A dramatic twist! Though Rachel Lindsay is still vying for Nick Viall’s heart on The Bachelor season 21, ABC announced Monday, February 13, that she’ll star as the Bachelorette for season 13 this May.
Overnight, the lawyer received an outpouring of support from Bachelor Nation, including season 20 standout Olivia Caridi. (Watch her praise Lindsay in the video above!)
“I’m so beyond thrilled,” Caridi exclusively tells Us Weekly. “I wanted it to be her so bad. I just didn’t think it would come this early, so I was almost like, ‘Is it a joke?’”
But why did ABC spoil that Lindsay’s journey with Viall is, well, a bust?
“I think, as far as social media is concerned, her numbers are lower than most,” explains the NYC-based journalist. “I think they want to get this push behind her. She went from like 60,000 followers last night to 90,000. So I think they’re trying to build her up and give her this presence. It’s all about who America is going to get behind on social media. … I think they want to build this hype around her, so that when she is the Bachelorette, she has a big following and people are behind her.”
Of course, viewers have long awaited the chance to rally behind an African-American lead.
“Obviously having a diverse Bachelorette is so exciting for so many reasons, and I think they want this to be a historic moment both in numbers and who it is,” the 24-year-old says. “It was early, and I think a lot of people were disappointed ABC did that, because you’re basically saying she doesn’t go all the way. But I was so happy. I was overjoyed!”
For more from Caridi – including her advice to current villain Corinne Olympios and whether she will join Bachelor in Paradise – watch the video above!
The Bachelorette returns to ABC on Monday, May 22, at 9 p.m. ET.
