It's official! ABC finally confirmed the next leading lady for the upcoming season of its "The Bachelor" spin-off, "The Bachelorette." The decision came down between Caila Quinn and Joelle "JoJo" Fletcher, two runner ups for this season's "The Bachelor" star Ben Higgins, and the network reportedly made a last minute decision in choosing their "Bachelorette" star.
Quinn had a tearful goodbye during the Feb. 29 episode when Higgins admitted he didn't have strong feelings for Quinn to tell her he loved her, and she was rumored to be the top choice as the next "Bachelorette." But franchise host Chris Harrison announced the network's confirmed new star during last night's (Monday, March 14) post-season finale talk show "The Bachelor: After the Rose" and shocked viewers with the surprise reveal.
"She is a woman who the entire country fell in love with and I know you're all hoping she is able to fall in love again," Harrison told the audience. "So I would like to please welcome our new bachelorette, JoJo."
Fletcher, who was sitting onstage next to Higgins during Harrison's announcement, stood up and walked to the edge of the stage and hugged Harrison. She looked around at the cheering crowd, smiling but looking slightly shocked from the news. Higgins stood up and clapped along with the audience.
"Thank you so much!" Fletcher exclaimed. "It's overwhelming!"
Higgins congratulated her and she took her seat next to him again.
"Oh my gosh, that is crazy! Oh, it's so weird! It's crazy! I mean guys, I am so excited," Fletcher said.
"You're gonna be phenomenal," Harrison told Fletcher, and Higgins agreed.
"Great choice," Higgins said.
Fletcher and Quinn were both contenders for the coveted spot as the next "Bachelorette," and both women filmed their intro packages for the show in their hometowns last week. It seemed as if Quinn would be the top choice but in a last-minute decision, producers chose Fletcher - a 25-year-old real estate developer from Dallas, Texas who had her heart broken by Higgins during last night's season finale of "The Bachelor."
"With her family's support, an open heart and a new perspective on the possibilities of finding true love, JoJo will embark on finding her "unicorn" - her once-in-a- lifetime love," the network announced in a press release. "Will she face the unpredictable heartache of falling in love with more than one man? All she is sure of is that she found love once with Ben on 'The Bachelor' and feels sure that this second time will be her charm, and wants everyone to come along for the ride."
