The Bachelorette ’s Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe on the Future of the Franchise

It’s been an eventful couple of weeks in Bachelor nation. Between the announcement that there would be a rotating group of celeb cohosts for Bachelor in Paradise this summer to Chris Harrison’s officially confirming he was leaving the franchise, the news cycle has given us, well, a lot. And during it all, a new season of The Bachelorette premiered with Katie Thurston and two new cohosts—former Bachelorette stars Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe—there to lead the way.

When we talked with Adams and Bristowe, they made it clear they want to keep the focus on the future of the franchise—but understand the Harrison news has been a major talking point for fans. “We don't necessarily need to rehash everything,” Adams tells Glamour. “But I have to say, Chris had an amazing 19-year run. I think we’re both very excited to see what he takes on next.”

Bristowe, who wrote on Harrison’s Instagram page that he’s “truly irreplaceable as host,” told Glamour she was “surprised and not surprised” by how things turned out. “We obviously don’t make any of the decisions, so we’re learning as the rest of the world does as well.”

In March, when the franchise announced that Adams and Bristowe would be stepping in for Harrison (who at that point had only stepped away for an undetermined amount of time), the longtime host offered his congratulations to Adams. “I had talked to Chris about it,” she says. “He was very sweet to me. He’s always been very supportive.” (As for Bristowe, she says everything happened so fast that she didn’t get a chance to talk to him at the time.)

So, what happens next for the franchise? Adams and Bristowe explain what they’d like to see going forward, and why Katie’s season is more unexpected than we think.

Glamour: Congrats on the start of the season! Now that there's officially an opening, would you want to be considered permanent hosts of the franchise?

Kaitlyn Bristowe: We loved our experience!

Tayshia Adams: You saw us on night one. We had the best time, so if that offer came down the pipeline…

Kaitlyn: Tayshia and I really bonded during the whole season, and we were both just so honored to say we’ve been in this position and helped somebody else do what we know worked for us. I think we’d love the opportunity.

Tayshia: Yes, absolutely.

Katie recently told us that it was so nice to have you both with her, because she wouldn’t want to talk about some of this stuff with her dad. It does raise the question: Why hasn’t there been a woman host or cohost for The Bachelorette?

Kaitlyn: I agree.

Tayshia: That would be cool, that would be exciting.

Kaitlyn: I think having Tayshia and I there helped Katie get through the process and feel less alone. Like you said, you’re shocked it hasn’t happened before; I think maybe with people watching now and us being in that position, we’re like, “Yeah, why hasn’t this been a thing?! It makes sense!”

Katie also told us that her season ends with a “first.” Can you explain what that means?

Kaitlyn: That’s all we really can say! But there’s a lot of firsts, actually.

Tayshia: I’m surprised she just said one. I think there’s multiple. We were there and still shocked by how much went down. I would just say buckle up because it’s gonna get real good, soon.

You were there to watch all the conversations Katie was having with the men…any deep ones that impressed you?

Kaitlyn: Yeah, I think that was the fun and importance of us coming in as mentors because we’re able to have these kinds of conversations with Katie that she might not feel comfortable having with someone else. Even just talking about her fantasy suite experience, or what something means to her, or how sex is important to her, was always an important conversation that came up.

Tayshia: Also, to address the issues that she is looking for in a partner, so whatever that may look like, to lean into it and have those important conversations.

Were there any social media reactions to the premiere episode that surprised you?

Kaitlyn: I was dying at all the cat stuff. But that didn’t surprise me!

Tayshia: I think everyone liked Tre coming out of the truck with all the balls. And the box.

Kaitlyn: Oh, the box. I didn’t think the box was going to land with people, but it did.

We saw Nick Viall in the preview for the season; who else from Bachelor Nation might make an appearance?

Kaitlyn: Oh, boy, I forgot Nick was in there! [Laughs.] He always shows up, doesn’t he? I mean, you’re always going to see familiar faces from the franchise. And then with Bachelor in Paradise, we’re going to see some new faces come in to host, so it’s an exciting time.

What’s on tap for you both this summer?

Tayshia: The weather is warming up here in New York, so just exploring. I rode the subway for the first time last night, which was really fun and exciting. I’m very proud of myself! But other than that, just having fun in New York.

Kaitlyn: [Fiancé] Jason [Tartick] and I are just going headfirst into our wedding planning, so it’s going to be a fun summer for that.

What about Paradise? Any chance we’ll see you down there?

Tayshia: You never know.

Kaitlyn: You really don’t. You don’t know who’s showing up, ever.

Well, if you do, I hope you come in in a box.

Kaitlyn: [Laughs.] Might be a little too hot for that.

The Bachelorette airs Mondays on ABC.

Jessica Radloff is the Glamour West Coast editor. You can follow her on Instagram at @jessicaradloff14.

Originally Appeared on Glamour