ABC Exec Robert Mills Denies ‘Bachelorette’ Theory About Tayshia Adams and Clare Crawley Switch-Up: 7 Revelations

Credit: ABC/Kwaku Alston; ABC/Maarten de Boer

ABC Exec Robert Mills Denies 'Bachelorette' Theory About Tayshia Adams and Clare Crawley Switch-Up: 7 Revelations

When one Bachelorette gets her happy ending, another leading lady swoops in to hand out roses. ABC executive Robert Mills teased Tayshia Adams' upcoming journey on the reality series — and denied theories that the show pre-planned Clare Crawley’s early exit. “It is insane,” the head of ABC’s alternative series, specials & late-night programming told Variety after the Thursday, November 5, episode of The Bachelorette. “You just think, ‘Oh my gosh, I swear we didn’t plan this.’” Us Weekly confirmed in August that Clare, 39, stopped filming season 16 of The Bachelorette within the first two weeks of production because she was already head over heels for one of her suitors. After the October 13 premiere, it was clear that Dale Moss was the contestant who stole the hairstylist’s heart. The network subsequently called in Tayshia, 30, to continue the journey with Clare’s contestants. “We knew on JoJo [Fletcher]’s season that her person clearly was Jordan [Rodgers]. And she definitely knew with Jordan, but she wasn’t ready to stop the show,” Mills said. “She definitely had feelings for a lot of these other guys, and there were some great guys, so I don’t think she was ready until the end. But if she — or anyone else — had said that, I think we have to listen to that. Clare essentially said, ‘I can’t do this anymore,’ so how could we not listen to her? She said, ‘When I’m with other guys, all I think about is Dale.’” [jwplayer 1JEibw03] During Thursday’s episode, Clare broke the news to her remaining 16 men that she was in love with Dale. After spending the night together, the 32-year-old model proposed. “At that point, Clare started to feel like Dale is The One, so she needed a one-on-one quickly to spell this out and that’s why they had an overnight,” Mills explained. “Plus, one of the benefits of having Chris Harrison living on site is that he was able to talk Clare through everything at a moment’s notice. He steps in as a parent and a therapist. We had to make sure that Dale feels this way, too, and that it wasn’t just Clare.” The exec went on to credit the producers and art department for getting La Quinta Resort in Palm Springs proposal-ready. “Clare basically called him there to say that she felt this way, and he said he felt this way, too. They both acknowledged that this was crazy, but they basically said, “When you know, you know.’" The Bachelorette airs on ABC Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET. Scroll through for more from Mills: Hear the Us Weekly editors break down the most surprising celebrity births during the pandemic in under 2 minutes!

Credit: ABC/Kwaku Alston; ABC/Maarten de Boer

ABC Exec Robert Mills Denies 'Bachelorette' Theory About Tayshia Adams and Clare Crawley Switch-Up: 7 Revelations

