Why Fans Think There Will Be Two Bachelorette Seasons In 2021

Season 25 of The Bachelor proved to be quite a rollercoaster ride. Matt James first made headlines for being the first Black Bachelor, and then the women on his season were accused of bullying one another. To make matters worse, (spoiler) rumored winner Rachael Kirkconnell was accused of liking racist photos on social media, and host Chris Harrison temporarily stepped away from the franchise.

It seems safe to say that fans are more than ready to move on to The Bachelorette, but even that comes with a lot of questions. On Feb. 6, 2021, Bachelor insider Reality Steve tweeted that Season 25 contestant Katie Thurston was announced as the Bachelorette during the "Women Tell All." Katie seemed to deny the news on Instagram, and the "Tell All" episode aired without any Bachelorette updates. Now, Reality Steve is teasing a new twist for The Bachelorette that involves not one, but two seasons. 

Keep scrolling to find out why fans are convinced a Bachelorette duo is on the horizon for the franchise — spoilers ahead!

Spoiler alert! Michelle Young doesn't get engaged to Matt James in the finale. In fact, no one does. Matt reportedly offers up his final rose to Rachael Kirkconnell, but he allegedly only asks her to keep dating. They eventually call it quits amid controversy, per Cosmopolitan. Runner-up fan favorite Michelle captured audiences with her kindness, maturity, and earnest search for a lifelong love like her parents' relationship. Now, it seems the Minnesota teacher just might get her well-deserved second shot at love as the Bachelorette – but not before Katie Thurston. 

Reality Steve posted that Katie is slated to start filming Season 17 of The Bachelorette in spring 2021 in New Mexico, adding that Michelle will start filming a second season of the Bachelorette in the summer of 2021. Why both? "Michelle did not want to leave her class again to start filming in a few weeks ... hence the reason she is getting her own season this summer when she's out of school," Reality Steve explained. Bachelor in Paradise is expected to start production in tandem with Katie's Bachelorette season. 

Redditors are applauding the news. "I wanted Michelle to be the Bachelorette so badly but was torn because I also didn't want her to leave her job. Win win," a fan commented. "I'm sure that the plan was to just have Katie before all this s**t happened, but I hope it works out better for Michelle," another viewer skeptically wrote. 

As of this writing, the Bachelorette news hasn't been confirmed by ABC, so, as Bachelor fans know, there's always time for a shakeup.