Tayshia Adams Has Become the New Bachelorette

Tayshia Adams Has Become the New Bachelorette
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From Oprah Magazine

How many times has host Chris Harrison promised us "the most dramatic season in Bachelor or Bachelorette history? A lot. But now it seems that he finally delivered on his promise with season 16 of The Bachelorette, which began with Clare Crawley on the October 13 premiere, and will end with Tayshia Adams. The former phlebotomist first entered the franchise as a contestant on Colton Underwood's Bachelor season. And now, the Bachelor in Paradise alum is Crawley's mid-season successor.

Just a few weeks after Crawley's season began filming in a quarantine bubble this summer, rumors began swirling that the season may start with one star and end with another—a first in The Bachelor franchise.According to those reports, the 39-year-old hairstylist fell in love with contestant Dale Moss so quickly that she refused to continue filming out of respect for the other men. Not to mention that the not-so-hidden spoilers were confirmed by social media posts and interviews from former Bachelor stars like Rachel Lindsay, Colton Underwood, Ali Fedotowsky, Kaitlyn Bristow, and John Paul Jones, as well as ET host Lauren Zima (who happens to be Harrison's girlfriend).

But as we learned on Thursday's action-packed episode, not only did Crawley fall in love with Moss, but the pair also became engaged—opening the door for Adams, 30, to come in as Crawley's replacement.

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That IS good news 😉 #TheBachelorette

A post shared by The Bachelorette (@bacheloretteabc) on Nov 5, 2020 at 10:15pm PST

Ahead of her first episode, here's what you should know about your new Bachelorette, Tayshia Adams.

Tayshia first dated Colton Underwood on Season 23 of The Bachelor.

Bachelor Nation met Adams in 2019, when she vied for Colton Underwood's heart. Adams, who had a reputation of being low-key and drama-free, immediately hit it off with the former football player, nabbing one of the first kisses. From there, the pair traveled to Thailand, Singapore, and Vietnam, before stopping in Santa Ana, California, for their hometown date. When Underwood first asked her dad for permission to marry Adams, he initially said no. "I just met you,” Tayshia's dad said. “I need to make sure it’s the right thing. Straight up, I think you’re a good guy but obviously, I want to protect her and have her best interest.” (By the end of the night, though, he had changed his mind.)

After their fantasy-suite date, it looked like the couple might end up together—until he ditched both her and Hannah Godwin to pursue Cassie Randolph, who had already left the show.

Then, Tayshia was linked to John Paul Jones on Season 6 of Bachelor in Paradise.

After her breakup with Underwood, Adams went on Bachelor in Paradise (BiP), where she was initially involved with Blake Horstmann. After their brief yet messy entanglement, Adams ended up dating John Paul Jones (a.k.a. JPJ), who was perhaps the quirkiest bachelor from Hannah Brown's season of The Bachelorette. Eventually, Adams broke up with JPJ, but the two reconnected when Adams traveled to Saint Michaels, Maryland, to see if he would give their relationship another chance. “I talked to my mom about it and I decided I wanted to go after him,” she said at the BiP reunion. “I’m a bold girl.”

Six weeks after the reunion, though, Adams announced they had split again due to distance, work schedules, and other factors. "I told him, I’m like honestly, ‘I just want you to experience a little more life. I feel like you just need to live a little bit and learn a little bit because I feel like I can only do so much,'" she said on the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast.

Photo credit: John Fleenor - Getty Images
Photo credit: John Fleenor - Getty Images

But before all of that, Tayshia was married to her first boyfriend.

During a one-on-one date with Underwood, Adams revealed that she'd married her first boyfriend, Josh Bourelle, but after six years together—one and half of which were spent married—things fell apart. Adams told Underwood that she believed marriage was forever, so she fought hard to try and make the relationship work, but ultimately "you can't make someone want to be married," she said.

On fellow BiP star Dean Unglert's podcast, Help! I Suck at Dating..., Adams dove deeper into her divorce, explaining how the experience brought her closer to her parents than ever before. "It definitely was scary to tell my parents it’s just not working out," she said. "Before my divorce, I really wasn’t open with my parents about every single thing that was going on my relationship slash me in general. But, because of my divorce, I opened up a lot more and they are now my closest friends in a way.”