When one Bachelorette gets her happy ending, another leading lady swoops in to hand out roses. ABC executive Robert Mills teased Tayshia Adams' upcoming journey on the reality series — and denied theories that the show pre-planned Clare Crawley’s early exit. “It is insane,” the head of ABC’s alternative series, specials & late-night programming told Variety after the Thursday, November 5, episode of The Bachelorette. “You just think, ‘Oh my gosh, I swear we didn’t plan this.’” Us Weekly confirmed in August that Clare, 39, stopped filming season 16 of The Bachelorette within the first two weeks of production because she was already head over heels for one of her suitors. After the October 13 premiere, it was clear that Dale Moss was the contestant who stole the hairstylist’s heart. The network subsequently called in Tayshia, 30, to continue the journey with Clare’s contestants. “We knew on JoJo [Fletcher]’s season that her person clearly was Jordan [Rodgers]. And she definitely knew with Jordan, but she wasn’t ready to stop the show,” Mills said. “She definitely had feelings for a lot of these other guys, and there were some great guys, so I don’t think she was ready until the end. But if she — or anyone else — had said that, I think we have to listen to that. Clare essentially said, ‘I can’t do this anymore,’ so how could we not listen to her? She said, ‘When I’m with other guys, all I think about is Dale.’” [jwplayer 1JEibw03] During Thursday’s episode, Clare broke the news to her remaining 16 men that she was in love with Dale. After spending the night together, the 32-year-old model proposed. “At that point, Clare started to feel like Dale is The One, so she needed a one-on-one quickly to spell this out and that’s why they had an overnight,” Mills explained. “Plus, one of the benefits of having Chris Harrison living on site is that he was able to talk Clare through everything at a moment’s notice. He steps in as a parent and a therapist. We had to make sure that Dale feels this way, too, and that it wasn’t just Clare.” The exec went on to credit the producers and art department for getting La Quinta Resort in Palm Springs proposal-ready. “Clare basically called him there to say that she felt this way, and he said he felt this way, too. They both acknowledged that this was crazy, but they basically said, “When you know, you know.’" The Bachelorette airs on ABC Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET. Scroll through for more from Mills: Hear the Us Weekly editors break down the most surprising celebrity births during the pandemic in under 2 minutes!

Credit: ABC/Kwaku Alston

Tayshia’s Reaction to the News

Mills confirmed that the Bachelor in Paradise season 6 alum was considered before they picked Clare in March. When they called Tayshia to take over, she didn’t hesitate. “She came in and basically said, ‘You never know when things are going to shake up in your life.’ And we are so lucky that we ended up getting two all-time Bachelorettes,” he said.

Credit: ABC

Getting Tayshia In the Bubble

While there are questions about how — and when — the Bachelor season 23 contestant arrived in Palm Springs, Mills said it was “so easy” to continue filming after Clare’s departure because the other men never left.

“A lot of the dates were tailored to Clare, so the producers had to rework those dates and that was the hardest part. It’s a testament to how great these producers are,” he explained.

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

Tayshia’s Journey Will Be ‘Emotional’

“It’s just as emotional as Clare’s, but in a totally different way,” he teased. “Tayshia really allowed herself to fall in love with multiple guys. It’s always such a roller-coaster. At the end, there are a lot of heartbreaking, devastating moments. There’s not really a villain. It’s more like, ‘I want her to end up with him. Wait no, I want her to be with this guy!’”

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

How Tayshia Felt About Meeting Clare’s Guys

Some members of Bachelor Nation wonder if it’s possible for Tayshia to have a connection with men picked for Clare, but Mills isn’t worried.

“I don’t think they’re as different as you might think on the surface. Tayshia had been through a divorce, so I think there is a lot of maturity that comes with that, and she is super serious about settling down, just like Clare was, so it actually did not seem like a huge stretch for these guys,” he told Variety. “She was open to all the guys and she was so excited.”

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

The Guys ‘Checked Out’ During Clare’s Journey

According to Mills, the season 16 contestants were “checked out” and “sort of done” after episode three. Mills added that the men were “overjoyed” when Tayshia showed up.

“Our one big worry was that we wanted to make sure that she really wanted to be with Dale and wouldn’t make another connection with someone else. But by week three, she was really emotional over it and she was crying and there were real feelings there,” he explained.

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

How Producers Feel About Clare and Dale

Mills made it clear the show is rooting for Clare and Dale, who teased during an Instagram Live after Thursday’s episode that they are house hunting.

“When Clare lost her dad, that was such a huge loss and she swore on her father’s grave she didn’t want to waste any time anymore. She felt like she wasted a lot of time with men who weren’t worth it, and she didn’t want to wait another minute for the one who was worth it,” he told Variety. “We had a very abbreviated journey for a happy couple. And they’re still doing great.”

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

Why Clare Stayed in Palm Springs

Fans will see Clare on upcoming episodes of The Bachelorette as Tayshia’s attempt to find love plays out. Mills told Variety that the show kept her in quarantine so she could have “happy couple time with Dale” and so no one could confirm she was no longer the Bachelorette.