Katie Thurston and Michelle Young are on call.
The girls – both fan favorites of Matt James’ “Bachelor” season earlier this year – are each hosting their own “The Bachelorette” season, with Thurston airing this summer and Young in the fall.
“We are the Bachelorettes”, they announced on Monday night’s “After the Final Rose” special, which aired after the end of James’ season.
Thurston, a 30-year-old bank marketing manager from Renton, Washington, and Young, a 28-year-old teacher from Edina, Minnesota, said on Monday they were “ready” to find love.
The upcoming seasons 17 and 18 of “The Bachelorette” will look very different from previous years, as longtime host Chris Harrison will not be in charge of the show. ABC announced a few days ago that former “Single” Kaitlyn Bristowe and Tayshia Adams will take over the next hosting duties after Harrison said goodbye for admitting that he spoke “in a way that perpetuates racism”.
During his season with James, Thurston became a fan favorite, making himself known from the start when he arrived at the Nemacolin Resort with a vibrator in his hands.
After its elimination in Week 6, much of Bachelor Nation endorsed Thurston as the next “Bachelorette”. His followers on social media also show the strength of his fan base. Thurston has an Instagram following of 449,000 fans, one Following Twitter of 53,000 and a next TikTok of more than 274,000 fans.
Young, however, managed to reach the end, but was sent home without a rose, leaving her heart broken. The other competitor, Rachael Kirkconnell, grabbed the stem (without a marriage proposal), but, as revealed in “After the Final Rose,” is no longer dating James.
The duo split up after the controversy surrounding Kirkconnell and the franchise after their previous racially insensitive photos and social media interactions resurfaced.