The Bachelorette Season 17 - Here's What We Can Tell Fans So Far

Season 16 of The Bachelorette was a wild ride for fans and contestants alike. It started off like every other season: the lead meets her suitors and then embarks on her journey to figure out which one she wants as her future husband. It sounds simple enough, but as each season proves time and time again, the process is never a smooth one. Season 16 was historic for the franchise, as it saw Bachelorette Clare Crawley quit the show and get engaged to contestant Dale Moss just weeks into the competition. For the first time ever, a second lead, Bachelor Nation alum Tayshia Adams, was called in and she, too, found her special someone.

There are a bunch of questions floating around the franchise as fans realize filming for the 17th season of The Bachelorette is due to begin. Will Chris Harrison be invited to host the show after the controversy surrounding his interview with the first Black Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay regarding Matt James' contestant Rachael Kirkconnell? Will there be a new Bachelorette season to follow the dramatic 25th season of The Bachelor? Who will lead the show?

It looks like roses will still be flowing because sources have confirmed that there will, indeed, be a new season of the show. Here's what we know so far about The Bachelorette Season 17 premiere date, cast, and location.

The Bachelorette's 16th season ran between October 2020 and December 2020 after being pushed back due to the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States in March 2020. Normally, the show airs in late spring, premiering in mid to late May. If the show starts taping soon (Reality Steve says filming is set to begin the third week of March 2021), there is a chance The Bachelorette will return to its normal airing schedule. This would then set up the franchise to return to its routine schedule for Bachelor in Paradise, which typically follows The Bachelorette. 

In a December 2020 interview with Access, Chris Harrison teased that Season 7 of Bachelor in Paradise could very well happen. That, of course, was before the franchise was searching for a temporary — or possibly permanent — new host. That being said, if The Bachelorette was to premiere in May 2021, that would mean the show's editors and post-production team would have to do some super quick work. Therefore, it is likely that the show will premiere later than May, and possibly even return in the fall of 2021, per The Cinemaholic.

As of this writing, casting is open for both The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, so there shouldn't be a shortage of single folks looking to find their true love on screen. Considering the Bachelorette has not been announced, it is a bit too early to tell who may make up the contestants during Season 17 of the show.

However, there has been a massive amount of speculation regarding who will lead the show. On Feb. 6, 2021, blogger and notorious Bachelor spoiler Reality Steve tweeted that fan-favorite Katie Thurston was hired as the next Bachelorette by ABC, which was great news for many fans. The announcement occurred days before the Rachel Lindsay/Chris Harrison/Rachael Kirkconnell drama broke, and the ensuing backlash might have changed ABC's mind about Katie. 

As Reality Steve noted on Feb. 23, 2021, on his blog, "Katie was originally going to be the 'Bachelorette,' and once the s**t hit the fan with the franchise the last couple weeks, the course of action changed, and they are now in discussions on who to go with." He added that all he has been told is that Katie is no longer the Bachelorette. It looks like fans don't have much information on who will be included in the 17th season of The Bachelorette, but it doesn't seem like ABC is completely sure, either.

The most solid information on the internet seems to be where Season 17 of The Bachelorette will be filmed. The show was rumored to have chosen to film in Canada, which would have marked the first time a whole season of the hit ABC reality series would film outside the United States. However, blogger Reality Steve tweeted on Feb. 2, 2021, that plans had changed due to coronavirus restrictions in the country. "Due to the updated quarantine restrictions in Canada laid out last week, I've been told Bachelorette will NOT be filming there next season anymore," he wrote. "Resorts in the US now being looked at, but they are definitely still looking at colder weather locations."

The professional reality television spoiler updated fans on Feb. 24, 2021, that a new location had been picked. "Next season of the Bachelorette will begin filming in last half of March [2021] in New Mexico. No host or "Bachelorette" has been decided yet. Not 100% confirmed yet, but I'm hearing the location is the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa about 20 min outside of Albuquerque," he revealed.

Considering he expects filming to begin in the second half of March 2021, it seems unlikely that if this location is accurate, it would change again. However, as Bachelor fans know, they have to be ready for changes before, during, and after seasons are filmed.