The Bachelorette recently wrapped its latest season starring Katie Thurston. Chris Harrison's absence was reportedly felt during filming. Chris stepped down as host after his defense of racially insensitive images of contestant Rachael Kirkconnell. Former Bachelorettes Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe stepped in to host Katie's season, a development Katie was reportedly excited about. However, it seems like some people on set were missing Chris.
While there have been some mixed reactions to Chris' departure, the move was never supposed to be permanent. He was replaced by Emmanuel Acho for the After The Final Rose special for Matt James' season, but it was unclear how long he would be away from the franchise. Due mostly to complaints from Bachelor contestants, including Katie, Chris was axed from her season as well as the upcoming season of Bachelor In Paradise. Katie openly expressed that she wanted Chris to take more time off after her season was announced. Contestants started refusing the opportunity to come on Bachelor In Paradise after the scandal, and many said that they would not be on the show if Chris was hosting. This lead to Tayshia and Kaitlyn being appointed hosts of Katie's season. It's unclear who will host Bachelor In Paradise, if anyone.
A source close to production told E! News that Katie's season had a different tone without Chris present. "The guys always go to him for advice and view him as a wise older guy and the ladies go to him as a father figure," the source said, admitting that the guys couldn't get the same advice from Tayshia and Kaitlyn. Another source explained, "The guys didn't feel like could necessarily vent [or] have therapy sessions with Tayshia or Kaitlyn." Another source referred to Chris as the "mediator" and "voice of reason" on set. They said it was easy to work with Chris, since he knew the ins and outs of production.
Two of their sources said that having other attractive and outgoing women on set pulled some of the focus away from Katie, despite her being the only single woman there. "It wasn't necessarily competitive, but it was a really different vibe," an insider shared, continuing, "It kind of distracted from Katie being the only desirable woman there." A different source added, "It was a lot of female energy in one bubble and hard for Katie to have the full spotlight." While Katie's reputation for being a girl's girl makes it hard to believe that Katie would have tried to compete with Tayshia or Kaitlyn, it can't be easy to wonder if the guys are looking at them instead.
If these comments are any indication of whether Tayshia and Kaitlyn will continue hosting, it sounds like they won't be returning. It's hard to say whether Chris could make a real return to the franchise after all the bad press. Maybe there's something to the rumor that The Bachelor could be ending in the near future.
Source: E! News