Clare Crawley refuses to reveal details about her Bachelorette season during GMA interview

Clare Crawley didn’t give much away about her upcoming season of the Bachelorette when she appeared on Good Morning America on Tuesday.

The 39-year-old teased few details ahead of Tuesday night’s premiere of season 16 which has been surrounded by controversy and claims that Crawley fell in love with one of the contestants before filming started.

‘I am in love with life right now,’ she told T.J. Holmes when asked if she is in love.

‘Things are really good. It’s good not being in quarantine. I’ll tell you that. … Everybody keeps asking me, “Are you happy? Are you happy?” and I keep telling everybody, like, I was happy going into this. So, whatever came about it, I’m happy now. Things are well on my end.’

Crawley refused to confirm that she exited the season early when Holmes pressed her about it.

‘You know what? A lot of stuff happened on this season,’ she replied. ‘I feel like it would not be doing it any justice if I was to give any of it away to you.’

She called the experience a ‘blessing’ and added, ‘These men really stepped up, and I think having that long awaited time in between — I believe it was almost six months — they really did an excellent job of recasting men that would suit me and that were my type. So, these guys that showed up really brought their A-game. It was an exceptional group of men.’

Filming of the latest season was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic after Crawley was revealed as the Bachelorette in March.

Filming began in July with COVID-19 restrictions in place. Shortly after it was revealed that Crawley had chosen to leave the show after finding love after just two weeks.

She had reportedly told producers that she wan’t going on anymore dates because she had already fallen in love.

Tayshia Adams was then chosen to replace Crawley, however, there has been no glimpse of Adams in any of the ABC promos. 

It’s believed that the Crawley left the show because she had supposedly fallen for suitor Dale Moss, 31, prior to filming. 

In an explosive new trailer ahead of the premiere which dropped on Tuesday, the contestants look frustrated as they threaten to walk out during one dramatic scene.

The men are also seen having crisis talks with host Chris Harrison as one of them asks, ‘do we get a new Bachelorette in here?’.

Harrison tells them, ‘In the 18 years I’ve been doing this show, we’ve never dealt with anything like this,’

‘There’s also not going to be a rose ceremony tonight. I can’t even fathom how you guys are going to try and process this.’ 

In a tense one-on-one conversation with a tearful Crawley, Harrison tells her, ‘The path we’re on right now, it doesn’t end well, for you, for the guys, for anybody.

‘Congratulations,’ he adds. ‘You’ve just blown up The Bachelorette.’ 

Sparks were flying between Clare and Dale in an exclusive sneak peek which dropped on Monday. 

In the clip, she ‘meets’ him for the first time as cameras were rolling for her introductions to the 31 contestants and it was love at first sight. 

‘I’m a hugger, so I’ve got a big hug for you,’ the former football says after stepping out of the limo.

Moss grabs Crawley, who is dressed in a floor length gunmetal gown, and pulls her into an intimate embrace. 

‘I needed this,’ she told him. ‘I needed this so bad, you have no idea.’ 

The pair then exchange pleasantries but there appears to be a knowing glint in both of their eyes.  

‘I really do feel this is going to be special,’ Dale tells the California native. ‘I can’t wait to see you inside.’ 

She quips back: ‘I agree. I can’t wait either. Thank you for the great hug! That was amazing. You’re a good hugger.’

While there was definite chemistry into their brief meeting, it was what Clare said after he walked away that speaks volumes.  

‘I definitely feel like I just met my husband,’ she said burying her face in her hands. ‘I’m shaking.’

Fans have been chomping at the bit to see the interaction between Clare and Dale since she reportedly left the show a few episodes in after falling for him before the season began. There was even some unsubstantiated talk of them getting engaged already.  

While none of these details have yet to be confirmed, and to make matters more complicated, a recent report from Reality Steve claimed all of those details were not true, and that Clare leaving the show to be replaced with Tayshia was actually PLANNED by production. 

Crawley’s portion of the season seemingly lasted just three rose ceremonies, where she eliminated 14 of the 31 possible suitors, seven of which were on the first night.

As for the transition from Crawley to Adams, Steve admitted to not having all the details, but he said reports of, ‘Crawley refusing to film, locking herself in closets, and quitting the show to be with Dale aren’t correct.’ 

What apparently happened was Clare went into production already having a clear favorite in Dale, and it became ‘impossible to hide’ that she was into him more than everyone else before filming started. 

He added this was the first time in the history of both The Bachelor and The Bachelorette that the show’s lead got to see the contestants before filming started.

This season is being filmed in a ‘bubble’ in the La Quinta Resort in Palm Springs due to the COVID-19 pandemic which initially delayed production in March. 

‘There were also honestly so many pros to it getting shut down,’ Clare told previously told People Magazine of the delay. ‘Producers were able to recast some of the guys and get some that were more appropriate for what I was looking for.’ 

‘I wanted a guy who was genuinely there for me,’ she added. 

Among the two dozen plus suitors who were plucked to vie for Clare’s heart this season, there is a range of ages and occupations including a boy band manager, chef, and Army Ranger veteran.

Season 16 of The Bachelorette airs Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.