A tough go of it. Former Bachelorette DeAnna Pappas revealed how her pal Clare Crawley has been coping with the changes during her season of the ABC spinoff.
“I think anybody who’s been on the show … [knows that] it is hard. She’s just been put through the ringer, and the things that people are saying about her and about her life and stuff online can just be really hurtful,” the season 4 Bachelorette, 38, said on Ben Higgins and Ashley Iaconetti’s “Almost Famous” podcast on Monday, November 2. “I just feel bad for her because, I feel like in a period of time where this should be really joyful for her and this should be a really great experience and probably one of the most exciting things that she will go through, it has not been that for her.”
Pappas continued, “On most days, she’s feeling really down about the things that people are saying about her online and the editing of the show. So, actually, the girls and I — we all sent her some flowers today just to let her know that we love her and this is a blip. This will all be done, you know? Whatever the outcome is tomorrow night, she’s going to walk away and she’s gonna be able to move on and hopefully have someone that she genuinely loves and can be with and people will forget about this. They’ll move on.”
The former Bachelor contestant said that she has been “trying to reach out” to Crawley, 39, on a “daily basis” to make sure she’s doing OK. “I’m trying to be a cheerleader, because I feel like she has so many cards stacked against her,” Pappas added.
Crawley has experienced major roadblocks throughout her Bachelorette journey. After being announced as the leading lady in March, production was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Shortly after filming began in July at the La Quinta Resort & Club in La Quinta, California, Us Weekly confirmed that she was leaving the show after believing she had found The One within two weeks. ABC then called in Tayshia Adams as a replacement.
As her season has unfolded on TV, Crawley faced an awkward interaction with now-eliminated contestant Zack Johnson on their one-on-one date, during which he aggressively tried to kiss her repeatedly. She was also brutally slammed by now-cut suitor Yosef Aborady, who said that he “expected more from the oldest Bachelorette” following her strip dodgeball group date. Additionally, she quickly fell for contestant Dale Moss, and their connection sparked dissatisfaction among the other remaining men
In a sneak peek for the Thursday, November 5, episode, the Bachelor Winter Games alum breaks down in tears during a conversation with host Chris Harrison, who tells her that “the path we’re on right now, it doesn’t end well for anybody.” Teasing what is next at the clip’s end, Adams, 30, is revealed to be the next Bachelorette as she steps out of a pool.
Crawley’s ex-fiancé, Benoit Beauséjour-Savard, recently suggested that it likely wasn’t entirely her choice to exit the show early. “So I think, like, ultimately it was production that came at her and said, ‘You know what, Clare, I feel like you’re not giving it a fair chance. You’re really into Dale, so we want you to be happy,’” the Canada native, 33, said on the “Almost Famous” podcast on October 30. “And they had, like, a common agreement on her maybe leaving the show, but I feel like it wasn’t her ultimate decision.”
This week’s episode of The Bachelorette will air on ABC Thursday, November 5, at 8 p.m. ET.
Listen to Here For the Right Reasons to get inside scoop about the Bachelor franchise and exclusive interviews from contestants