Who Is Clare Crawley? Everything You Need to Know About the Next Bachelorette

Look out, Bachelor Nation! There’s a new Bachelorette in town.

Clare Crawley was named the next Bachelorette on Good Morning America on Monday in a move that shocked many. Often, the next Bachelorette is chosen from the women who competed on the previous season of The Bachelor. Rather than choosing a woman from Peter Weber’s current season of The Bachelor, ABC went with franchise alumna Crawley. This is the first time in Bachelorette history that the show’s lead didn’t come from the previous season of The Bachelor.

Crawley isn’t a stranger to Bachelor Nation. Though it has been six years since her stint on The Bachelor and two since her time competing on Bachelor Winter Games, the California native is ready to finally find love.

“People always talk about, ‘Why would you go on the show again?’” she told PEOPLE. “But it’s common for people, especially my age, to go through relationships. And whether they are good or bad, you take something from them. [Each experience] has propelled me into a different level with myself.”

So what do we know about our newest Bachelorette? Let’s find out.

She’s a California Girl

The California native lives in Sacramento and is a hairstylist at De Facto Salon.

Crawley loves nature and her Instagram is full of photos of her doing outdoorsy activities like hiking with her two dogs and kayaking. No doubt that some of her group dates will involve the men hiking for her heart and taking in amazing views.

She’s the Oldest Bachelorette in the Show’s History

Crawley’s casting comes after fans started getting frustrated with the age of the franchise’s contestants. The hairdresser is 38 years old, which is the oldest a Bachelorette has ever been in the franchise’s history. She’ll turn 39 while filming the show.

Crawley said of her age on Good Morning America, “I feel like a lot of people put it out there as this negative thing. For me, it’s just more years under my belt. More years learning and knowing what I want and what I won’t settle for.”

She echoed those sentiments when she chatted with PEOPLE. “I feel like my age is really an asset,” said Crawley. “I’ve gone through twists and turns and I know what I will and won’t put up with. Twenty-three-year-old Clare had no clue what I wanted. And I’m glad that wasn’t the end of my love story because I’m such a different woman now.”

She’s No Stranger to the Franchise

Crawley started her Bachelor Nation journey in 2014 when she competed on Juan Pablo Galavis’s season of The Bachelor and finished in second place. Her relationship with Juan Pablo was, to say the least, problematic and tumultuous, and when she was dumped, she told him off in an epic moment that made us founding members of the Clare Crawley Deserves Better Club.

“I thought I knew what kind of man you were,” Crawley said before leaving. “What you just made me go through, I’d never want my children having a father like you.”

After missing out on love (and, TBH, dodging a bullet with Juan Pablo), Clare went on Bachelor in Paradise, where she made friends with a raccoon, but did not leave with a fiancé.

The next year, Clare returned, hopeful that she’d find her match, but her search was not fruitful. In fact, after leaving Paradise early, she announced her “retirement” from the franchise.

Then, in 2018, she came back to the franchise to compete in The Bachelor Winter Games …

… and we have never been able to look at a jacuzzi the same.

After her jacuzzi incident with former German Bachelor, Christian Rauch, Clare actually went on to find love with fellow contestant Benoit Beauséjour-Savard after the show, and the pair got engaged on the After the Final Rose episode. They split in April 2018.

You know what they say, fifth time’s a charm! Crawley’s season of The Bachelorette premieres May 18 on ABC.