the production hint that the experience was more than a little stressful for some.
There was reportedly a lot going on during the filming of Katie's season of the popular ABC dating competition. Former lead Kaitlyn Bristowe dropped a few hints about the upcoming season, sharing on an episode of her Off the Vine podcast that recovering from the production process had been particularly difficult.
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"I was very overwhelmed," Kaitlyn admitted on the podcast. "I think it was such a perfect storm and breeding ground for anxiety because I truly was back in this world…I'm so happy to be part of this Bachelorette show, but I didn't realize how much it brought up some either trauma or anxiety that I may not have dealt with as much as I thought I had."
"What I will say is I think it's going to be really fun," she continued. "Tayshia [Adams] and I had a really, really fun time being there. We love Katie. I'm definitely not going to say much because I don't want to get in trouble, but maybe I can say it's the most dramatic season yet? We had a really great time."
If you're looking for spoilers, you might be out of luck — The Bachelor is holding its cards very closely to its chest in order to ensure minimal plot leaks. All we know for sure (besides who showed up to win her heart) is that filming for season 17 has officially wrapped, and Katie has made her return to social media with no engagement ring in sight. Right now, I don't know if that's a good or bad sign, but sources close to the show say that Katie was in the driver's seat all season long, so things probably ended on her terms. Maybe.
“Katie was in control and made sure the men she wanted were there and the men she wasn’t interested in, she sent packing,” the source told Us Weekly.
What do you say, Bachelor Nation — are you ready for another round of chaos? It's okay to be a little nervous; we've been through a lot with this franchise as of late. Thankfully, we've got some time to prepare ourselves for whatever might have sent Kaitlyn over the edge because season 17 of The Bachelorette premieres on Monday, June 7.