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What a day this was!! As I mentioned last night, the past 2 years have consisted of some of the happiest and saddest moments of my life thus far. However, my 1-on-1 with Colton changed the game for me. It truly was a testament to how much I’ve grown as a woman of faith. My divorce used to be something I was ashamed of, because to me it represented, not only to myself but to everyone that knew me, that I had failed at marriage, something I value so highly. It made me question my worth and completely dimmed the light inside of me that used to shine so brightly. I only told a handful of people about it, and let the rest figure it out for themselves, because I wanted to avoid answering questions I myself didn’t know the answer to. It’s been a rough journey to pick up the pieces and rebuild my idea of the life I want, but I will tell you this: I would not be able to be the strong, independent, and smiling woman I am today without my faith or the support of my close family & friends that have supported me unconditionally. This day was a pivotal moment for me as I proved to myself that I can face one of my biggest fears (bungee jumping off a building) even if my form wasn’t exactly how it was supposed to be 😂 ‘cause the bottom line is I STILL TOOK THAT LEAP! It proved that I am stronger than I ever thought I was because I opened up about my biggest “failure” and it made me EXCITED for the life I have ahead of me!!! I owe this revelation to Colton, as he’s the one who challenged me out of my comfort zone and pushed me to want to be the best version of myself. He didn’t just listen to my story, but he comforted, empathized, and respected me, and those are qualities of an amazing man! Singapore you were SO GOOD TO ME! Thank you everyone for all your love and support, it has meant so much to me!! I appreciate you all! 💗💗💗#ForTheRealOnes🌹

A post shared by ––––––– TAYSHIA ADAMS ––––––– (@tayshia) on Jan 29, 2019 at 5:02pm PST

She used to have a job as a phlebotomist.

After graduating with a bachelor's degree in biology medical science, she worked as a phlebotomist, meaning she spent her days filling teeny vials with patients’ blood. In fact, according to her Bachelor intro video, the first thing she notices about people are their veins.

After appearing on The Bachelor and BiP, though, Adams took a break from phlebotomy, pursuing a different career path entirely. "I don’t know if I’ll go back into medicine," she told Vulture. "As much as I love it and went to school for it, my passion has always been in real estate, development, interior design, and architecture. I think I’m going to gravitate towards that. I’m currently working at an interior design firm, and I hope this blossoms and opens doors for my career."

She's extremely close not only with her mom and dad, but also her brothers and sister.

Adams hails from California's Orange County, and stayed pretty close to home during college (she attended Concordia University in Irvine, California), as well as after graduation (she was based in Corona Del Mar when she went on The Bachelor). During her hometown date, we met Adams's parents, Rosario and Desmond, as well as her younger brother, Bryce, and older brother, Desmond Jr. But she also has a sister Dominique, who attends the United States Naval Academy. Judging by her Instagram, she appears to be equally close with all of her family members.

"Despite being on a TV show, I'm a very private person that values my faith, family, and friends more than anything," she said in an Instagram post. "No matter what opportunities come my way, I will always be true to who I am."

She loves to travel.

Adams's very first trip out of country was just weeks before The Bachelor started—for a mission trip to Africa—and she hasn't stopped traveling since. In addition to all the places Adams visited while filming (Portugal, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore), she's also visited Dubai, Paris, the French Alps, and more.

She was previously considered for The Bachelorette.

After appearing on Underwood's season, Adams was one of five women considered for the following season of The Bachelorette. In the end, though, the gig was offered to Hannah Brown. In that same Vulture interview, she spilled on what could've been had ABC offered her the spot—which might be a preview for what to expect this season.

"I might be more tough on the guys, in the sense I’d need them to stand up a little bit more than Hannah," she said. "The guys would definitely have to be much older, I’d tell you that much. I require a little bit more life experience, someone who really knows who they are and still aren’t trying to figure themselves out. Show up, or get out. No bullshit, let’s go, I’m trying to find a husband!"

She's not afraid to stand up for what she believes in.

If you watched Underwood's season of The Bachelor, you know Adams isn't afraid to call things like she sees them. That's true, whether or not cameras are rolling.

In June, she attended a protest in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. "I truly have never felt anything like I did yesterday," she wrote in an Instagram post. "It wasn’t until 4th grade when I had my first cognitive encounter with someone not wanting to associate with me based on the color of my skin. My parents sacrificed so much in order for my siblings and I to be surrounded by people that encouraged me to embrace my uniqueness. Don’t get me wrong there have been many along to way that have intentionally tried to make me feel inferior but I’ve been told since a young age that Gods light within will always be brighter than anyone trying to dim it."

You can follow her on Instagram and TikTok.

Season 16 of The Bachelorette will premiere on Tuesday, October 13. As the series unfolds, stay up to date with Adams on her Instagram, where she posts under @tayshiaaa or her Tik Tok, where she posts under @tayshiaadams.


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