Fairy Godmother knows best! OG Bachelorette Trista Sutter joined Us Weekly’s “Here for the Right Reasons” podcast to recap the Monday, February 8, episode of The Bachelor — and weighed in on the speculation that Katie Thurston will be the next Bachelorette.
“I do think she’d be a great Bachelorette. I have heard those rumors [but] I just don’t know. I feel like it’s pretty early even though [Mike] Fleiss has been on Twitter saying announcements [are] coming soon,” the 48-year-old reality TV personality told Us, referring to the Bachelor creator. “I do love Katie. I think she would be great. I think that [she has] so many parts of what I think make traditionally make great Bachelorettes. … She is authentic, she’s willing to get down deep into her thoughts and share those thoughts, you know, expressing what’s going on with her.”
Trista added that Katie, 30, is “super fun” and “very intelligent,” but she isn’t convinced the show is ready to commit to her as the season 17 lead.
“I would really love to see her, but I’m thinking that she’ll probably be on Bachelor in Paradise if that show ever comes back,” she told Us.
During the podcast, Trista also got candid about drama on Matt’s season, noting that she applauded Katie for being the one to inform the 29-year-old former football player about the cattiness.
“I reached out to her on Instagram and just was like, ‘Thank you for being levelheaded. Thank you for standing your ground, when there are people who are choosing not to be so nice.’ I appreciate her,” she said, noting that Katie spoke to Matt about the drama with the “intent of helping everyone” in the house.
While Katie won over Trista, Matt sent her home during Monday’s episode.
“It’s a bummer that she’s gone. But also, this is really about Matt. And you could tell the chemistry between them — compared to the chemistry between him and Rachael [Kirkconnell] or him and Michelle [Young] — it’s just not there,” the “Better, Etc.” podcast host told Us.
As for the rest of the cast, Trista noted that several of the ladies have a lot to learn when they rewatch the season.
“They think it’s a competition and I have never lived by that theory. I didn’t live by that theory when I was on the show,” Trista, who met husband Ryan Sutter on season 1 of The Bachelorette in 2003, explained. “My whole thing was, ‘I’m going to show you who I am. If you show me who you are, and you think that we’re compatible, and you think that I’m your best match, awesome.’ … I don’t know if the girls came in, like, with this competitive thought process on how the show is supposed to be, or if some of them are just making mistakes. We’re all human.”
For more from Trista, listen to Us Weekly‘s “Here for the Right Reasons” podcast!