Bachelor host and king of suspense Chris Harrison dropped by Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Monday night to reveal the lovely woman ABC had chosen to spend the rest of next season of the Bachelorette with: Rachel Lindsay. Though the news that Lindsay was tapped to star was reported earlier in the evening, the reveal might have come as a shock to many fans, since Lindsay is still technically in the running for Nick Viall’s heart on The Bachelor. Jimmy Kimmel, a noted Bachelor superfan, asked Lindsay about this when she appeared on his show, and she kindly demurred that while it will not work out with Viall in a future episode, she is a fan of another front-runner, this season’s villain/possible-child-stuck-in-an-adult’s-body Corinne. Lindsay’s casting is noteworthy not only for spoiling the season, but also because she is the first person of color to serve as either the Bachelor or Bachelorette. An industry insider told Vulture that ABC dropped the news early to get ahead of rumors and leaks, but really it could just be a Galentine’s Day gift from the network to you.
